I am a writing workshop junkie. I love the camaraderie, the new tips, \u201cah ha!\u201d insights about my own work in progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I used to wonder, when should I stop taking workshops? <\/em>Do I stop taking them after I earn a creative writing MFA? After I publish my first book? When will I be an expert? Will it look bad if I keep taking workshops if I reach the level of supposed expert?<\/p>\n\n\n\n All of these questions haunted me during my writing journey. I believe they are a holdover from a mindset that is now becoming outdated. In schools students are now being encouraged to embrace a \u2018growth\u2019 mindset instead of a \u2018fixed\u2019 mindset, which says that abilities and talents can grow through persistence, effort and good coaching or teaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Historically, and especially in certain professions\u2014there is the belief that once a student reaches a certain threshold of learning and education they become an expert, and are no longer a learner<\/em>, or require instruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At some level I believed this too. Until I discovered a different frame. One that said experts can be lifelong learners too. In fact, the best kinds of experts<\/em> are constantly seeking to improve, learn, and examine their skillset, knowledge and expertise for weaknesses and holes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My frame changed quite abruptly while listening to a CBC interview with an experienced surgeon. He didn\u2019t think he had much new to learn, but decided he would hire a former teacher to come and observe one of his surgeries and provide any notes for improvement. Afterwards, and to his complete surprise, his mentor offered pages and pages of detailed notes about how the already accomplished surgeon could elevate his practice. One example was that by simply holding his hand a certain way, the surgeon would be more efficient, and therefore, become less tired and improve his performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the CBC interview, the \u201cstatic expert\u201d mindset was compared to the \u201cathlete expert\u201d approach. Think about some of the most-decorated athletes in sports history. Wayne Gretzky, \u201cThe Great One\u201d holds 61 NHL records. Clara Hughes has won six Olympic medals in cycling and speedskating, in the Summer and Winter games. Soccer player Christine Sinclair\u2019s 167 goals makes her the second all-time scorer of international goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These athletes all had coaches throughout their careers, from start to finish. Did they abandon their coaches once they won a medal or a world title or the Stanley Cup? No. Even at the height of their careers, they continued to improve and learn with coaching. And yet, they are undoubtedly experts in their sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, why not writers? Why shouldn’t we aspire to be writer athletes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The writer athlete works out every day by simply writing. And when we don\u2019t, it\u2019s true, we do feel a little stiff, a bit out of shape. No matter. You get back to it when you can, limber up and try to keep going. Perhaps you need a \u2018training partner\u2019 or a critique group of like-minded \u2018coaches\u2019 to keep you going. Meet regularly and flex your writing muscles. I do it with my writers\u2019 group. Why not you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n And, as I\u2019ve come to realize, writing workshops and coaches and mentors not only improve my skills and knowledge, the make me a better teacher, too. For bonus points, they\u2019re a lot of fun! You get to be in a room (even if it\u2019s a Zoom room) with other writers who are trying to solve similar problems. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, writing workshops get me jazzed about getting my butt back in the chair to work on my writing once more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you find writing workshops useful? I\u2019d love to hear about it if you do. Leave a note in the comments below or connect with me using another option here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rebecca’s Book: My Best Friend is Extinct | More About the Book<\/a> | Buy the Book<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’d like to get my blog delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Mountain Muse<\/strong> newsletter!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
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