The Workshop: Week One

The Workshop #1

by Matt Mills

Nine writers enter... only one will escape.

The Workshop: Week One introduces nine competitive undergrads who will battle for literary supremacy and existential purpose via sixteen weeks of Creative Writing in Various Media. Who will find a career? Who's gonna cry all the way home? Who had garlic for lunch?

*Mature language warning*
**Publisher font recommended--crazy format action**

167 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 17, 2023

About the author

Writer, musician, lanky goofball.

After graduating from NYU with a bachelor's degree in Music Theory & Composition, I naturally spent my 20s screenwriting, consulting for various media, publishing short plays, and winning various unimpressive awards. Now I'm parlaying my favorite college course into my bonkers eBook novella series The Workshop.

Linktr.ee/MattMills

The Workshop: Week One and Week Two available now via eBook and paperback!

Nine writers enter... only one will escape. (Figuratively—the door works fine.)

The Workshop: Week One introduces nine competitive college students who will battle for literary superiority and existential purpose over sixteen weeks of their Creative Writing in Various Media course.
Who will find a career? Who’s gonna cry all the way home? Who had garlic for lunch?

Literary Fiction (meta) / Humor / New Adult / Romance

Reviews

[Heather Adores Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐
Genre ~ Literary Fiction/NA/Humor/Romance
Setting ~ college
Publication date ~ May 17, 2023
Est page Count ~ 167, timestamped
POV ~ omniscient 3rd
Featuring ~ debut, creative writing class discussions

Our diverse students are ~ Luke, Zahra, Brooks, Dominika, Stanley, Ruchi, Sebastian, Lev & Maya. Alice is the instructor.

This is week one of their creative writing class that takes place on Tuesday's and Thursday's. They share what they've written with the class and give and receive constructive criticism.

I like how different fonts were used and how the spacing varied to set the stories apart, which showed the diversification of each students ideas through poems and short stories. Some stories were humorous and others not so much, but my favorite story was from Luke about the President and his mom.

It's not all about the classroom setting. When not in class we follow them during studying, partying and cuddling, which gives the reader more background information on each individual.

There was a bit about Friends that I was incidentally reading while it was on my TV at the same time. What a coincidence that has nothing to do with anything really. Also, I like the word ‘jalopy’ too, Stanley.

Overall, a well executed and interesting concept for a book series.

*Thanks to the author for sending me a copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*

Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

[Olga Miret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I write this review as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team (author, check here if you are interested in getting your book reviewed) and thank her and the author for this opportunity.
This is not an easy book to review, at least for me. It is a novella, and, it seems, the first of a series, dedicated to the workshop of a college course, Creative Writing in Various Media, each one of the instalments dedicated to one of the 16 weeks of the course (two are available so far, although I have read there are 17 planned, so there might be something extra to come). I love reading stories about writing and writers, and this one has plenty of people intent on becoming (better?) writers, in a USA college setting, so, what better? The story is not a standard tale of young aspiring writers, although those who read the description carefully will probably guess that. It is literary fiction, and readers who wish not to miss any of the references (both to popular culture and to literature, USA literature in particular) need to keep close attention to everything mentioned by the characters and the narrator, be widely read in a variety of genres, have watched a lot of television and cinema, and be well informed in general. So, not an easy and relaxing read. The language covers the high-brow culture and the opposite end as well, as mentioned in the warning about mature language.
What makes it so different? Well, for one, the narrator. The story is told by an omniscient narrator (one imagines this is the author or his alter ego at some point in the future, as Matt Mills makes a fairly ironic/self-deprecating appearance before the action starts and, in the afterword, he describes himself as a “survivor” of a similar workshop that served as an inspiration of this series ) with a very peculiar voice. The narrator comments on the action, talks directly to the readers (breaking the fourth wall), shares his/her thoughts and reflections, and is, at the very least, ironic and often sarcastic, about the 9 aspiring writers, their teacher (who is only a few years older than them and not quite as authoritative as she likes to appear, although what writer is?), what they write, their actions and lives, the whole concept of the course, and any other topic that comes up. His/her observations are very sharp, witty, and sometimes as pedantic as those of some of the characters. So, those who like narrators and appreciate the style of this one will love this story. Those who don’t, probably not so much.
Apart from the narrator, the style and format of the writing are also not those of a standard narrative. The story is told in chronological order; we have days of the week and times to guide the action, and those might slow down (sometimes the gap is of a few minutes only, sometimes several hours) or accelerate, up to the point when we experience the workshop live. As would be expected of a workshop, we have the writing of each one of the students, as well as the comments of the other students. This being the first week and the students’ introduction, they have brought a free piece for their writing for discussion. The teacher, Alice, breaks the ice by reading one of her poems, and then we have the actual pieces of writing. We are also provided with a bit of information about each one of the students, although we hope to get to learn more as the course advances. So far, we only know the basics to be able to tell them apart (although I must confess that because I had to read the book over a few days, I had to keep going back to check who was who, because there were two male characters whose names started with S and two females with M, and I worried about getting them confused). Some are more distinctive than others, although that is likely to vary with each reader, who might recognise or identify more with one or the other.
Apart from their own writing (that covers the whole gamut, from poetry to short stories, a scene of a play, the ending of a script, a sports article, a micro poem…), the students also have to read some well-known pieces, in diverse genres depending on the week: poetry and short stories so far. The actual pieces of writing are not included in the book (for copyright reasons, I assume, although they can be easily accessed in most cases). We only get the narrator’s summary-cum-opinion about those, and I think that works quite well, with only a caveat. Those are works by US writers, and I am not sure readers from other places will be familiar enough with them to appreciate the accuracy (or not) of some of the comments, to get the insider jokes, or to realise how ludicrous some of the students' interventions are. On the other hand, people who are not big readers of American literature might feel inspired to follow the reading suggestions and that way get a good glimpse of some truly interesting writing. The students have to produce a poem for the second class, and, well, I’ll let you form your own opinion about their results. (To be honest, I enjoyed some, as I did with some of their first pieces, but some… not so much, although they were varied, that is true).
To carry on discussing the style of writing, the narrative is sometimes transformed into a script, in the sci-fi/mythological/fantasy/hero genre, where the teacher becomes a monster/literary avenger destroying those who don’t reach the quality expected of them.
Readers also follow the young characters through the rest of their college lives, getting glimpses of their minds, thoughts, dreams, wishes, hopes, and interactions. This part moves quite fast, with a touch of stream-of-consciousness, and jumping from character to character, and it allows readers to learn more about each one of the students, their teacher, and about college life. There are enormous differences in the circumstances of the nine students, and that makes this story —with its coming-of-age angle— particularly interesting and promising, as there is plenty to be learned, not so much from the course, but from their new lives and those around them.
My thoughts? This is an exercise in style, a fun story for those who are teachers of writing or have had any contact with writing (although it might hit too close home for some people early in their writing careers or struggling to get started), especially at a college level in the USA. I am not sure this would be appreciated by the general public, because of some of the reasons I have mentioned before, and also because some readers like a story with a beginning and an end in sight, and this series requires a lengthy commitment. At a moment when people tend to binge-watch TV series, having to wait for the next instalment might put some people off, and when there are so many, that might become more of an issue. In case of doubt, as this is a very special reading experience, I’d recommend future readers to check a sample of the story and see if it suits their taste.
Personally, I studied American literature, and I attended a course not so different from this one at a US college, although it was a short-story writing course, so it was a bit more straightforward. We had a few mature students in the course and that changed the dynamics of the group quite a bit, but I couldn’t help but nod at times, as it brought to mind a few memories. Not everybody will appreciate the sense of humour of the narrator and the style of writing but those who do and like the sound of the novella, can look forward to an interesting adventure, and one that will keep their minds sharp for quite a while to come.

