The Big MFA Question

Today Kidlit.com posted an interesting article: Should You Get an MFA?

This, of course, is the central question to anyone pursuing a DIY MFA.  Should you uproot your life or perform feats of time-management acrobatics in order to go back to school?  Or should you go it alone?

I chose the former and was glad I did because the MFA program taught me several things, though not all necessarily about writing.  We learned about the literature in our field and attended several publishing talks.  Of course, it helped that the program was specific to children's writing.  At the same time, though, I realized when I graduated that the MFA is not for everybody, which was the whole thought process that motivated DIY MFA back in September.

Now, as we near the end of October, I wanted to check in with all of you who participated in DIY MFA.  How is everything coming along for you?  Have you found some readings to attend and read some good books from your list?

Most importantly, how's the writing coming?

A Short One

Hi everyone!  Today's post will have to be short because I'm packing for Ireland.  We leave tomorrow but I promise I'll do my best to post while I'm away and if I can, I'll put up pics of some of the places I visit.

Today I wanted to direct your attention to the VP blog.  I did a post there earlier this week about how the MFA brought us editors together.  Since iggi and I are getting ready for our DIY MFA extrabloganza, I thought the VP post would be relevant.

Also, VP is still taking submissions so if you have any short stories or essays or poetry that you think would be interesting to a teen audience, check out the VP submissions and send it along!

Advice About Teaching...

...that also applies to the writing life.

Not too long ago, I took a class called "Teaching of Writing" as part of my MFA.  What with graduation and looking for teaching gigs, I promptly put away my notes from that class and forgot all about them.  This weekend, while glancing through my notebook, I came across notes from the final "Teaching of Writing" class and I realized that a lot of the advice the professor gave us applies not only to teaching, but also to building a fulfilling writing life.

Here are some lessons I learned in that class that can also apply to writing.

1.  Say "yes" to every opportunity.  Just as freelance teachers need to be open to opportunities, so should a writer.  Sometimes an opportunity may not seem like what you're looking for, but it can lead to something.  And that something might lead to something else and somewhere down the line, you might wind up finding exactly the type of writing what you wanted to do.   

2.  Teach any subject (at least once). Similarly, as a writer it's important to be open to writing any type of piece, at least once.  Who knows, maybe you'll find that you love writing a how-to piece just as much as that paranormal romance novel.  The only caveat with this point is the "at least once" part.  If you find after you've tried something that it's really not your thing, look for something else that's more your style.  It's easy to get sucked into a niche and once you're there, it can be very difficult to break out. 

3.  Build a CV. This one's a no-brainer.  As with any field, you need to show credentials, but in writing this can be tricky, what with submissions being so competitive.  I've found the only solution to this problem is: submit, submit, submit.  And when you're done submitting, submit some more. 

4.  Do it for free (at first). There are lots of volunteer opportunities out there.  For starters, a lot of literary magazines (especially small ones) don't pay for publications and writers submit simply for the joy of having their name out there in the world.  Blogging, being a guest blogger on someone's site, all these things are ways to get your writing "out there" even if you're just doing it out of a love of literature and words. 

5.  Be versatile.  In teaching, this means looking for scenarios where you might be able to teach writing in unconventional venues.  This same type of creative problem-solving can be helpful in expanding your publishing prospects.  Try to think of places outside the norm where your writing might fit.  Maybe your short story about a grandmother teaching a child to knit could be perfect for a knitting magazine. 

6.  Understand the way they run things...  and prepare yourself accordingly.  This is especially true when submitting your work to literary magazines or agents.  Each place has its own way of doing things and you need to play by the rules.  After all, the last thing you want is for some intern or first reader to toss your work in the reject pile just because your formatting is weird or you didn't include an SASE. 

7.  Make your 100% better than 100% so you're allowed to have a bad day.  This is especially true for writers who have blogs.  It's important to keep the content consistent and strong, to give yourself the flexibility to have a "bad posting day" or skip a day when you need to do so.

