When it came to the critique of their writing, regardless of age, many students became defensive. Ed tried to keep the authors anonymous so that the writers would get the benefit of honest criticism. Many, however, revealed themselves as they broke their silence to defend their writing, clarify points, or add information. Of course, the stronger the writing, the less defense it needs. One of the most valuable aspects of a creative writing workshop is that you go public.
Technical weaknesses glare.
Lack of significant detail befuddles readers. Students experience how spelling mistakes, problems with tense, shifting voice, weak verb choice and punctuation errors all damage the clarity of the piece. They learn that a great plot will fail if the reader can't keep straight who's talking in the scene, when certain incidents occurred, and what that misplaced modifier refers to. Most of all, writers take risks in exposing personal thoughts and feelings. Even though I considered myself an advanced creative writing student, I made some of these errors.