Writing Forum

I can't say that I disagree. Books on writing and lectures on writing are far from the best ways of learning the craft (this goes for all other subject matters as well), and following them as a step by step guide to do your writing will probably result in some terrible and very generic stories. However, they can still be helpful if you use the information they provide in the right way, handpicking the stuff you think will be useful and ignoring the rest.

Besides, I'm still at a point where I'm learning the very fundamental techniques of writing, and even though I think I know about the techniques, having them explained in a different way might make it easier to apply them (as you said, this material can be used to learn looking at things from a different angle).
While on this node I would add that if any of you have any great resources for learning grammar and punctuation that would be great as well.

As for workshops, without having ever attended one, I would imagine that they can much more useful than books and lectures simply because you can get feedback, you can ask questions and have a subject explained in depth, and you can get a better feeling for whether or not what the instructor is saying might be helpful to you.

So no, I'm definitely not looking for a step-by-step guide to writing, but I'm looking to learn whatever I can from wherever I can. When I first started writing I had never been taught anything about it and I ended up quiting, not because the writing was bad but because I didn't know how to improve. Having watched a few hours of lectures on the subject and read "On writing" I picked up again and stuck with it this time. My writing still sucks, but now I know how to improve, and I can see, sometimes from day to day, that I am improving.
You can learn a skill all by yourself right from the beginning, and one the things that I like about writing compared to playing music for example is that you can do most of the work on your own. Though, that doesn't mean it's the best way of learning the craft especially not in the beginning.