To MFA or Not To MFA

This summer I got to do a book event with a long time book critic. By this point, a whole two months out from my debut, I had been getting the hang of the types of questions people asked me. Thanks to having done a fair amount of written interviews, I knew a lot of the basic interview questions had similar vibes. But, in this live event, the interviewer said that she'd read my bio and had seen that I'd done a Master of Fine Arts. I told her I had. She then told me, and the packed room, she was shocked. She said that my book didn't read like an MFA project. She went on to explain that, to her, most MFA writers wrote stories which were incredibly similar and not very good. Conversely, she said my book was really readable and she loved it.

I had not gotten this question before, but I'm always one to lean into a little chaos. I decided to take it as a massive compliment, and I went on to explain a little about my MFA program. Which is what I want to do here today.

If you are a serious writer, at some point you consider an MFA. This is a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. It's grad school in creative writing. And, there are a variety of feelings on this topic.

One: People will tell you, it will change your writing.

And as a sub point to that, it won't necessarily be in a way that you want.

Two: MFAs are expensive, and there are very, very, very good odds (I do not have the stats, but trust me when I say this) that you will never make enough money off your writing to pay off your degree.

These two points were top issues for me. The other problem I had when considering an MFA was that I had a full time job, and there was no way I was quitting it to move across the country to do an in-person MFA for 2.5 years, only to emerge with no job and a massive cash problem ranging from no income to paying off the last two point five years.

But I had always dreamed of going to grad school to focus on writing. It was something I'd wanted to do right out of undergrad but a very practical botany professor (thank you Professor Ellmore) told me to get some life experience before I felt like I had to go back to school. And, for some strange reason, I actually listened to him.

After undergrad, I wrote. I wrote a sci-fi trilogy which was picked up by a small house without an agent. I wrote other manuscripts. I wrote a collection of short stories that I released on Amazon. I queried agent after agent after agent, and got no where.

It wasn't until the beginning of 2021 that I realized, I was in danger of rage quitting my job. I had recently promoted, moved to a totally bizarre area in the middle of COVID, and I was frustrated and burning out. I couldn't figure out how to get published, but I decided to really buckle down and work on professionalizing my writing. I needed an out from work. I needed an out from the world. I joined an online writing club. They hosted a guest speaker, and she mentioned she had an MFA. I wrote her an email after, asking about it, and she told me about the program she'd went to.

And this is the part where I fan girl about the MFA program I attended. I attended, get ready for it, the University California Riverside Palm Desert Low Residency Program. A lot of words in there, I know.

UCR Palm Desert is the reason I got anywhere with my writing. And these are the top things that made it so very successful for me.

1.) It was, and still is, is low residency. This means that most of the work was done from my house. In the 2.5 year program, I needed to go into class five times, which broke down to two times a year, for ten days each residency. More on this later, but outside of that, I could do the work from anywhere, at any time. I did not have to be in class at any specific time, which was huge for me since I was working a shift schedule and had very unpredictable hours. I could work while going to this program. And that is what I did. I got two promotions while in the program and managed the workload just fine.

2.) The program focused on not just teaching craft (writing) but it also focused on the industry. My thesis was read by industry professionals. I was exposed to agents, editors, producers, managers, and all sorts of people who worked in and around the writing profession. Until I went to UCR, I had never met an actual published author. I had no mentors in the industry, and it showed. I could not figure out how to get out of the slush pile and in front of someone who would be willing to champion my work.

Getting in a room with industry professionals changed everything. This is how I got an agent. This is how I got screenplay deals. This is how I networked and met the people who would cheer me on. I know there are many MFAs which exist solely to focus the craft of writing. That's fine, but it wasn't something I could justify. I wanted to go to a program to professionalize my writing, and for me, my writing was only part of the problem. A bigger issue was that I was a nobody with no writer friends and no way of getting in the door of the industry. I walked out of UCR Palm Desert with countless contacts and writing peers.

3.) Residency. The ten days I had to go into class are referred to as a residency. In a lot of programs, the school hosts the students in un-used dorms. At UCR we went to a spa in the Coachella Valley. It was a magical writing camp. I woke up every morning, walked through palm trees and highly cared for gardens to my favorite breakfast in the world– fresh fruit, bacon, and coffee– and then spent the morning taking classes on everything from how to write a query letter, to the joys of re-writing, to the basics of the podcasting buisness. After lunch, everyone broke into their workshop groups, where my work was critiqued and then I offered criticism on my peers' work. In the evening I would socialize and attend any variety of special programs from student readings, to special author events, to the showings of my peers' movies. I had the most fun I've had in my entire adult life at these residencies. There was so much potential buzzing in the air. I was meeting the people who would later go on to champion my work, and I was meeting actual writing peers! People I've kept in regular contact with for years at this point.

4.) UCR Palm Desert not only taught genre but embraced it. So many MFA programs focus on churning out literary writers, which is fine, but it turns out, I was made to write genre (thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, romance, mysteries, etc). Genre is traditionally looked down on by the literary world, but frankly, I don't care. I like reading genre, and I like writing it. Also, it sells, so turns out, the book-buying populace likes it too.

5.) UCR embraces its alumni. I have gone back to UCR to lecture, and when I got my book deal, they threw me a book launch party which was the stuff of writer's dreams. They sold out of my book. Sold out. At my launch party. I mean, that's the stuff of dreams.

While I cannot say an MFA is the right move for everyone, nor can I even say that everyone needs an MFA, for me, going to UCR Palm Desert was the best thing I'd ever done for myself. I got to make a life long dream come true. I got exposed to a world I'd wanted into for most of my conscious life. Every day I am grateful for my time in the program.

If you are considering an MFA program, I recommend asking yourself, what your goals are with attending a program? Also, does the program you're looking at teach what you want to write? Does it fit your lifestyle? While UCR Palm Desert worked for me, it might not be the place for you. But, if you are on the market, consider UCR Palm Desert. Call them. They will answer all of your questions.

#UCRPalmDesert