(Untitled)

[royalneptune]

So I've decided to go for it and apply to MFA programs in creative writing. I've split, fifty fifty, on number of people in my life who think I'm a loon for doing this, and people who think it's a fantastic idea. It's a littler frustrating, dealing with the naysayers, I must admit

Comments

[ravenword]

What kind of "real world experience" is she expecting you to get before doing an MFA?! I mean, if you already had an agent and a National Book Award you wouldn't need to go back to school at all. But, if you're trying to hone your skills as a writer and make connections that might allow you to accomplish such things someday, then an MFA program seems like a great start. The people I know who want to be writers aren't getting "real world experience" in anything but temping, in terms of the working world. You can keep writing yourself, and trying to publish, regardless of whether or not you're enrolled, but if you know you have a lot to work on, go for the MFA sooner rather than later.

Good luck, let us know how your applications go!

[yenniemonster]

The first time I expressed a serious desire to attend grad school, everyone in my immediate family was against it. It took my sobbing in the apartment of my brother's friend for him to realize that getting an MFA is not some money-squandering whim. That was four years ago. Back then, I knew I wasn't ready as a writer to go back to school. Now that I'm about to start, my family is only tenuously behind me, but I understand their concerns. For the most part, they're not artistic people, and they don't understand that writing and creating is something that I need as much as eating and breathing