Any other teachers out there?  If so, do you have advice to someone who's teaching her first live Writing Through the Senses class today?  How about teaching advice that also translates to writing?

Wish me luck!  And don't forget to check in tomorrow for our first online WTTS class.

Writing Through the Senses

As promised, here is the third project.  I mentioned in a previous post that I was teaching a creative writing class in NYC, starting next Tuesday.  Then I thought, why limit the class only to people in NYC or people whose schedules fit class time?  That's when I came up with this plan. 

*Drumroll*

Welcome to Writing Through the Senses Wednesdays!

Starting next week and going for five weeks, I'll be posting a condensed/modified version of my class on this blog.  We'll have all sorts of goodies like links to readings and fun exercises to get the creative juices flowing.  I'm also hoping to get some discussion going on the weekly topics, which is where you come in.

If want to qualify for the Writing Through the Senses Challenge, just follow these simple steps:

1. Post a comment below so I know you're participating in the challenge.
2. Post a link on your blog, if you have one (optional, but you'll get an extra contest entry)
3. Read the Writing Through the Senses posts (5 Wednesdays, starting next week) and post an on-topic comment.

That's it!  Easy, right?

Prize:  One bright, shiny and new Moleskine notebook and a few surprise goodies.

One week after the challenge is over, I'll announce a winner (most likely selected by using the ultra-scientific method of picking a name from a hat).

Think this sounds like fun?  Then join the challenge.

Paying it Forward

I am frequently amazed at the generosity of writers and how many of them do things that go above and beyond in order to help or encourage other writers.  Yesterday, I was particularly inspired by a few fellow bloggers (Elana Johnson, Casey McCormick, and Co.) who have organized WriteOnCon, a virtual writing conference that will take place in August.  Unfortunately I will be out of the country at the time and most likely will be sans email.  I'm sad to miss it because I know this conference will be wonderful.  And what a great idea to do it on the web so that anyone can participate.  Kudos!

WriteOnCon got me thinking about this idea of giving back to the writing community, especially now that I have graduated from my MFA.  This idea inspired me to post about a few writing projects and events I'm helping put together.

Verbal Pyrotechnics:  This literary magazine will launch at the end of 2010 but this summer we officially open for submissions.  We're looking for emerging and established authors with a unique voice who write for the teen audience.  Visit the Verbal Pyrotechnics blog for more details and submission guidelines.


Get Your Read On:  This reading series is sponsored by Verbal Pyrotechnics, and will resume this summer.  More information coming soon.

There's a third project too, but that's the subject of another post.  So check back tomorrow to learn more!

To Infinity! And Beyond!

A couple of weeks ago Ghenet at All About Them Words wrote a post called "I have an MFA!  Now What?"  Good question, Ghenet.  I've been wondering that very same thing.  Inspired by that post I decided to take stock in what lies ahead for iggi and me.  As it turns out, life as a MFA-graduate is busier than I expected, but fun nonetheless.  Here are a few of the exciting writing-related things that are in store:

Teaching a 5-week creative writing class.  Starting June 22nd, I'll be teaching a 5-week class in NYC called "Writing Sense."  This class uses the five senses to engage students' creativity and jump-start creative projects.  As for teaching long-term, I already have one freelance gig set up for fall and am working out the logistics of a couple more.

Starting a literary magazine.  As July fast approaches, we are nearing the kick-off for Verbal Pyrotechnics, the first literary magazine dedicated exclusively to teen literature.  For more information and submissions guidelines, visit our blog.  We open for submissions in July.

Finishing my novel.  I've been stalling and floundering around on this one for a few weeks.  Now, though, I have a goal and an incentive to get my act together and finish.  The first draft has to be complete by fall.

Summer reading.  At BEA I got my hands on a ton of galleys and now the summer reading frenzy begins.  Here's a sampling of the books on my list:

Looks like it's going to be a good summer!

To MFA or Not To MFA?

