I believed (and still do) that if, after being workshopped, the writer feels energized to keep working on their story, the group has done its job.   As I realized, though, keeping a workshop positive is far easier said than done,  especially in a culture that believes self-improvement depends on diagnosing and fixing what’s broken. What’s more, many writers I’ve worked with over the years insist they don’t want or need encouragement. Tell me what’s wrong, they say. I can take it. But that’s not how making art works. I learned this the hard way.