This is an overview of a small pattern language
for WritersWorkshops.
You can see a list of the patterns
(and start walking through the pattern language) at WritersWorkshopPatterns.

This is a "cheap" pattern language.  The patterns
not only should be applied in order, but reflect
a temporal (rather than structural) progression.
There is no single ideal medium to describe what
goes on in a writer's workshop.  I use patterns
here not because they describe structure, but because
they provide an ideal form to elaborate the forces
that drive these ceremonies.

This collection of patterns is decidedly generative.
None of these patterns stand alone;  they are gestalten
that combine to make a whole larger than the sum of the lot.
The patterns interact in intricate ways;  I attempt to
describe the interactions in the course of the presentation.

This language describes our many writer's workshop
experiences at Bell Labs.  The rationales and forces
recall the initial tutoring that the Hillsiders received
from RichardGabriel back in 1993 or 1994, at a retreat
near Ben Lomond.  That's the closest link we have to the
creative literature community, which has a lot more
experience with this format than we do in the pattern
community.  I offer this language as capturing practice
that has worked very, very well for us, in hopes that others
find it useful.

-- JimCoplien
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See:
	* The WritersWorkshop page
	* LindaRising's summary at http://st-www.cs.uiuc.edu/users/patterns/workshop-patterns.html
	* DougSchmidt's workshop guidelines for PLoP '96 at http://www.cs.wustl.edu/~schmidt/writersworkshop.html