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Journal KoriaDesevis's Journal: Graduate School 13

Journal by KoriaDesevis

I have been looking into graduate programs over the last couple of weeks, with the intention of pursuing a Master of Arts degree in English. I have made an interesting discovery in that direction.

There are a couple of routes I can travel. One is to get a Master of Arts degree in English, which is what I had in mind. However, I have found that another option open to me is a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing, a degree of which I was previously unaware. I have been encouraged to write creatively by several people, and as such I am considering this program as a good possibility.

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  • If writing is what you want to do, an MFA in creative writing (or a journalism degree for non-fiction) is probably what you want.

    An application to an MFA program usually requires a portfolio of your work. My prescription is: write something every day (having this habbit will probably produce better results overall than worrying about the quality of what you produce on any given day).

    • I have been writing, actually, for a while. I do most of my writing in a private journal, although I have shared some with others on occasion. The advice I have received has been "you need broaden your audience". If I seriously do that, I think I would want to refine my processes a bit and tighten up my use of the language.

  • ... but a degree of any level in Creative Writing is a awful waste of time. It will serve no purpose than to cover 10" x 6" of you wall.

    Given the choise between the God/Emperor of Creative Writing and a person with a Master's in English I'll take the MA Egl. The person who took the time to get an MFA in CW is likely to waste time an sharpen pencils all day.

    If you had any inkling you wanted to be a writer you'd write and not care about that "degree". This is right up there with Basket Weaving.

    Again, I apo
    • ***becuase I didn't Preview that's why***

    • Given the choise between the God/Emperor of Creative Writing and a person with a Master's in English I'll take the MA Egl. The person who took the time to get an MFA in CW is likely to waste time an sharpen pencils all day.

      If you had any inkling you wanted to be a writer you'd write and not care about that "degree".

      Well, yes and no. If you are looking for a degree that will open specific employment doors (other than teaching creative writing), then an MFA is not the thing.

      But an MFA is about just writing

      • here's my thought process.

        A BA or AA is a great time to explore and learn. When you are getting your Master's & higher you should be getting a degree you can use to make more money.
        • In that case, an MFA of any sort definitely wouldn't work for you.

          Though it's not about "explore and learn" either -- it's a serious and focused honing of skills. But an MFA is offered in fields like acting, painting, sculpture, writing, etc. -- these are careers (1) of self-employment, (2) where 99% of the practitioners don't make a full-time income in that field. Having had the experience of the MFA program (not the piece of paper) makes it much more likely that you'll be in that 1% (which is not to say t
      • Some discussion (and a good link) on this issue [erinoconnor.org] from a few months ago. As a reader, not a writer -- the impression I get is that the workshops and programs constrict writers more than they stretch them.
  • I have been encouraged to write creatively by several people

    I hope I am one of them to encourage you.

    Personally speaking, writing something creatively is not a matter of technique, therefore I am not totally sure whether to take a course of creative writing meets your need.

    Again personaly speaking, to learn how to write something creatively is contradicting itself. In order to write creatively, you ought not to learn how to write creatively.

    Creativity comes from tens of thousands of reading and lots of ex

    • Well, yes, if somebody says "This is the way you must do it," then run away. But that's not what a good MFA program is like (and there are bad ones, I'm sure).

      You can learn from being part of a group of great writers in the same way that you learn from reading great books.

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