My rant for today starts with a story.

Last Thursday was the MFA student reading at The New School, which happened to be coupled with a reception for prospective students.  The reading went well.  I read and didn't get too nervous.  Blah, blah, blah.  But the real fun began during the reception.

At one point, I was pulled aside by a prospective student who wanted to know if I thought going to The New School was going to help me get published.  I told her to slow down and then gave her my twenty-five-cent standard response:

"Going to The New School--or any MFA program--has nothing to do with getting published.  I came here because I wanted to be the best writer I can be, and this program did that for me.  If I happen to get published as a side-effect of becoming a better writer, great."

She gave me this look like I had just stolen her golden ticket.  I tried to do some damage control:

"Seriously, if your only goal is to get published: go home, sit yourself at your workspace and write the book.  If you think getting an MFA will help motivate you or improve your writing, then it sounds like a good fit for you.  But if all you want is a 'get-published' card, then just go home and write the book."

She went home.  And I felt like I had given the absolute worst pitch ever.

The truth is, this question of getting an MFA is one that seems especially pertinent this time of year.  As prospective students decide whether they will break open their piggy-banks and sacrifice valuable time and money for the laurels of scholarship, it's important to remember why we choose to go to an MFA program in the first place.  In his recent article, Seth Abramson talks about the lack of attention given by literary communities to this important question.  And according to this account from The Rejectionist, an MFA beside an author's name doesn't indicate whether the writing is even publishable.

As someone who has taken the graduate school route, have come to the following conclusions about the benefits and drawbacks of the MFA.

1.  The MFA is not an MBA, MD or JD.  There is no series of steps you must go through that ultimately link you up with a job post-graduation.  There is no organized process.  It's not like in law school and if you're editor of Law Review, you're practically guaranteed a job.  You could be the biggest hot-shot in your writing MFA program and still find yourself unemployed come graduation.  I know this seems unfair, but it's the way of the world.  Let's face it; our culture happens to place more value on business executives and doctors and lawyers than they do on artists or writers.  Why?  Because if a pediatrician sucks at her job, small children might die.  If a writer sucks at her job, it's only the writing that suffers.
2. The MFA does not equal publication.  This sounds like a no-brainer, but I can't tell you how many people seem to think that going to an MFA program automatically means you'll get published when you leave.  The only thing that will lead to publication is improving one's writing.  Unfortunately for many writers, the rate at which they write and improve is slower than the rate at which they age.  They either die or give up before they publish.  Sad, but true.  The only thing the MFA can do for you is speed up that learning curve a little, but if you don't keep writing and learning, no MFA will help you.
3. Not all MFAs are created equal.  I am lucky enough to be graduating from the Writing For Children concentration that happens to have a pretty strong track-record when it comes to publishing.  Is it the MFA that grants this publishing know-how to its students?  Maybe.  Certainly, we've had countless agents and editors give lectures relating specifically to our genre.  Students participate in a mock-submission process and some even have editors as thesis advisers.  But could it also be that the group of people attending the program are self-selecting?  This may be the case.  After all, a program is only as strong as the students in it so in selecting an MFA I strongly recommend that prospectives speak to current students and alumni.
4. No MFA can replace BIC.  What's BIC, you ask?  Butt.  In.  Chair.  And if you need me to tell you what I mean by that, then you're not a writer.
5. What's the Next Step?  Trying to build a life as a writer is not all that different from writing a story or novel.  Just as in writing, you always have to think about what comes next, so it is with life as a writer--whether you do an MFA or not.  This semester, though a thesis has loomed over my head, I've had to step back and ask myself: what's next?  Because if I wait until "next" gets here, it'll be too late.

In the end, the MFA question becomes moot.  It's really a question of what writer wants out of his or her writing life.  If taken simply as a shortcut to publication, the MFA will be a waste of time.  But if the goal is to build a writing community, network with both established writers and professionals in the field or to improve one's craft, then the MFA is a worthy challenge.