ON WRITING

Justine

I knew that going into an MFA program after working multiple jobs at once (including one that was full-time), I wanted to focus these three years on writing. I wanted to write more words than I had ever written before, so I signed up for two workshops each semester, and ended my first year with four newly written short stories and four essays. It wasn’t always easy to focus on writing, though, and I think that this can be a misperception of MFA programs. No one is going to force you to write new material, let alone edit that material after a workshop. Getting a lot of writing done in a MFA program is totally up to the student and how they prioritize their writing time. For me, it meant writing a few days during the week in the mornings before classes and work started (I am still working, just not full-time), and then prioritizing large chunks of time to write on the weekends.

Karan

I came into my MFA with 2 ½ complete drafts for some vastly different poetry collections. I knew that I could just breeze through if I wanted to. Of course, that’s not what MFAs are supposed to be for. So, I resolved to write…a lot…and then…I realized that I’d actually have to overload my first year with more than half of 3-year requirements in order to ensure I could allow Shannan an easier first year when she started her MFA. We have a now 3 ½ year old daughter so that wonderful little child figures into all of our decisions big time. Because of that overloading, my first year did not entirely net too many extra words in my way-too-many Google docs, but it did force me to manage my time. Whenever I took the bus from my apartment to campus, I penned random little thoughts in a classic black moleskin. I had sticky notes vining all over my walls with weird words or ideas that popped up in my head alongside daily tasks and to-do’s. All in all, it was a super hectic year but now, starting my second year, I barely have any credits left to take, thus freeing me up for a lot of writing (and looking after Ana, of course, as Shannan starts her first year!)

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On workshopS

Justine

Oof. Having taken four workshops my first year, my experiences in each couldn’t have been more different. To me, what this means is that the professor leading the workshop is so important to the workshop experience. They set the mood and the expectations, how the workshop is conducted and what form the feedback takes. So I learned to choose my workshop professors wisely. That being said, having feedback from your peers and your professors is invaluable—it helps you see how your words and stories are landing, and if you bring in less-than-polished work, workshops can be a great brainstorming session for overcoming any obstacles you’re navigating.

I’ll add a caveat, though: it was important for me to take some of the feedback I received in workshops with a giant grain of salt, and it took some time for me to learn whose feedback resonated with me. Because of this learning curve, some of the feedback I received in the beginning felt like it did more harm than good. For example, I turned in a piece to one workshop where the critique was extremely negative, and I felt like no one was even attempting to understand what I was trying to do on the page. I came home in tears. It took some time, but I believed in what I had written, and so I went ahead with submitting it after making a few revisions based on the feedback that I agreed with. That piece is now being published in a top-tier literary magazine—a dream publication of mine. Summary? Workshops are amazing and can be integral to developing your craft, but always trust yourself—and your own voice—as a writer.

Karan

I came into the program on the poetry-fiction genre cusp and I’m glad that VT likes fluidity and hybridity. I took both the poetry and fiction workshops in the same semester and really enjoyed being the only person in both workshops at once. The fiction workshop, actually, was very unique. Matthew Vollmer, our MFA director, ran it this time and he rejigged it into a Novel Workshop. There wasn’t as much critique involved as there was learning-through-teaching and a dedicated space to actually write. Each of us came with a “ur-book” that we wanted to model our ideal novels around and each of us gave a presentation on their ur-book and how it related to our own projects over the 15 weeks of the semester. We also each spoke about some aspect of writing such as manipulating time or playing with perspective. Though at the beginning I wasn’t so sure how I’d feel about a workshop that didn’t involve much, well, workshopping, I found myself looking forward to this Novel workshop over any of my other classes. It was very much the anti-Iowa model and, ultimately, just a very productive three hours in the week. I took 5 workshops over the course of my first year and reading everyone’s work alongside the assigned reading was at times quite overwhelming.

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On community

Justine

No one gets a writer like another writer. Being surrounded by people who love words and stories is something I always dreamed of having, and now it is there in abundance! I’m lucky enough to attend an MFA program with a larger cohort than most (there are about 20 or so of us in each year). What this means is that I have been able to find the people who I connect with the most and whose feedback on my writing I resonate with, and develop those relationships. I have made friends that feel like life-long friendships. We talk about raising our books and our babies together :)

My program also does an amazing job of facilitating community events, from our yearly Writers’ Week which is like a mini writing conference right on campus, to multiple student readings each semester, department picnics, and the like. The effort to cultivate community is intentional, and I’m grateful to have landed in such a space.

