Setting up a Literary Workshop
Contrary to what was thought at the beginning of this century, reading on the Internet, far from distancing readers from the pleasure of carrying a book in their hands to enjoy it in the warm light of a wood-burning stove, ended up bringing them even closer, both to new and classic titles, which they can get to know thanks to the same website that threatened to exterminate them less than two decades ago. So we came to the conclusion that setting up a literary workshop is a business that can leave us great profits if reading catches our customers. So we will give you the most modern advice to carry out such a venture in the times we have lived.
See here all the education businesses
Where Can I Set Up a Literary Workshop?
Setting up a literary workshop has a wide range of possibilities in terms of location. Below, we give you several ideas to take into account when choosing a location:
Your own space: whether you buy or rent a place, your own premises will give you prestige, independence and will give future clients the feeling that the business is self-sustaining and that, therefore, many people come to it so that the space can be sustained. This option is the right one when we can afford to make a significant initial investment.
Sub-leasing: what happens when we want to set up a literary workshop but we do not have enough economic resources to rent a space for ourselves? This is when the sub-leasing option comes into play. That is, we rent a small space to a big place, such as an arts institute, a language academy or a multi-cultural space. In this case we must take into account that the publicity we will have to do will be greater, since no one who passes through the door of the site will be able to identify that a literary workshop works there.
At home: when money is really a problem, our own home will be the ground on which we forge our present and our future as far as mounting a literary workshop is concerned. Our warm living room will welcome these avid readers who will gladly pay a fee to remind them how rewarding reading is and the nuances this activity can have. As we said in the previous option, here too, advertising must be exhaustive, as this is the only way we will make ourselves known.
Considerations for a literary workshop
Because Man does not live by plain and simple reading alone, we must find the different and multiple facets that reading implies: analyzing, dramatizing, writing, debating, role-playing activities, among many other things. What you must do is find different dynamics that catch the attention and keep alive the interest of the workshop attendees; ideas are not lacking when planning magnificent lessons of dynamic, interactive and introspective reading.
Requirements to start a literary workshop
One of the requirements is to pay special attention to the target audience, which is people who have a lot of free time. So the clients are usually older people. But it should also be addressed to anyone interested in improving reading and writing skills.
Another aspect that must be taken into account is the timetable, location and even the decoration of the place, which must be very compatible with the tastes, preferences and availability of the public to whom the space is offered.
The Literary Workshops should be structured as much as possible by module, which can last between one and six months each. They offer specific contents, such as Literature of the 20th century, the Generation of 20, Ibero-American Literature, Colonial Literature, among several other options.
Likewise, it is important to address the issue of writing, offering reading and writing workshops so that participants who read, can also write from their own creation, based on the topics they have studied in the workshop group and the guidelines that are raised.
Advantages of having a literary workshop
This business offers the possibility of offering interested people an opening to knowledge, to the classics of Universal Literature, as well as to modern writers who have written about the times in the most sensitive, also cruel and often controversial way.
Likewise, this space as a business, is an opportunity to have interesting income of money, working with the reading and writing, paying special attention to the public to whom the service will be addressed.
Another advantage is that, without being a writer or a professional of Literature and Letters, the people who are interested in the
Even if they do not have an official degree, they have done workshops and have been nourished by the contents of the workshop and have solid knowledge in Universal and/or region-specific literature, they can be in charge of carrying out this business.
Tips for starting a literary workshop
In a workshop you direct, but you must be careful with the tone and treatment of the client, avoiding imposing situations, because the workshop can become an activity that is no longer fun and interesting, which can alienate the participant.
-The activity must necessarily be fun, attractive and interesting for the participants, who must feel comfortable and motivated to attend. Including leisure activities can make it more attractive, some game, some laughing text, and also make spaces with some comic writer.
The workshop starts with the texts, from reading and analysis. Working with the texts of well-known writers, but also with the texts of the participants.
-Each participant in a workshop has his or her own personal style, which should not be changed, but improved. Because there is no perfect style, but there is room for improvement.
-Even so, it is necessary to recognize that in the workshop, each participant has an aspiration, related to knowledge, contact, expression, among others, so this must be respected.
-It must also be known that writing is a learning process, reading, theory and rules are necessary to achieve this learning.
Problems that may arise in a literary workshop
You can easily misrepresent the workshop and turn it into something different for what it was really created for. Therefore, it is very important to be clear about the objective of creation, which is the literary workshop. Although it can be diversified depending on the demand, it is important to keep it focused on literature.
The exercises of style should be part of the workshop so, usually, the participants who have problems of expression, grammar, vocabulary, punctuation (some are aware of their shortcomings and others are not). It is important to take up the forgotten concepts again. Therefore, fifteen to twenty minutes should be dedicated in each session to exercise these aspects.
Success stories
A successful case is the Divinas Palabras literary workshop, which, in addition to moderating literary gatherings, also offers the organization and moderation of creative writing workshops, and literature workshops.
The company believes that although there are many workshops run by famous writers, you don’t have to be a writer to run a writing workshop, but you do have to be a good reader, that is, a reader who analyzes, comments, selects, and researches what he or she is reading. This is what the company asks of all the participants, after this requirement, some may even write.