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Published manuscripts are made, not born—that is, they develop over time and with feedback rather than springing full-blown from the minds of their authors. This feedback can happen in a variety of ways depending on your specialization. For example, for academic journals writers often circulate a draft around to a few trusted colleagues, using an “invisible college” developed by scholars working in a certain area, or submitting the material to a conference and presenting it before revising it for publication.

The purpose of our workshops in this class is to provide opportunities for this kind of collegial, formative, in-depth feedback. The best way to prepare for your workshop (and to get something useful out of it) is to prepare a list of specific questions ahead of time for us to answer and provide us with some information about the context in which you’re preparing the article. You will use email to post cover sheets, articles, and feedback to members of the class and your writing group.

The writer is always right.
The reader is always right.
Everyone comes prepared and participates.
Your prepared comments should include three positive comments or areas of strength, a brief summary of what you think the main value add of the author’s manuscript, and specific answers to the author’s questions. The comments are a report on your reading, not necessarily advice to the author, so go ahead and make a full report.
First, we take turns responding to the author’s questions. The person responding has the floor, and no one interrupts or interjects. The writer listens and takes notes (no apologies, no “what I meant was…”).
After each person has had a chance to present his or her initial response, then more general table talk is appropriate. Here we can argue about different things we saw in the text, or ask the author questions, for instance. The author can ask questions now too, but he/she should still stick to the general principle of listening and learning rather than defending the work.