Comments for After the MFA http://www.afterthemfa.com Life after the creative writing MFA | Writing tips | Author interviews | Creative writing links, and more. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:14:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 Comment on Want to Be an MFA Blogger? by Jessie Carty http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/want-to-be-an-mfa-blogger.html/comment-page-1#comment-121298 Jessie Carty Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:14:34 +0000 http://www.afterthemfa.com/?p=142#comment-121298 I love the MFA Confidential blog even as an after MFAer myself it is fun to read what the new students are doing :) I love the MFA Confidential blog even as an after MFAer myself it is fun to read what the new students are doing :)

]]> Comment on Life After the MFA — 4 Years Later, Taking Stock by William http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/life-after-the-mfa-4-years-later.html/comment-page-1#comment-121293 William Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:09:58 +0000 http://www.afterthemfa.com/?p=132#comment-121293 Stop the whining! I have failed at business many times in my life and considered it a lesson learned. I have fallen in love with the prestige of professions but not the daily grind. If you truly love writing or anything else in life you will spend many hours there and love the challenge. If you work twelve hours a day you will make time for the family and your passions. Do your love is teaching? Volunteer! How do you know? Many times we choose the romance of being someone or something but it's how we picture ourselves not something we can enjoy sixty hours a week. I don't have an English degree but wanted to learn to write well so I have come to your blog and learned quite a bit. History has shown you don't even need a degree but I am sure it will teach me the much needed fundamentals of writing. Is it failure writing excellent Ad copy or a How to book? I don't think so. If you are writing and paying your bills you are a SUCCESS! Most people will never get there.I have a friend that wrote a book of poems and never took a class. That book pays his rent every month. The writing business is like sales or marketing you will spend at least 80% of your time in rejection and failure. I think if you truly want to be a writer you must write and write and write and write. Five, Ten or Twenty years from now it will pay off and you will have found your place in life with the rare privilege of doing something you love.... Stop the whining! I have failed at business many times in my life and considered it a lesson learned. I have fallen in love with the prestige of professions but not the daily grind. If you truly love writing or anything else in life you will spend many hours there and love the challenge. If you work twelve hours a day you will make time for the family and your passions. Do your love is teaching? Volunteer! How do you know? Many times we choose the romance of being someone or something but it’s how we picture ourselves not something we can enjoy sixty hours a week.
I don’t have an English degree but wanted to learn to write well so I have come to your blog and learned quite a bit. History has shown you don’t even need a degree but I am sure it will teach me the much needed fundamentals of writing. Is it failure writing excellent Ad copy or a How to book? I don’t think so. If you are writing and paying your bills you are a SUCCESS! Most people will never get there.I have a friend that wrote a book of poems and never took a class. That book pays his rent every month. The writing business is like sales or marketing you will spend at least 80% of your time in rejection and failure. I think if you truly want to be a writer you must write and write and write and write. Five, Ten or Twenty years from now it will pay off and you will have found your place in life with the rare privilege of doing something you love….

]]> Comment on Seven Things I Learned in a Creative Writing MFA program by asha http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/seven-things-i-learned-in-a-creative-writing-mfa-program.html/comment-page-1#comment-121291 asha Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:07:13 +0000 http://afterthemfa.com/archives/seven-things-i-learned-in-a-creative-writing-mfa-program.html#comment-121291 I have wondered for a long time if getting an MFA is worth it. But after reading #1 and #6, I think it might be. I've been guilty of number #1 for sure. Dear lord. What else am I doing that is just bad, bad, bad writing? Love your blog, btw! I have wondered for a long time if getting an MFA is worth it.

But after reading #1 and #6, I think it might be. I’ve been guilty of number #1 for sure. Dear lord. What else am I doing that is just bad, bad, bad writing?

Love your blog, btw!

]]> Comment on Writing, Rejection, and Depression by scp http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/writing-rejection-and-depression.html/comment-page-1#comment-121290 scp Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:41:13 +0000 http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/writing-rejection-and-depression.html#comment-121290 I've given up on trying to do anything with my short stories and am just treating them as exercises. Also, I'm just not in the right head space for rejection at the moment. Maybe when I have other things to focus on. I had a flash of beginners luck when I first started writing, but if I really think about it my first few stories were all rejected before they were accepted. The only difference was that when the rejection slips came back, I was too busy with another aspect of my life to notice. I didn't have aspirations at the time to write so was chuffed when things were accepted. I'm now at a stage where I've got that agent letter saying, yes come back to us when you've got a book. And it's all about subject selection. No wonder there are literary hoaxes... I’ve given up on trying to do anything with my short stories and am just treating them as exercises. Also, I’m just not in the right head space for rejection at the moment. Maybe when I have other things to focus on. I had a flash of beginners luck when I first started writing, but if I really think about it my first few stories were all rejected before they were accepted. The only difference was that when the rejection slips came back, I was too busy with another aspect of my life to notice. I didn’t have aspirations at the time to write so was chuffed when things were accepted.
I’m now at a stage where I’ve got that agent letter saying, yes come back to us when you’ve got a book.
And it’s all about subject selection.

No wonder there are literary hoaxes…

]]> Comment on Life After the MFA — 4 Years Later, Taking Stock by scp http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/life-after-the-mfa-4-years-later.html/comment-page-1#comment-121289 scp Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:29:15 +0000 http://www.afterthemfa.com/?p=132#comment-121289 stumbled across this when I was wondering what the hell i'm doing in an MA program. i'm from oz and don't have MFA...and where to next. Whether I am completely deluded or whether there's a point to all of this. stumbled across this when I was wondering what the hell i’m doing in an MA program. i’m from oz and don’t have MFA…and where to next. Whether I am completely deluded or whether there’s a point to all of this.

