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Tag: education

  • Do You Need an MFA? 3 Important Elements You Can Replicate On Your Own

    Do You Need an MFA? 3 Important Elements You Can Replicate On Your Own

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    If you’re like me, you spent most of your childhood in school. That’s where you learned how to learn, and you’ve probably come to associate improvement with school. So, when it comes to improving your writing, it’s natural that you would consider a Master of Arts (MA) or a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree. After all, what better way to give yourself time to write and a structured place to do it?

    But MFAs are time consuming and expensive, and it’s certainly possible to significantly improve as a writer without them. How do you know if an MFA is right for you? And can you reproduce the benefits of an MFA without enrolling in a program?

    My take on the MFA debate

    Full disclosure: I have both a BA and an MA in writing. It’s hard for me to regret those years; they were a lot of fun and I gained an enormous amount of experience. I also met my husband, so I can’t say my MA was useless. However, I think I could have taken another path, perhaps one that didn’t require so much of my time, money and inner calm.

    Based on my experience, I don’t think having an MA or MFA is necessary to become a great writer. This should be obvious to anyone who knows anything about literary history: Many famous and influential writers did not begin in academia.

    Instead, to become a better writer without a set path, replicate important aspects of the MFA. Basically, the money you spend for your MFA (and it’s a lot of money) insists upon discipline and buys a few elements crucial to the writing process. Recreate these elements on your own to strengthen your writing skills without enrolling in an MFA.

    1. Read across genres

    Great writers need to read; there’s no way around this one. Language has to start in your brain to end up on the page, and the best way to get it there is to read. (Or listen to audiobooks on tape, whatever works for you).

    Expose yourself to past developments in your genre, as well as what’s happening now. This is where you acquire the tools you’ll use, as well as improve on, later.

    While reading may seem like a simple task, it’s not. With hundreds of millions of books in the world, it can be impossible to know where to start. An MFA program will not only give you an organized, vetted list of these books, but it will also force you to read them and analyze them thoughtfully. The program will expose you to new styles and authors you may never have come across otherwise, expanding your toolset and allowing you to contextualize your own work.

    You can discover new works and authors without an MFA, of course, and you should continue to do it after one. Read everything — not only in your genre, but in completely new ones. Step outside your comfort zone. Read extensively and often. Listen to books on your way to work, and always have something new to read.

    [bctt tweet=”Read everything — not only in your genre, but in completely new ones, says @inkhat”]

    Don’t know where to start? Published authors often give examples of their favorite works in interviews. Look up one or two of your favorite writers, and try a few of their recommendations.

    2. Meet word count requirements

    Writing is craft, and craft requires time and effort. Carving out this time can be difficult. Unless you’re the incarnation of discipline, you’re going to have trouble hitting your word count goal every day.

    An MFA program will insist on that word count. It requires you to produce, and to produce at a fast pace, something that is necessary to learn your craft.

    This pace also helps you develop the ability to stop thinking of every sentence as precious, let go of your inner editor and move on — which can be harder than it seems. The less you’ve written, the more valuable each word becomes, and the more difficult it is to edit them. As you keep writing, you’ll realize that your ideas, no matter how poetic, aren’t perfect. Editing and writing become easier the more you do the work of hitting that word count goal.

    Of course, you can achieve daily writing goals without an MFA, but the process involves a great deal of discipline and focus. You have to push yourself to meet daily, weekly or monthly word counts. It’s hard to do this alone, which is where the final element comes into play.

    3. Find a group of supportive, committed people

    You need to foster a group of peers with whom you can discuss and trade writing. These should be people whose writing and opinions you respect, and who aren’t afraid to offer constructive criticism. If you find yourself in a group that only praises your writing, leave. It’s not going to help you at all.

    An MFA will give you this group gift-wrapped and ready to go. You start with a critique group on day one, writers vetted and approved by the same people who selected you. It’s likely that these relationships, both as friends and colleagues, will continue long after you’ve left the program.

    Again, a writing critique group is something you can create on your own, but it can be challenging. Writing is a solitary art, and many writers tend to be independent by nature. Finding a group means fostering professional relationships, and that can take time and effort.

    Look online for local groups, or attend local conventions and conferences in your genre. Go to signings and readings. Chances are you’ll find intelligent, like-minded people who can help you learn to write, and vice versa.

    Do you need an MFA?

    If you’re having trouble with these elements, or the discipline of writing itself, an MFA might be the right choice for you.

    Enrolling in a program also buys you dedicated time to write, which is often difficult to find when you’re working a full-time job. It’s also a socially acceptable time to write, which translates fairly seamlessly into a resume when you leave. It may not land you a job, but it’s an easy story to explain. A program also exposes you to research tools and professional pathways you might not otherwise be able to access.

