I belong to an Internet group of writers, some of whom have applied themselves to higher education in the form of an MFA in creative writing, and some, like me, are learning by the seat of their pants. I have always wondered if I was simply floundering in the dark and it would behoove me to go back to school, or whether I could succeed without it. One of my writing buddies from the list has compared himself to Grandma Moses in his approach to writing. He is publsihed many times over as an essayist and has a memoir due out in the fall of this year. Although I admre him, I still wavered in my thinking.
I am currently taking an online class in creative nonfiction from UCLA's outreach program, and someone in the class asked our instructor about MFA programs. Here is what Gordon Grice, MFA said:
"The main benefit of an MFA program is that it gives a writer a few years in which he's allowed to write as his main occupation. You can learn a lot there, but the learning mostly happens because you're reading a lot of books and forcing yourself to write. Those same techniques will work outside the academy… writing is writing, and a lot of the distinctions academics draw are artificial.
Don't get me wrong. Being with other writers in a concerted endeavor can be a great and life-changing experience. It may even be a good learning experience. But its success depends more on the teacher, the other students, and the attitude of the writer than it does on the specifics of the plan."
So, I will continue to learn by the seat of my pants, write and submit, submit, submit.
Signed, Ms Moses.
4 comments:
I've enjoyed your last few posts about getting your driver's license in Costa Rica. You're well on your way, MFA or not.
Well, good, because the closest I'll come to an MFA is . . . never, but Grice's advice I can, and will, do.
Hi tim and Ruth.
Seems to boil down to writing, writing, writing, doesn't it? As Carter said, "Even Henry James didn't have an MFA."
The down side, though, is that a lot of nonfiction publications do discriminate against those of us in Henry James' position (at least as far as degrees go). It's a shame, but I suppose I see their point. If a person has spent the money and taken the time to go to an MFA program it shows a certain resolve. Who's to say, if you were and editor, that someone you published today would be around tomorrow, and how would that reflect on your publication down the road as a "respected" commodity?
I personally think I'm too old and it would cost too much, but I love to write. So, I will do that.
I'd love an MFA. I've looked at the low residency programs and wonder if I could afford the investment of money and time. But I'm not sure it's right for me right now. I somehow manage to be pretty productive using my writing group. And I like much of the stuff I write these days, which is more than I can say for most of my years as a writer. One thing for sure is there is no huge $ return from an MFA program. I think you do it because you enjoy writing and reading and want to learn more. That said, I suppose I am waiting for a good opportunity to work with someone I really like or in a program that feels best before I jump. I am looking for a sign from God.
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