Honestly, I gave up on my dream of being a writer after one bad workshop in college

Tbh, I wrote a short story for a class at my community college and the teacher called it 'derivative' in front of everyone. I put all my notebooks in a box that night and didn't write again for like 8 years. Ngl, I found that box last month while moving and read some of the old stuff. It wasn't all bad, I just let one person's opinion shut me down. Has anyone else picked up an old dream years later and been surprised?

3 comments

3 Comments

torres.thea1mo ago

Putting your work away for a decade seems like the real problem, not the workshop. Letting a single critique from a community college class hold that much power for eight years is a choice. Finding the box is a good start, but being surprised it's not all bad is a pretty low bar to clear.

the_wesley1mo agoMost Upvoted

But it's not about the time, it's about how hard it can be to start again.

anna_ellis881mo ago

Wow, that feels way too harsh. Torres.thea is missing how a single bad critique can really stick with you. It's not just about putting the work away, it's about the shame that comes with it. Like trying to write after someone tears your draft apart, that voice in your head just won't shut up. Finding the box and seeing your old work isn't a low bar, it's the first real step back.