After the MFA

This is the final installment of a series of articles called “After the Workshop.”

The third and final step after the workshop is one that I’ve too often neglected: the cultivation of long term relationships among writers.

From the dozens of excellent writers and peer reviewers I met at grad school, I am now in regular contact with just one. In some cases, it wasn’t my fault. After grad school people move on. and relationships fall apart. Some people have busy work and family lives and don’t have the time and energy to read my stuff. Some people leave writing altogether and focus more heavily on teaching, publishing, or industries that are completely unrelated to the field.

But, just as often, it’s been my fault. Before my thirties, I had lots of time to socialize and couldn’t really imagine the life I have now. These days, I am hard-pressed to find the time to attend late night poetry reading or schmooze it up at a local writers conference.

Besides a lack of time, I’ve also found it exceptionally difficult to locate writers who are working at the same skill level and “field” as me. Few people write adult literary short fiction. At a writers meetup, I am more likely to find folks drafting thrillers, screenplays or children’s books. And while there are general rules of writing that apply to all forms, there is a huge difference between, say, what I do and writing a 90-page comedy screenplay. It’s like building a multi level parking lot vs. building a cape house. Same game, very different rules.

I am planning to move more toward novel writing, and this might actually be helpful as there are more novel writers out there.

So, I do have a handful of people to call on, and they are very helpful but, truth be told, I’d like to meet more. Grad school afforded me a golden opportunity to do just that, but I kind of blew it by not forging more meaningful links and keeping in touch. Keeping in touch can be a pain in the ass, true, but in the long run it can also be helpful. If I had a chance to do it again (I may someday), I would definitely cultivate deeper relationships with people whose comments I valued in the workshop setting.

Do you have tips for staying in touch with writer colleagues? Have ideas for ways to meet potential writing partners or peer reviewers? Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments. And thanks for reading these “After the Workshop” posts.

- Armand