My DIY MFA
As a kid who preferred the concrete reality of words on the page and routinely nestled between comfortable stacks of books reading is my evergreen passion. The writing came later. At first I was in awe of all my favorite writers. I couldn’t possibly measure up so I didn’t try. I would scribble anguish in my teens for no one else’s eyes and never reread them.
Fresh out of college my direction was unknown but determined. I applied frantically anywhere with an online application with my new degree in their requirements section. No one hired me. No one who I wanted to work for hired me. In desperation I started looking for less desirable places but then ghosted everyone who called me. I’m not good with callbacks.
I considered graduate school but was wary of debt. Even though I flirted with the idea, hard, I ultimately passed. Somehow it seemed too good to be true. I get to read and write all day not just in my free time?Magical. I didn’t feel worthy of that level of magic. I wasn’t a very practiced writer stumbling around with short story ideas. For me it worked out to wait.
Into the present, I’m considering giving this MFA thing a try. I do know the cons, intimately, and still I’m interested. Also giving myself the chance to change my mind because life happens. Why am I reconsidering this degree with rose tinted glasses firmly discarded? Mainly because I’ve bridged the gap between my undergraduate writing skills to now with my own DIY MFA program.
Inspired by the book and program with this name and the writing advice of basically every writer I concocted my own plan. It’s also disguised as do what you enjoy more often in your free time. My DIY MFA is simple. Read and write a lot. Don’t feel guilty if you have to neglect this practice because life means rolling with it. Repeat until satisfied which should be never.
The spark was reignited a few weeks ago when I was joking with my husband about what we would do if we received a windfall of cash. My answer was get an MFA. The idea and impulse were still in my brain. Would I still like to do this? Yes. What was the main thing holding me back? As always debt aversion.
In moments of doubt I like to Google. The internet reminded me of low residency MFA programs for people with jobs or lives they don’t want to dramatically interrupt and the lists of fully funded programs if I really wanted to be bold.
Since I’ve decided to really go for it I’m taking a poetry workshop in January to see if that will satiate my writing itch or make it more apparent that the MFA should be my focus full time. I’m looking forward to finding that out. Also either way I will be content because reading and writing are always my soothing balm.
