I have been spending a lot of time in chat lately, and doing a lot of shop talk, so to speak, with various other authors here on Dokuga.

That got me thinking: since we do hosted DDN's and GMDDN's, why not do a once monthly hosted Writer's Workshop?

Each month we could rotate hosts, and then just take a certain few hours (Say from 7PM to 10PM on a Saturday night) to gather in a group and discuss writing, from being stuck in a story somewhere in a plot point or to even address issues when it comes to writing fanfiction (like OOCness, how long is too long for a chapter, etc). It doesn't necessarily have to stick to one topic, or it could be topic focused.

I think it could be a useful tool for new authors, as well as well seasoned ones. Advice could be given, brainstorming could be done, etc.

I threw the idea out the other night, and it seemed to have some decent reception.

Does anyone else think this is a good idea, or am I alone in this?

I think that's a great idea! If we hold something like this one a month (or any other time)it could help everyone who has a question or two.

I've actually spoken to some new authors who are hesitant to post their fics because of flames, intimidated because of all the other 'better' authors here. If we had a workshop or sorts, it could help them as well as the older authors who have a questions.

Encouragement was one of the main reasons I even considered posting this. There are so many people I've talked to that are hesitant because they don't feel that they will be well received, ignored, etc, because of all of the amazing authors here. I think it would be a good forum to offer that encouragement, to help people hone their craft and become more comfortable with not only each other (in the case of those who aren't very social here), but also to feel more comfortable sharing their stories.

Thanks for your feedback!

I think this is a great idea! Not only would people be getting much needed help on their writing, but word could be spread about some of the newer struggling authors as well.
I really hope this plays through!

I don't really participate in anything that happens in chat, but this does sound like a good idea. I've found that talking with people when stuck in a story or when having problems starting one often helps. So, I think it would be a nice thing to do. That all depended on how you went about it though.

Oh, well. Anyway, my two cents... it's a good idea.

Actually that is a good idea. I don't generally participate in chat or DDN anyway but giving other writers a chance to talk about writing-related ideas is a good opportunity to ask questions, directions, and advice too.

New authors would especially benefit I think, experienced ones too, maybe to share knowledge, experience, and make suggestions etc.

It'd be a good exercise all round, plus, it gives the opportunity to pick the brains of other people too, especially if you're having trouble with plot or summaries or writer's block. Heck you could even host specific topics or questions like they do in the Chats or DDN's with the theme rotation thing every so often.

It'd certainly be interesting.

~ Pyre