    On the other hand, pursuing an MFA is a serious undertaking that requires a great deal of time and money. Now that you know what you’re looking for, you may be able to recreate the most important elements on your own. Then you can focus on the fun part: writing!

    If you’ve pursued an MFA, what elements most helped you evolve as a writer? If you’ve chosen not to enroll in a program, how have you developed your skills?

    This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.

    This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!

    Photo via LStockStudio / Shutterstock 

  • 5 Lessons From J-School That Will Make You a Better Writer

    5 Lessons From J-School That Will Make You a Better Writer

    Becoming a journalist was a long-held dream of mine, and majoring in journalism when I started college was a no-brainer.

    However, during my freshman year I realized reporting was not for me. While I considered switching to a new major, journalism taught me many lessons about both writing and life, and I’m glad I stuck with it. While I now focus more on marketing and PR and won’t be breaking the next presidential scandal, my experience in journalism school was invaluable in shaping me as a writer.

    Considering attending a journalism program? Here are the top things I learned in J-school.

    1.  The worst possible mistake is a factual error

    At Northwestern’s Medill School, the “Medill F” is infamous — it even has its own Twitter account. Anytime a journalism student makes a factual error, he or she automatically fails the assignment.

    Getting the facts straight is crucial. As a journalist (or marketer, communicator or advertiser), you’re only as good as your last story (or Tweet, blog post or press release). If you make mistakes when it comes to the facts, you’ll be sacrificing your reputation.

    The Medill F taught me to review and fact-check my work a extra time before submitting it. It might take a little longer, but consistently providing high-quality, accurate work makes clients happy — and more likely to refer me to their contacts.

    2. A strong knowledge of AP Style and grammar is invaluable

    In the journalism industry, adherence to Associated Press (AP) Style reaches religious levels, and the AP Stylebook is basically a journalist’s holy book. Because of this fervor, journalism school subjected me to class after class of grueling style and grammar training, but I wouldn’t take back one second.

    Think writing AM instead of a.m. won’t make a difference? Think again — unless you’re referencing the radio frequency. A firm knowledge of the rules of writing helps professional writers differentiate themselves from the amateurs and impress clients. Study, practice and hone your skills.

    While different clients will require you to follow different style guides (such as MLA, Chicago, APA or an in-house guide), understanding and sticking to their preferred guide demonstrates your attention to detail — and that helps you stand out as a writer to re-hire.

    3.  Journalists are people too, and people make mistakes

    Factual errors are considered unforgivable sins by some (see “Medill F”), but other journalistic errors are excusable at times. Once, I recorded a great interview on my camera — only to discover that its memory card was full. Another time, my dog actually ate my interview notes.

    While it may be horribly embarrassing to have to ask a source to repeat an interview, more often than not, people are understanding and accommodating. Messing up once in a while is not the end of the world and it doesn’t mean you’re a failure. (Just make sure you learn from your mistakes so you don’t repeat them!)

    4.  Journalism is not for the timid, awkward or fearful

    Journalists are notorious for being nosy, pushy and relentless, but this is how some of the best stories are told. As a measly freshman who’d get nervous interviewing his own mom, I learned quickly that the best stories take some nudging (and sometimes, a little bravado).

    For one project, I chronicled the start of the season for Northwestern’s successful women’s lacrosse team. I wanted footage of a certain early morning boxing workout, but video equipment was not officially allowed into the gym. Regardless, I went to the practice and confidently set up my equipment, though I was nervous. While the gym owner was displeased and clearly wished I wasn’t there, I explained I was capturing footage for a school project and would be out of the way within a few hours. He let me stay. At times, breaking the rules pays off.

    When a source is slow to respond or flat-out rude, persistence is the key to getting that dream interview. Be friendly and gracious, but follow up consistently to pursue the conversation or information you need.

    5.  The human connection is paramount

    Sometimes journalists (and freelance writers) spend hours crafting the perfect set of interview questions only to have them dashed minutes into the interview. Though it may feel like you just wasted your time, you’ve actually stumbled onto something more valuable.

    When you truly connect with someone you’re talking to and the conversation takes on a life of its own, that person becomes more than an interview source. After all, the point of journalism is to tell a story, and the best way to do so is to get lost in a conversation.

    During my junior year, I planned to do a story about senior citizens and the holiday season. I talked to my first sources during Thanksgiving break, and while we started talking about the holidays, the attack on Pearl Harbor came up because that too was toward the end of the year — and I quickly realized that year would be the 70th anniversary.

    Our conversation turned from the holidays to memories of Pearl Harbor and what life was like at the time, as well as what my sources learned from the event and how they thought times had changed. Had I stuck to my original plan, I would have missed an incredible opportunity to tell a great story.

    Have you attended or considered attending journalism school? What were your most important lessons? What do you wish you had learned?