Notes on My Dream MFA in Writing Program
24 Jun
In response to Louis Menand’s article in The New Yorker about the writing workshop, I’m pleased to present notes (repeat: NOTES) on my dream MFA program.
BASIC STRUCTURE
Two-year program, trimester system, three classes a term for a total of 18 classes.
REQUIRED COURSES
The almighty page
The Sentence
The Paragraph
The Scene
Basic Dramatic Structure
Research, planning, and project management
Introduction to Project Management
Basic Research Techniques for Writers
The business of writing
Introduction to Magazine and Book Publishing
The Internet for Writers
The writing life
Introduction to the Writing Life
How to Have Something to Say
ELECTIVES
The almighty page
Experimental fiction, tricky structure, voice, comedy writing, genre writing, literary fiction, etc.
Research, planning, and project management
Historical research, scientific research, planning a novel, how to collaborate, etc.
The business of writing
Pitching, media training, managing your web presence, etc.
The writing life
Psychology of writing, managing creative energy, developing your relationship to the world, how not to become a drunk, etc.
WHAT WE WON’T COVER
There will be no assigned reading or critiquing of literature in class. The school will publish a list of foundational books, films, plays, poems, etc. References to these works may or may not come up in class. Act accordingly.
There will be less of an emphasis on critiquing completed work in class. Class time is dedicated to developing specific skills. Integrating those skills happens on your own time, as does how your peers, your professors, etc. react to said integration.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
The school runs three publications staffed by independent editors who are advised by faculty and alumni.
The publications are broken into three tiers, a highly competitive publication that also publishes established writers, a mid-range publication that also takes outside submissions, and a student-only publication that is the most forgiving, but that still reserves the right to reject your work.
In your first year you’re eligible to be published by the two lower-tier publications. The top-tier publication is open to second-year students only.
To graduate you have to get through the publication process once at the top tier or twice at the second tier or three times at the bottom tier. (Graduation requirement is waived in the event you get a book deal, publish with a national magazine, etc.)
You can take as long as you want to graduate. You get your shingle when you make it into print.
Great, now I want to apply to an MFA program that doesn’t exist.
Beautiful. Should we expect a stringent application process?
sign me up!
I’d take that coursework and I noticed you included something on “what to say”.
A friend of mine just started at Seton Hill’s genre masters program. I can’t wait to hear all about it.
WANT
Awesome. I’d also like a class that mentions taxes and contracts for writers. My ideal MFA would also be well funded, or it would make students work in the community. Teaching fellowships are good, but building houses or working in a soup kitchen would provide so much more experience, experience that would be quite necessary if your MFA students are coming straight from undergrad.
I have this lingering question. Years ago as a grad student in film there appeared to be a genuine possibilty to actually create a career in the industry, and subsequently, with the emergence and popularity of the independents, even more so. But what the heck does anyone do with an MFA in Creative Writing other than teach, or become a hair stylist, and maybe keep writing?
As a recent graduate of an MFA program, I’m impressed with the required courses. Most programs lack such practical classes. However, I do think there are benefits in studying literature and critiquing student work, though this shouldn’t make up the majority of a student’s time. The graduation requirement publication system seems to favor only those who write short pieces and not novelists, unless they would publish novel excerpts. Still, I don’t think this part would appeal to everyone.
Good luck with your accreditation!
@Wendy: You raise a good point about the pub. system. I think excerpts or character monologues or essays about world-building or whatever could count. The point is to give experience with the publication process and test if students have grown professionally as well as artistically.
I love the idea of a course focuses on the sentence, paragraph, etc. And “The Internet for Writers” would be terrific, as would managing your web presence.
No literature at all? In the Scene class, you would have discussions about what makes a scene and students would write scenes, but no literature to illustrate points you want to make?
@Eric: I think you’re going to be talking about literature all the time, and using examples as well.
My point is to mimic as best as possible the real-world social and intellectual pressure to be up on your lit.
So if Joseph Conrad keeps coming up in class then you best either reads you some Conrad or learn how to fake your way through a conversation about how something is “Conradian.”