Apparently, it is difficult to publish articles on more than one paying website. While PrintNPost doesn't seem to have restrictions, other sites do. Unfortunately, I made a mistake and submitted this article to another site, and it shows as "duplicate" material.

As narrow and ridiculous (at least to authors) as this may be, I have changed or deleted this content in order to avoid duplication because I want to see what the other site has to offer. The result is the following "major revision" of my previous PrintNPost article.

If you join a fiction writing workshop, instead of organizing a critique group of your own, what should you expect for your money? And how to you assure yourself that you won’t get gyped? Workshops have identifiable leaders.  A leader might emerge in a critique group, but its problematic. In a workshop, you are paying for the leader, and you want to make sure that he or she isn’t a dork. So, you should…

1. Read the leader’s bio. Is he someone you might still respect the morning after the first meeting?

2. View the leader’s website. If you see nothing but bloody fangs, vampires and werewolves, and she isn’t named Stephen King, then click again.

3. Ask other writers. Do they say, "Yeah, he is a real nut job, but someone told me he can write." Or, "He can’t write worth a damn, but sure is a good teacher." Of course, you should also consider the source. Some novice writers think John Grisham is a superb stylist. (Do you think he is?)

4. Read excerpts from the leader’s published works.

5. Email or call the leader. If you ask her about activities and she says she has worksheets, you might ask yourself if enjoyed high school.

6. Try a workshop in another genre. Try an "opposite" workshop. Something that is "totally" not you. (I read a romance novel and was impressed by the craft.)

So research the workshop leader, or not, and see what happens. But don’t blame me if you come out of the first session feeling like you’ve been screwed and don’t want him or her to call you ever again.