Because it works. If a majority of your classmates make the same comments about your story, it s most likely a problem that needs to be worked on. You ll try to write your next story better, to avoid those twenty voices the next go around. It s where friends and enemies are made. Fellow students and professionals tell you the brutal truth about your work.
Nothing is held back.
In such an intense environment, it s impossible to stay neutral. At the same time, you are surrounded by writers who have the same love as you for speculative fiction. You finally feel as if you belong somewhere. Perhaps because of the critiquing style, all three workshops create strong emotional bonds of both love and hate. Different cliques form.