[Georgia Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose to read this book as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team and received a copy from the author.

This was such an interesting and entertaining book to read and I’m glad I chose it. As a writer it is always great to read about writers writing. What makes this work, for me anyway, is the omniscient narrator who tells the story. We hear his thoughts and reflections and he breaks the fourth wall by talking to the readers. I loved his often-scathing observational humour, his characterisations and the many, many lines that dripped with sarcasm were irresistible.

I also enjoyed how the story was told, chronologically, with days broken down into times, and sometimes minutes.

Nine students are in this workshop led by tutor Alice. We get to see their individual pieces of writing – all very different - and the reactions of the other students to each writer’s work.

The action also follows these students with what they get up to outside the class and it’s a tricky job juggling the lives of so many characters.

There were plenty of US references, many of which probably passed me by as I’m British but that didn’t matter. Tight and well-written this novella length, first in a series, comes highly recommended.

[B.S. Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a forgotten corner of Americans third most expensive university, nine students start their sixteen week creative writing programme. It might be a slight hyperbole to say they'd die if they don't come out on top, but for these students it feels like it.

Don’t let the indie video game-esque cover fool you, this debut isn’t your average academic adventure.

This first edition starts off a riotous novella collection, with sixteen episodes for each term of this slightly sinister and satirical schoolroom series.

This story moves a mile-a-minute, with a punchy voice full of dry humour, sarcasm and wit. With a blasé, irreverent style that runs off on tangents and meanders and drags us along with it, it has an almost non-linear narrative with interspersed clippings of other writings and poems, and diarised entries of comings and goings that dominate the content at times but still manages to establish an eclectic cast of characters for the reader to try to figure out who will undoubtedly drive the story forward in the follow-ups. It is utter, glorious chaos and I can only imagine how the pressure will continue to rise in the coming weeks.

All of our characters have their own motivations, something that drives their desperate need to succeed — and their little nuances is what moves this from a privileged group of seemingly insufferable rich kids to a boiling pot just waiting to explode.

Whether you’re a writer, or a reader, the critique and observations about other writers is painfully funny, taking the stereotype of the tortured artist and playing with it in a refreshingly entertaining way. It toes the line of parody and satire, with characters that border caricature — it left me feeling a little attacked but very entertained.

Think Battle Royale meets Breakfast club meets Big Brother. This book is the very definition of marmite — a bit dark, a little bitter and you’ll either love it or hate it.

[Jennifer deBie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of The Workshop: Week One in exchange for an honest review. Read the full review at https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/

“Why would anyone want to write?”

With a rhetorical question sure to be absolutely shredded by writing instructors and workshop attendees the world over, Matt Mills opens his delicious send up of creative instruction in The Workshop: Week One. Follow nine undergrads, and their instructor, Alice (aka: CRONGO THE DESTROYER), through the first week of term in a college level creative writing class: the highs, the lows, the terrible poetry of it all.

Irreverent in the extreme, Mills is a man who knows how to capture the essence (and absurdity) of what sitting in a room full of young writers feels like. Each character walks in with their own egos, their own style, their own desire to Dominate The Competition and win… well, they’re not really sure what they’re competing for yet, but by goodness they want it.

Written with love, an intimate understanding of what it is to be a creative just starting out in this big, strange world of ours, and a keen eye for the struggle that is nurturing those young creatives (whether they’re worth nurturing or not), anyone what has spent time around writers will enjoy The Workshop: Week One. As for the rest of you, this is the way the sausage gets made; are you brave enough to take a peek?

[Gregg Sapp · Rating 2 out of 5]

The professor in my first creative writing seminar course warned the class, “I don’t want to see any stories about students in a writing class.” Ergo, I’ve always been skeptical of writers writing stories about writers writing stories. Not that these scenarios aren’t fair game for literary exploration into a writer’s mind, but they can feel like an inside joke, or a catharsis, which you have to be a writer who has gone through the workshop wringer to get.

