In the last two weeks of my time at Clarion, we were lucky enough to be taught by Charlie Finlay and Rae Carson, who were extraordinary teachers and also supremely empathetic human beings (in my mind, those two go hand in hand.) We were able to have two one-on-one meetings with them in addition to the classes, and in one of them, they told me, “You don’t need to take any more classes or workshops.”
I understand this, very much. There comes a time when you become confident in your craft, at a basic level, that most classes don’t serve you well. You already know the elements of your voice that you want to explore. You are aware of your strengths and weaknesses. Often, when you hit that stage, it’s better to work on your craft with a critique group, and by writing and submitting to markets.
Also, classes are expensive, and many of them are open to all, which means many of them also include beginner writers. There is value of course in being in class with people of all levels, but I’ve found that one progresses faster when one is able to be in a group with writers who are around your level, or slightly past you in their careers and craft. So sometimes it starts to feel that classes are not necessarily worth the money, if they cover material you’ve already absorbed.
(This brings up a whole other conversation for another time about what “writing level” means in this context, but I’ll save that for another day!)
But here’s the thing. You never stop learning, right? A professional ballet dancer continues to go to class, then dances on stage that night. Classes are part of the routine, part of a practice that keeps them at the top of their form. A painter might continue to take life drawing classes. Musicians continue to practice every day and take master classes.
What does this practice, then, look like for writers?
I have benefited enormously from continuing to take classes after Clarion. A few of the classes felt a little like they didn’t deliver what I wanted from them. But from most of them, I not only learned new things, but I incorporated the discipline of a class, of writing to a prompt, of reading other people’s work, of working on writing exercises, of stretching myself outside of what my own brain could provide under the guidance of an instructor and the participation of other students.
And that’s made me really interested in this problem, if it is a problem, of what to do when beginner classes are no longer for you, and workshop classes (like Clarion) are too intensive and too expensive. What’s the equivalent of the daily ballet class? In the case of a writer, maybe it’s weekly. Maybe there are drop-ins and maybe there are six-week courses where you build on skills or practice a form over and over, like learning repertoire in a ballet or music class.
I’ve found that Cat Rambo’s Academy for Wayward Writers hosts classes that are specific enough that even experienced writers can get a lot out of them. Many of her in-person classes are interactive and feature on-the-spot writing exercises, and some writers have sold short stories that have come out of these exercises. If you sign up on her Patreon, the writing games she hosts via Discord and Zoom can help fulfill this function, too.
But I think in general there is a need for classes and group activities to support skilled writers who are looking to “stay in shape,” as it were, or to develop a new area to their craft, or to explore experimental formats. Sure, you can do this on your own! But there’s something about the energy and alchemy of doing it with others that is hard to replicate alone.
What are some classes you’ve taken that have resonated with you in this way?