Karan

I am a fairly solitary person. Frankly, a loner. So, the fact that my life/schedule does not allow much time for any kind of social activity is a kind of blessing. However, I love the classroom space and believe strongly in its sovereignty. I almost never miss any classes and actively participate in the discussions — that alone makes me feel part of a community of people who understand and challenge what I say and truly these conversations with my peers and professors are my favorite part of the MFA.

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On mentorshiP

Justine

For me, this has been the single most influential benefit of being in a MFA program. I chose UNCW because of their professors, and I think anyone who chooses a program for something other than this (apart, of course, from funding) is making a big mistake. The professors are what make or break your experience in the program, and I’ve been lucky to learn from some amazing people in my first year. However, I do think pursuing mentorship is up to the student. Go to office hours. Take classes with the professors whose work you admire. Seek their feedback. Ask for their guidance. I’ve never once seen enthusiasm from the student not be reciprocated by the professor’s willingness to support them. These are the relationships that can help develop your writing, and your writing career.

Karan

One-on-one mentorship, in my mind, is the truest way to learn and hone your craft, especially in comparison to workshops. I came to Blacksburg because I wanted to be near Bob Hicok, who is a most wonderful mentor to me despite being retired. I have since found mentorship in multiple other professors and it’s truly enriching to me as a thinker and writer.

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On opportunities

Justine

I think opportunities are there if you take them. Every MFA program will have some opportunities available to their students, and it is likely not all students will take advantage of them. In my program, students have the opportunity to receive a concurrent post-baccalaureate certificate in publishing; to work on Ecotone, Chautauqua, or Lookout Books; to participate in UNCW’s Writers’ Week or attend AWP; to propose an independent study with professors; and to take as many credits as you want with no additional fees.

Just this last year, a few of my friends and I created an independent study with one of our professors to develop and execute on an idea we had for an anthology. We now have a nonfiction book proposal written, a list of amazing and well-known authors interested in contributing, and are beginning the querying process to publishers and agents.

Karan

Almost all MFA programs have resources available beyond the obviously visible and as long as you seek them out, you’ll receive them. Go to the readings, salons, and other events — if you feel there’s a lack, then host one with a couple of friends. Attend talks of visiting writers in and outside of your program. If you want/need something, ask!

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On challengeS

Justine

Money, money, money. And time. I’ve continued to work while in graduate school to make ends meet (barely). There are no savings, and my work often (always) cuts into my writing time. Then there are the loans, which loom in the post-graduation haze. And there is a whole lot of stress about what happens after I move my tassel from one side to the other and graduate. I wish MFA programs provided more sustainable funding to their students. Still, I’m valuing these three years of focused writing, and will continue to buy the extra thin toilet paper from Piggly Wiggly.

Karan

Most people come into an MFA thinking and hoping they’ll have more time than ever before to write but this is often rendered untrue because of all the obligations one has for their classes and the teaching that comes with it. Prioritizing your writing can be hard especially if you have to worry about money. I wouldn’t be in this program if it wasn’t fully-funded and don’t recommend anyone to get a degree that will put them in long-term debt, least of all an MFA that is unlikely to secure you a job. The stats to get successfully in either academia or publishing are dismal.

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On lifE

Justine

I wouldn’t change my decision to pursue a MFA. There are challenges and I know that I could write without the structure of a graduate program, but I see how my writing is improving and I know doors are opening that otherwise wouldn’t be. Part of the reason I chose to commit to UNCW is because I will graduate with a MFA, a post-baccalaureate certificate in publishing, and teaching experience. The doors on both sides of the industry—publishing and teaching—will be open to me. I’m also lucky to have an amazing fiancé who is willing to stick it out in this hurricane-prone and humid coastal plain while I get my degree. Coming home to him every night is the best part of my day.

Karan

I love my life in Blacksburg and had dreamt of a life like this for years. I came here from New Delhi, a place I abhorred. It was a way for me to get out of my parents’ house and also the country. There are big city MFAs and there are small/college town ones — I knew I belonged in the latter and made my choice accordingly. While deciding your dream programs, you’ve got to consider where it’s located and ask yourself if you’ll be happy in a place like that. General satisfaction and contentment is so important for a healthy writing lifestyle, no matter what pop-culture has told us.

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