Nevertheless, if the AA-style interpersonal dynamics of a writing seminar can be fictionalized to appeal to a broader audience than just writers commiserating with each other, the way to do it would be through an engaging narrative, especially one with humor. That’s the approach Matt Mills attempts, with varying success, in his ribald novel, “The Workshop—Week One.”

Nine students taking a writing seminar at “America’s third most expensive university” present their works to the group, endure the criticism, then come back for more. The author summarily introduces the characters during a class meeting, one after the other, in sequential passages that expound their brief biographies. None conveys tremendous depth of character. Each also delivers a sample of their work for the group to critique. None of it is good.

Through their writing and their remarks toward their fellow students’ work, the nine reveal themselves to be shallow caricatures. For example, among them is:

“Brooks is the kind of guy who has spent his life rolling along the bumpers while being told he threw a perfect strike. Jaw chiseled from a solid block of privilege, Brooks’ wavy blonde hair ambles over his scalp like one of his finance bros clumsily ordering another round. He might be a forgotten Winklevoss—the one who never got the memo that life is about nothing more than the zeroes in your bank account and which country club politician you subsidize.”

Mills writes in his own voice, sometimes as an omniscient third person narrator and other times in the first person. He expresses scant respect for his characters, referring to them as, among other things, “disparate hacks,” “feeble fictionists,” and simply “shitty writers.” Indeed, their amateurship literary products are funny for their utter incompetence, but even so, they are students, presumably learning the craft, right?

Besides, the author’s encompassing narrative isn’t exactly a towering literary achievement. One wonders how well it would hold up to such criticism.

“The Workshop” is written in the form of serialized novellas, and this review examines only the first. It’s unfair to render judgment overall based on reading of just a part, so instead, in the spirit of the story, I’ll offer some constructive criticism. Give the students a modicum of depth and something approaching believable lives, minus the authorial judgment. Let them do surprising, out-of-character things, maybe even improve. And for this to work as a humor piece, there needs to be more than one joke, and so far I just see “shitty writers” doing vapid things.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing is an intensely personal endeavor and yet we tend to share what we’ve crafted, whether for a chance at fame and fortune or to seek [complimentary] insights for improvement, but getting feedback in a college writing class proves to be a brutal experience in The Workshop: Week One by Matt Mills.

To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.

The start of a new semester brings together a diverse collection of the university’s population in nine undergraduate students for a Creative Writing in Various Media class. At the outset, each student has confidence in their own writing and is singularly motivated to succeed and impress so receiving critiques from their classmates is an unnerving prospect for even the boldest among them, especially once the negative feedback starts rolling in and others snowball on top of it, leaving no space for mercy. Charged with shepherding these unique voices throughout the class is an instructor a few years their senior whose conviction to a career in writing occasionally waivers but her measured interjections endeavor to guide attacks away from the personal and back toward the text during the first week’s exploration of writing samples and imagist poems. With a new assignment to tackle for next week, an opportunity to elicit awe is available but who will prevail?

Moving quickly through timestamped detailed snippets from the routines of the characters' daily lives and their pursuit of creative endeavors, this entertaining first installment of a serialized story introduces the students and their writing styles, their favored methods of critiquing each other’s work, and the relationship dynamics emerging between them. While the students are built from familiar character prototypes their distinctive personalities and voices begin to shine through, with some more immediately memorable than others. As the class focuses on writing in different media the format of the text itself fittingly reflects this variety, not only through the presentation of the students’ work but also through the interwoven screenplay scenes featuring a particular character (or representation of). The narration is fun, playful, and conversational in tone, which makes it easy to connect with even if you’ve not participated in a writing class (but if you have it might elicit relatable and cringeworthy flashbacks), and the voice of the self-deprecating narrator referencing the author's name blurs reality with fiction in relation to the authorial persona. The cultural references and humorous, meta commentary throughout, often in parentheticals, were enjoyable moments frequently evoking laughter amid the unforgiving ecosystem that is a collegiate writing class.

