Are you a newish professional SF & fantasy writer? ‘Tis the season to contemplate taking your fiction writing to a new level via a terrific writers’ workshop. What’s that I hear you muttering—you’ll give it some thought after the holidays? That may well be a mistake. You see, one of the premier workshops, Paradise Lost, accepts memberships on a rolling basis. It has a limited number left for both its critique track and its retreat track. There aren’t many left. I’ve been to Paradise Lost three years running and must say that I’ve learned wonderful new things every year. Plus it’s a four-day event set in beautiful San Antonio, Texas at a perfect time of year: April 27 – 3o, 2017.
Paradise Lost isn’t for beginners as you must have a pro sale, or have attended Viable Paradise, Taos Toolbox, or be a member of Codex. But it is way less intensive than those other workshops. At Paradise Lost, you’ll have a few weeks in advance to critique roughly four works of 5000 words apiece. 20,000 words total is doable even if you’re not a fast critiquer, and I’m definitely not. There will also be time to work on your own stories, attend class, and socialize with other writers. What invariably gets shorted is sleep, but yeah you already knew that, right?
In a supportive environment, Paradise Lost really shines at:
1) Providing top-notch classroom instruction by some of the best writers in our field, and for the first time this year, by an agent.
2) Teaching you how to identify what’s working well and what could be improved in others’ stories, which translates into improving your own fiction.
3) Having experienced professionals give you thoughtful critiques of your stories.
4) Removing the preponderance of day-to-day distractions from writing, such as your day job, your family, etc.
5) Fostering genuine friendships with other newish pro writers who know what you’re going through, who can provide moral support and be there for you for years to come.
Nonetheless, a workshop is not a magic potion and cannot:
1) Make sure you keep on writing daily, weekly, monthly, or ever,
2) Force you to finish all – or any – of the stories or novels you began in a burst of enthusiasm,
3) See that you press the ‘submit’ button, and keep doing so each time a rejection comes back.
So back to the question – should you sign up? Keep in mind that-
1) It’s less time away from family, job, friends, and your day-to-day life than other writers’ workshops.
2) There is financial aid, as well as the possibility of sharing a hotel room with another attendee to reduce costs.
3) It can sure give you an injection of determination that can be vital to getting established in the tough field of writing science fiction and fantasy.
One last thought, Paradise Lost stands head and shoulders above trying to muddle through by perfecting your craft in isolation. Anything that can reduce the fundamentally isolating nature of the writer’s job is a remarkably good thing.
Sure hope I’ll see you there.