I've read about them but haven't tried one out myself. Has anyone had good/bad experiences with workshops?

Sorry. I can't comment on this one. Never been to any.

Its too late to join the Clarion group this summer, but they can be very trying on the proud writer from what I have been by a friend who now resides in Seattle, WA, who attended the school I believe (2?) years ago. If he ever decides to pop on back to ICQ I could ask him. If you would like to check out the Clarion group here is there addy: http://www.msu.edu/~clarion/ I hope this helps.

Each workshop is different. In most instances you get out of them what you put into them. Keep in mind, as a rule, workshops are not cheap. Do your homework. If they have guest speakers, look them up on the Internet. See if they can give you a list of names of people who have taken the workshop before and query them about their experience. Make sure the workshop is geared toward your writing genre. It would be a total waste of time and money if you were only interested in Sci Fi writing and the workshop was all about How To Get Your Romance Novel Published. Which brings up another point. What kind of writing are you interested in; novels, short stories, fiction, nonfiction, poetry? Is the workshop online, mail order, in person? If in person, how far do you have to travel? If the workshop lasts for several days, does the cost of the workshop include overnight accommodations? If not is there somewhere reasonable nearby to stay. Make sure you figure food, lodging, and transportation into the cost. Did you know that the Dragon*Con/Renderosity Convention is holding a writer's workshop? Something you might want to look into. Just some ideas to ponder :) Dee-Marie (ladynimue)

Some of the workshop experience you have no control over. You may end up in a workshop where everyone is afraid to hurt feelings so they give fluffy encouragement, or you may end up with participants who don't know the difference between constructive criticism and trashing. Even a really good workshop moderator can only go so far if you're unlucky enough to get a group from hell. In college, our writing class workshops tended to be mediocre. Part of the problem was, college students are lazy. Another problem was that we didn't have enough experience to properly explain where the strengths and weaknesses were in each submission nor could we give good examples of how to improve. Theoretically, professional workshops will be better and I've heard that some are quite good. I'd suggest reading a few books on writing first, so you can be a stronger participant in the workshops you attend.

where everyone is afraid to hurt feelings so they give fluffy encouragement, are you sure you aren't talking about the poser gallery? sorry, could not resist ;*)

Thanks for the advice everyone (Poppi, your tip rated a '10.5', oh heck give it an '11'). I've studied hundreds of 'how to write' books and think I have a grasp of the techniques and theories. What I lack (other than a social life) is useful, ongoing feedback. I would prefer one on one guidance from a pro but can't afford that(thanks to the nearing releases of Poser5 and C4D R8). So, it's looking like workshops. I'll use your advice to do more research. Thanks again.