I got my MFA for the same reason—to teach in a university. We didn’t have an opportunity to learn about creative writing pedagogy so I’d definitely be interested in reading about that. I’m also wondering why you transferred. It hadn’t even occurred to me that was possible.
I'll start working on a "How to Teach Creative Writing" post!
I also didn't know transferring programs was possible until I met someone at AWP who had successfully transferred. I met this person at the right time in my writing life because I was a few months out from taking a leave of absence from my program for a Fulbright. So, the timing worked out well for me to apply that fall when I started my grant in Korea. Then, I heard back from programs in the spring before I had to commit to returning to my previous program. I'm not sure transferring would have made sense for me if I hadn't had that leave of absence in the middle of the program.
As a whole, I transferred for two reasons:
1) It wasn't financially (or mentally) possible for me to live in the Bay Area, work three jobs, and be a full-time student at an unfunded program.
2) There were no hands-on teaching opportunities at U of San Francisco when I was a student.
While there were TAships, we were very much aides to the professor, simply extra eyes to read and comment on student work. There was also a post-graduate teaching fellowship where fellows designed and taught one intro-level creative writing course, but there were only three fellowship spots available, and this opportunity was only available to applicants who had completed their degree. I really wanted to leave an MFA program with actual instructor-level teaching experience. But when I applied to U of San Francisco, I was in a position where I couldn't move outside of San Francisco for school, so my options were limited. I'm still in touch with the faculty and program managers there, and I had a good experience as a student. I just had to transfer because the program didn't align with my financial needs.
I also didn't expect the new program to accept transfer credits. I basically said in my personal statement that I would fully expect to restart my degree if accepted, but when I got into U of South Florida, the director immediately told me that I could transfer some credits from my previous program, which was a nice surprise to hear.
Anyway, thanks for the content feedback! I'll work on some posts about teaching best practices.
Thank you for the concise and structured post. I look forward to your content because it is creative yet works within parameters and that is how my brain likes to see and organize things. I'm creative and messy, but if I could have a spreadsheet and some structure organizing me, even better.
I have considered going for an MFA, but not sure it's necessary for me, particularly as my goals are not well-defined (see the messy part above). The way you've described still makes it enticing but at this point in my life, I don't have the bandwidth or steering desire to pursue teaching at the university level, so I think I've done the right thing in not going for the degree. That said, I'm always interested in learning more about the craft of writing, so I appreciate your content and other solid writing advice I've found online.
So glad the post is helpful! I like to think of myself as a "left-brain creative" since I like approaching writing-related things with an analytical mindset.
As for the MFA, it sounds like you're exactly where you should be in your writing life. An MFA is definitely not necessary. Have you attended any summer writing workshops? If not, I recommend looking into Tin House and Sewanee's programs. A lot of people leave their MFAs with a strong community that they formed in their cohort, but I personally found my community at summer workshops. They're also a great place to continue learning about craft!
I haven't attended any writing workshops--yet-- but the more I hear about success (just in ones self, not publishing necessarily), the more I want to look into going. I know that if I want to prioritize my writing, I have to actually choose to prioritize my writing. :)
Another thing, I'm curious about your drafting process. You said the 120 pages you wrote over that summer were from second and third drafts. I've never referred to myself as "writing" drafts past the first one, so I found that language interesting. I say I'm editing or revising those because even if I'm revising, I usually only add bits of writing or scenes here and there.
I also have an incredibly hard time keeping track of drafts and have no idea how many I've written because I'm always poking around my book, editing and revising sections at random. I have such a hard time reading it through and have only done that a couple of times.
So, for me, I count drafts to engage forward motion. I have concrete craft goals that I’m prioritize with each draft I do of my book, otherwise I’m worried that I’ll keep tinkering with random parts and never finish the book. Here’s a Twitter thread I wrote about my drafting and revision process: https://twitter.com/katjolewis/status/1580170284811722752?s=46&t=IcVm7snL8IbAvFXveEq5RA
If you want to learn more about writing in drafts, I recommend Matt Bell’s book, Refuse to be Done. Let me know if you have any other questions about drafts, too!
As someone with a master's in education, not related to writing, I'd love to hear more about the pedagogical techniques you learned. I also suck at managing my time with projects, so I'd really like to hear your advice on that!
I’ll do a pedagogy post early next year! As for project management, I set concrete long-term, midterm, and short term goals, and deadlines for meeting those goals.
Try asking yourself these questions:
1. When do I want to finish this book/story/essay etc.?
2. To finish by X date, how many pages do I need to write (or revise) each month?
3. How many do I need to write (or revise) each week?
4. How many do I need to write or revise each day?
Keep each goal realistic and account for your other responsibilities during the week so you can set yourself up for success. For example, my current goal is to revise my 235-page draft and sent it to my agent by May 1st. I started on November 1st. That means I have to revise 40 pages each month. But I work full-time, so during the week, my daily goal is 1 page. But I don’t beat myself up about it if I don’t meet that goal. I just make up the difference on the weekend.
Lastly, project management, for me, is easiest when it’s also a habit. So I try to write at the same time on weekdays and weekends every week. If you like self-development books, I recommend reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. I use very similar productivity and habit-building methods in my writing life, so this book might be something to check out!
I got my MFA for the same reason—to teach in a university. We didn’t have an opportunity to learn about creative writing pedagogy so I’d definitely be interested in reading about that. I’m also wondering why you transferred. It hadn’t even occurred to me that was possible.