Overall, I’d give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Lori Alden Holuta · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Workshop: Week One introduces nine competitive college students who will battle for literary superiority and existential purpose over sixteen weeks of their course. Who will find a career? Who will cry all the way home? Who had garlic for lunch? – Back cover blurb for The Workshop: Week One

It’s clear that Matt Mills is a writer (yes I know, duh, he wrote this book). But he’s a writer that’s fought in the trenches and, so far, has lived to tell the tale. And that tail entails (heh) nine students, one teacher, and a sixteen-week “Creative Writing in Various Media” course.

The story just zips along, full of energy and amusing situations. The writing is extremely witty, especially in the sort of observational humor that an omnipotent narrator can indulge in while scrutinizing his own hapless creations. But he isn’t just writing about their writing. He writes about their romances, whether they are real or imagined. He writes about hopes and dreams, indulgences and excesses. Winners and losers. Having once been a college student myself, I recognized plenty of the symptoms..

I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned fonts and formatting in a book review before, but I think it’s time I did. Somewhat like Calvin and Hobbes and their daydreams that would burst into an epic graphic novelesque adventure, The Workshop will occasionally morph into a screenplay – literally, with that wonky Courier font, absurd indentations and mandatory CAPITALIZATIONS. If you aren’t familiar with screenplay formatting, it goes a little something like this.

(Imagine a sample of my own effort at a witty screenplay scene. for the full effect with a graphic, please read this review at my website, A License to Quill: https://www.ceejaywriter.com/book-rev...)

The Workshop: Week One was a swift read that ended before I was ready to let it go. And now that I’ve bonded with these hapless embryonic writers. I need to know if they’ll be okay. Bring on The Workshop: Week Two! Hopefully, Matt is busy editing it and not procrastinating over pizza. Writers… such a strange breed.

My thanks to author Matt Mills for granting me a review copy of this book.

[Heather Barksdale · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Workshop: Week One” introduces a crew of nine competitive undergrads, holed up in a classroom of a university critiquing each other’s work in a creative writing group.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this first in what I’m sure will be a fun series. I don’t know if there could be a more perfect book to read while participating in NaNoWriMo. It’s a light read, in both page number and attitude. There’s cuts to the author’s POV, insight into each of the characters through their voices, judgements by all and clearly written as a good time and a poke at the writing process for all those who for some reason or another delved into the prospect of writing a story. There were several one liners that had me laughing out loud while reading including “Steve’s mustache eats her” and no, I will give you no context on this one. You’ll have to read it. Find the full blog post review at heatherlbarksdale.com

I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a hobbyist writer myself, I instantly loved the concept of this series. A group of college students/writers competing for greatness in a sixteen-week creative writing course? I'm in.

The first in a series of sixteen novellas, we follow the nine students along with their works. Each of the characters brings their unique style and talent to the pages with some excerpts of poetry, scriptwriting, short stories, etc. The general narration connects everything together with a polished wit.

This book was a lot of fun and a great start to what promises to be an interesting and unique series. Though the humor wasn't consistently in line with my own sense, I did laugh out loud a couple of times. I'm looking forward to seeing how this series progresses. Such a fun idea!

A huge thanks to the author for sending me a free digital ARC of the book to read and review!

[Nikki Larkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Mills is a writer's writer. He's funny, self-aware, and empathetic towards all who dare to share their stories with strangers. For insight into the creative (and delightfully dark) path of writers, read The Workshop: Week One.

[Andrew Lillion · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely funny and clever novel that captures the agony and ecstasy of creative writing. It expertly probes each character to find their hubris, and also their humanity. The meta narration has echoes of both David Foster Wallace and Charlie Kaufman. Highly recommended!

[Helga Lockheart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unique writing style that combines four different forms of writing. Good concept. Full review on www.bookjewel.blogspot.com