I recently had a piece workshopped by my peers that left me BRUISED. One reader wanted a closer point of view. Another thought too much time was spent setting up the scene and found the “payoff” meager. I listened throughout, took notes as I always do, and with every moment, felt the very core of myself bottom out. After workshop, I made myself a cup of tea and sat alone on our basement couch. I didn’t know what to do. My head was spinning.

Once my thoughts settled, I recalled my misstep—this project is not as flawed as my readers believed, but my interaction with my workshop was.

Do you ever find that you learn a life lesson then forget it until you are forced to remember it again? I have long believed in three crucial aspects of an effective writing workshop, only I had forgotten them in my rush to share a new piece. So for you, dear reader, in hopes you do not make similar mistakes, I have three pieces of advice:

Do not share new material until you have worked on it as much as you are able and simply cannot figure out the next steps. Rather than asking your readers to provide feedback on a work in-progress, you want to give them something that is as complete as it can be. This will protect you from feedback that does assist your story, but it will also make you more able to weed through the feedback that you receive.
Read your works before workshop and jot down what is working well in a piece and also what you know needs work.
Wear lipstick. Or your favorite wool socks. Or slip the framed image of you and your best friend to your workshop. The key is to find a way to feel your best, whatever that may mean.

Workshop can be tough and you should prepare for it like any important event. Doing so will make you more receptive to feedback and better prepare you for revisiting your piece in revision. Being a writer is something you prepare for nearly everyday and it requires work. I know you’ve got it in you.