Margaret Tiger Ferguson

Why ask for metacommentary?

After a year of teaching adult creative writing workshops, I’ve started asking for metacommentary about the short story from the writer so that my feedback can be relevant to the work. Such commentary might offer guidance on how to read the text or address potential shortcomings of the text (i.e. what is the theme of this story?).

When to ask for metacommentary?

Metacommentary can be shared with the story when the work is submitted for workshop. Alternatively, commentary can be shared at the start of the “making suggestions” period of the creative writing workshop.

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Question: How are you thinking about your story-in-progress?

Purpose: To get insight into the author’s perception of the piece and goals for the work.

You do not need to answer all questions or share anything personal. Just as writing an artist’s statement can develop your own creative vision, this metacommentary aims to give your reader insight into your thought process in order to develop relevant suggestions for your work.

Questions to consider:

1. Why did you want to write this story?
2. How are you thinking about this story?
3. What is your end vision for this story?
4. Did you want to show or say anything with this story?
5. What kinds of suggestions are you seeking from workshop?