MFA or Alt-MFA--What's Right for You as a Writer?
On the cusp of a divorce, I decided to go back to grad school and get my MFA. I was emotionally scoured, which turned out to be a great time to learn to write fiction. The Master of Fine Arts program I attended was low-residency, which meant I could still work full-time and rebuild my life. So many people tried to talk me out of it, but I’d had the dream for decades. What better timing would I ever meet?
My life was changing radically, and it turned out that going back to school at age fifty required a whole new mindset. But I could also say my MFA changed my life.
My first novel, published by a small press in 2009, came from my thesis manuscript. I had huge support in getting that novel published, something I didn’t anticipate I’d need.
But the program worked me. I was an odd duck at the ten-day residencies, one of the few older women there. I had trouble mixing with the other students. I hated the dorms—I’d grown too used to my own bed and routines. Some of my advisors were startlingly harsh with their critique, others so mild I suspected they weren’t giving me the straight goods.
It was a grueling two years of work due every three weeks that had me writing late into the evenings, reading books I struggled to understand and trying to find something intelligent to say.
Why would you want an MFA?
Those who decide to pursue an MFA in creative writing usually have one to three reasons. Two have to do with the writer’s career. One is just about education. It helps a lot to sift this out for yourself, to see if it’s worth your money, effort, and time.
Do you want to teach writing at places where the credential of an MFA might be useful?
Do you want to learn in an intensive, immersive program and produce a manuscript?
Do you want to build a community of writers, network to find an agent, or meet those more experienced with the publishing world?
All of these are possible outcomes from an MFA program. Different programs/schools promote different outcomes. Some I researched were all about launching a writer into the publishing or academic worlds. Others were much more about the education process, the work and study.
I ended up going with a school that focused much more on the education of the writer. I was already teaching, I’d had a good publishing career. I was switching from nonfiction to fiction, and it seemed like a completely foreign world. I wanted help navigating it, and I liked learning.
Some writers I’ve spoken with, post-MFA, were disappointed because they choose a school that mostly focused on an outcome they weren’t as keen about. So it’s important to vet your school carefully, talk to alumina.
Is it a life goal?
Back when I was in grad school the first time, universities only offered advanced degrees in English literature; writing wasn't considered as important as critical analysis. That changed in the 1990s.
MFA programs began to appear like sudden spring flowers in the desert after a rain. From two or three years of study, you could fill in your missing knowledge of basic and advanced writing techniques, get exposed to literature in a new way, learn how to analyze writing from a writer's point of view, and complete a manuscript draft with hopes of publishing.
They also required much time and much money. Earning a living, starting my writing and teaching career, were more practical steps for me, so the dream of graduate work in writing got put to the side.
I encountered it again when I was recovering from a serious illness, thinking deeply about my life goals and realizing that this dream was still strong--and unmet. I was taking weekly writing classes at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis and Iowa Summer Writers' Conference each summer. I had studied privately with published novelists, worked with two writers' groups and several writing partners, published many nonfiction books, from memoir to cookbooks to self-help, and even some short stories.
But I wanted to write a novel. Exactly how, eluded me.
So I dug out my file folder of MFA brochures. Would it really help my convoluted 100,000 word manuscript to immerse myself in a world of writing?
I began calling and emailing writer friends, as well as some instructors I knew in MFA programs, to ask their opinion. I was a published writer, well educated, much older than most graduate students. Would it be better to hire a private tutor, hire professional editors, to get the novel written? Is the world of fiction all that different from the nonfiction/memoir world I knew well?
Do it on your own
Most writers I spoke with, who’d attended MFA programs, said they enjoyed their two years. They loved learning. They loved the community of writers. But their manuscript still languished.
That surprised me. Two writers in my writing classes were even struggling with the same questions they'd brought to their MFA programs.
The most radical review came from an instructor who actually taught in a large university's MFA program. "Save the money," he told me, "hire an editor and do it on your own." Evidently he was seeing the same lack of results in students as I was.
Others were more encouraging, speaking of valuable literary friendships and writing networks that came from their graduate-school years. A few writers I spoke with had gone on to publish and attributed it solely to the instructors in their MFA program. "It really depends on the faculty,” they said. “Not everyone who writes well, teaches well."
I knew this. One summer at the Iowa Writers' Conference I took a week-long course with a writer I admired greatly. His short stories were stunning. His teaching was not. A born lecturer, he liked to dominate the classroom. I preferred a collaborative atmosphere and wilted fast.
Alt ideas
Some of my favorite writing programs are not MFA or university based. In the exercise below, I’ll share links to two alt-MFA programs that deliver the goods, in my opinion. For those who are seriously wanting the benefits of an MFA program without the credentials, these might be worth the time and money.
But maybe you want to write MFA after your name on a resume or teaching application. Look for schools that provide a rocket boost to your writing--and writing career--that they promise in their colorful ads and websites. How do you find these?
I’ll also share my list of research questions below, which may help.
But first think of your own needs. Are you’re signing up for writing skills, career advancement, a community? What’s most important to you?
Second, research deeply. Choose a school that will deliver what you really desire as a writer, even if it’s not a big academic star.
Third, ask yourself about your commitment: will you be able to use the program to get your manuscript completed, if that’s your goal?
I think I was lucky in being able to research extensively and knowing what I wanted. My MFA program opened me to an astonishing scope of literature. I read poems, plays, essays, and books I’d never heard of--that changed the way I looked at writing and the world. Because I was forced to do so, I explored and expanded my horizons.
Best of all, I finished my mess of a first novel. I actually got two books out of the manuscript, both now published.
All this came to me because of the excellent instruction and the ability of those instructors to really listen to my needs as a writer, to guide me well. Because they were good teachers, rather than just great writers, they knew how to present the pathway and help me walk it. That mattered most.
Your weekly writing exercise
Here’s the list of questions I asked as I researched MFA programs. If you’re getting the nudge to check one out, maybe these will be handy.
Which MFA program offers strong instruction, not just a stable of instructors with writing fame?
Which program requires completion of a manuscript--an important deadline if you want to actually finish that manuscript?
Are flexible schedules possible if you can’t afford to stop working?
What gives the most value for the money? Is there a scholarship or aid available?
Is it more important to go after a big-name school, for its potential on your writing resume, or is it better to find a truly creative atmosphere that would let you expand and explore beyond what you already know?
Even if you have zero interest in MFA programs, take some time to explore your writing dreams. Using the question that changed my life, above, ask yourself:
For my next step, what do I need the most? Creativity or knowledge?
Where can I most easily find this?
And check out the alt-MFA programs at two of my favorite writing schools, The Loft Literary Center’s year-long writing programs and Grub Street’s intensives.
Any other great options you know of? Share below!Photo by Susan Q Yin on Unsplash