I'll start working on a "How to Teach Creative Writing" post!
I also didn't know transferring programs was possible until I met someone at AWP who had successfully transferred. I met this person at the right time in my writing life because I was a few months out from taking a leave of absence from my program for a Fulbright. So, the timing worked out well for me to apply that fall when I started my grant in Korea. Then, I heard back from programs in the spring before I had to commit to returning to my previous program. I'm not sure transferring would have made sense for me if I hadn't had that leave of absence in the middle of the program.
As a whole, I transferred for two reasons:
1) It wasn't financially (or mentally) possible for me to live in the Bay Area, work three jobs, and be a full-time student at an unfunded program.
2) There were no hands-on teaching opportunities at U of San Francisco when I was a student.
While there were TAships, we were very much aides to the professor, simply extra eyes to read and comment on student work. There was also a post-graduate teaching fellowship where fellows designed and taught one intro-level creative writing course, but there were only three fellowship spots available, and this opportunity was only available to applicants who had completed their degree. I really wanted to leave an MFA program with actual instructor-level teaching experience. But when I applied to U of San Francisco, I was in a position where I couldn't move outside of San Francisco for school, so my options were limited. I'm still in touch with the faculty and program managers there, and I had a good experience as a student. I just had to transfer because the program didn't align with my financial needs.
I also didn't expect the new program to accept transfer credits. I basically said in my personal statement that I would fully expect to restart my degree if accepted, but when I got into U of South Florida, the director immediately told me that I could transfer some credits from my previous program, which was a nice surprise to hear.
Anyway, thanks for the content feedback! I'll work on some posts about teaching best practices.
Where I went we had to take a class on how to teach comp. We were called TAs but we taught in our own. Thanks for your response!
Thank you for the concise and structured post. I look forward to your content because it is creative yet works within parameters and that is how my brain likes to see and organize things. I'm creative and messy, but if I could have a spreadsheet and some structure organizing me, even better.
I have considered going for an MFA, but not sure it's necessary for me, particularly as my goals are not well-defined (see the messy part above). The way you've described still makes it enticing but at this point in my life, I don't have the bandwidth or steering desire to pursue teaching at the university level, so I think I've done the right thing in not going for the degree. That said, I'm always interested in learning more about the craft of writing, so I appreciate your content and other solid writing advice I've found online.
So glad the post is helpful! I like to think of myself as a "left-brain creative" since I like approaching writing-related things with an analytical mindset.
As for the MFA, it sounds like you're exactly where you should be in your writing life. An MFA is definitely not necessary. Have you attended any summer writing workshops? If not, I recommend looking into Tin House and Sewanee's programs. A lot of people leave their MFAs with a strong community that they formed in their cohort, but I personally found my community at summer workshops. They're also a great place to continue learning about craft!
I haven't attended any writing workshops--yet-- but the more I hear about success (just in ones self, not publishing necessarily), the more I want to look into going. I know that if I want to prioritize my writing, I have to actually choose to prioritize my writing. :)
Another thing, I'm curious about your drafting process. You said the 120 pages you wrote over that summer were from second and third drafts. I've never referred to myself as "writing" drafts past the first one, so I found that language interesting. I say I'm editing or revising those because even if I'm revising, I usually only add bits of writing or scenes here and there.
I also have an incredibly hard time keeping track of drafts and have no idea how many I've written because I'm always poking around my book, editing and revising sections at random. I have such a hard time reading it through and have only done that a couple of times.
So, for me, I count drafts to engage forward motion. I have concrete craft goals that I’m prioritize with each draft I do of my book, otherwise I’m worried that I’ll keep tinkering with random parts and never finish the book. Here’s a Twitter thread I wrote about my drafting and revision process: https://twitter.com/katjolewis/status/1580170284811722752?s=46&t=IcVm7snL8IbAvFXveEq5RA
If you want to learn more about writing in drafts, I recommend Matt Bell’s book, Refuse to be Done. Let me know if you have any other questions about drafts, too!
As someone with a master's in education, not related to writing, I'd love to hear more about the pedagogical techniques you learned. I also suck at managing my time with projects, so I'd really like to hear your advice on that!
I’ll do a pedagogy post early next year! As for project management, I set concrete long-term, midterm, and short term goals, and deadlines for meeting those goals.
Try asking yourself these questions:
1. When do I want to finish this book/story/essay etc.?
2. To finish by X date, how many pages do I need to write (or revise) each month?
3. How many do I need to write (or revise) each week?
4. How many do I need to write or revise each day?
Keep each goal realistic and account for your other responsibilities during the week so you can set yourself up for success. For example, my current goal is to revise my 235-page draft and sent it to my agent by May 1st. I started on November 1st. That means I have to revise 40 pages each month. But I work full-time, so during the week, my daily goal is 1 page. But I don’t beat myself up about it if I don’t meet that goal. I just make up the difference on the weekend.
Lastly, project management, for me, is easiest when it’s also a habit. So I try to write at the same time on weekdays and weekends every week. If you like self-development books, I recommend reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. I use very similar productivity and habit-building methods in my writing life, so this book might be something to check out!
I've been reading Atomic Habits. It's pretty good!
Glad you’re enjoying it!
Would love to hear about your philosophy of rubrics!
I'll add a rubric post to my list!