Orientation Week in Review

This post marks the end of orientation week and the beginning of DIY MFA!  *does happy dance*

How did this week go for everyone? For me it was lots of fun and a little crazy, which is just how I like it. 

Recap of this Week in DIY MFA:

Saturday: School Supplies! 

People seemed pretty excited for getting school supplies, which didn't surprise me since I think most writers are.  What did catch me by surprise was how much people seemed to like the sticker idea!  Anyone earn any gold stars or smiley faces this week? (If you'd like a "sticker" for your blog see below for details.)

Sunday: Measuring Success

This one seemed like more of a challenge, but it looked like a lot of you managed to set some good, concrete goals.  The main theme of this post was that while it's good to have amorphous big goals, you need to break them down into concrete goals to make them more manageable. 

Monday: What's Your Holy Grail?
It's fun to dream big and in this post we talked about finding that dream that propels us and motivates us to take all those concrete steps we talked about on Sunday.  iggi's holy grail is to take over the world and mine... well, aside from taking over the world with iggi, I'd also like to write a picture book.

Tuesday:  Why Writers Need Community
Writers need community to keep things in perspective and to have like-minded companions who can celebrate or commiserate with them.  It sounds like lots of people agree that community is super-important in the writing life.  There was also a suggestion to set up a DIY MFA community (thanks Sonia!) and I'd love to hear what you all think of this idea.  Would you be interested in participating in a DIY MFA community?

Wednesday: Welcome to iggi U!
Check here for details on how to register for iggi U and other information.  This post also covers the four facets of DIY MFA: reading, writing, critique and community and suggests a way to find a balance between them.

Thursday: Stealing Time
Many writers sooner or later will run into a situation where they need to steal time.  Whether it be between familial responsibilities or corners of time tucked around the workday, writers need to learn to write "on the go" or in the nooks and crannies between things.  Even writers who are lucky enough not to need to steal time, should practice it now and again.  Because you never know when life will sneak up on you.

So tell me, how did this week go for you? 

Oooh, also: I've decided to make a series of iggi "stickers" that you all can put on your blogs if you like.  To find the iggi stickers go here: iggi Stickers.