]]> Comment on A Star in the Sky to Guide You: Interview with Edward P. Jones, Part 2 by Mona http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/a-star-in-the-sky-to-guide-you-interview-with-edward-p-jones-part-2.html/comment-page-1#comment-121278 Mona Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:16:20 +0000 http://afterthemfa.com/archives/a-star-in-the-sky-to-guide-you-interview-with-edward-p-jones-part-2.html#comment-121278 Thanks for this. I really love Edward P. Jones. I handed him a handwritten thank you note at a reading in NY once. Thanks for this. I really love Edward P. Jones. I handed him a handwritten thank you note at a reading in NY once.

]]> Comment on From MFA to Pulitzer in 22 Years: Interview with Edward P. Jones by The Glamorous Life of a Writer: Not Writing Much « When one line drops from the sky… http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/from-mfa-to-pulitzer-in-22-years-interview-with-edward-p-jones.html/comment-page-1#comment-121277 The Glamorous Life of a Writer: Not Writing Much « When one line drops from the sky… Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:03:30 +0000 http://afterthemfa.com/archives/from-mfa-to-pulitzer-in-22-years-interview-with-edward-p-jones.html#comment-121277 [...] life of a couple of Pulitzer Prize-winning writers. These have have been extremely inspiring. The Edward P. Jones interview resonated because I feel that I’m more of a traditionalist. That’s not to say that I [...] [...] life of a couple of Pulitzer Prize-winning writers. These have have been extremely inspiring. The Edward P. Jones interview resonated because I feel that I’m more of a traditionalist. That’s not to say that I [...]

]]> Comment on 4 Years After My MFA — What Would I Have Done Differently? by James Bent http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/after-mfa-creative-writing-what-would-i-have-done-differently.html/comment-page-1#comment-121275 James Bent Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:43:26 +0000 http://www.afterthemfa.com/?p=139#comment-121275 What were your long term goals before going into the MFA? I know you've stated focusing on teaching, but did you go in with the aim to improve your writing toward being a pro writer? I completed a BA (hons) in English & Creative Studies, then looked at doing an MFA. Ten years on and I still haven't done so, and the only reason I can think of doing an MFA is to go on and do a doctorate then become a lecturer perhaps. But that isn't really my aim re: writing - I just want to write. It would be nice to have those letters though, which sounds kind of pointless! - MFA.. At the moment I keep a 1000+ word offbeat fiction short blog at http://jamesbent.com/blog and I work in the corporate world as well, so full on feel you re: selling an ounce of soul a day. What were your long term goals before going into the MFA? I know you’ve stated focusing on teaching, but did you go in with the aim to improve your writing toward being a pro writer?

I completed a BA (hons) in English & Creative Studies, then looked at doing an MFA. Ten years on and I still haven’t done so, and the only reason I can think of doing an MFA is to go on and do a doctorate then become a lecturer perhaps. But that isn’t really my aim re: writing – I just want to write. It would be nice to have those letters though, which sounds kind of pointless! – MFA..

At the moment I keep a 1000+ word offbeat fiction short blog at http://jamesbent.com/blog and I work in the corporate world as well, so full on feel you re: selling an ounce of soul a day.

]]> Comment on A Star in the Sky to Guide You: Interview with Edward P. Jones, Part 2 by kirby lee heyward http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/a-star-in-the-sky-to-guide-you-interview-with-edward-p-jones-part-2.html/comment-page-1#comment-121274 kirby lee heyward Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:58:45 +0000 http://afterthemfa.com/archives/a-star-in-the-sky-to-guide-you-interview-with-edward-p-jones-part-2.html#comment-121274 Hey nice calm well listen too lnterview , I enjoyed very much . Edward P, Jones has to be one of the most creative writers of are time. Very interesting individual. Thank you for the interview. Hey nice calm well listen too lnterview , I enjoyed very much . Edward P, Jones has to be one of the most creative writers of are time. Very interesting individual. Thank you for the interview.

]]> Comment on Writing, Rejection, and Depression by Chaz http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/writing-rejection-and-depression.html/comment-page-1#comment-121273 Chaz Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:29:43 +0000 http://www.afterthemfa.com/archives/writing-rejection-and-depression.html#comment-121273 I just got a rejection a few minutes ago. I'd like to know this guy who saw fit to reject my story. We all can be herds of sheep or actual individuals. Ambrose Bierce said, "A novel is a heavy padded short story". A short story is harder to construct. In a novel you can go about and throw in some useless crap to take up pages. I mean should we all be slaves to the publishing industries and write what they tell us to write. I really do not think that is fair. Is anyone going to be a publishing industries bitch? These industries poison the mind of the new writer to write in a certain way or to tell a story in a certain way. Some people are called to write novels and others short stories. While I am constructing new stories I'll be busy sending off the rejeted ones. And, if worse comes to worse I will just publish it myself. Many people love and read short stories since we live in a fast paced age. Though the rejection hurts and I am still mending my wounds, this is how I feel. And I don't know, what I write I am always an outsider. I just got a rejection a few minutes ago. I’d like to know this guy who saw fit to reject my story. We all can be herds of sheep or actual individuals. Ambrose Bierce said, “A novel is a heavy padded short story”. A short story is harder to construct. In a novel you can go about and throw in some useless crap to take up pages.

I mean should we all be slaves to the publishing industries and write what they tell us to write. I really do not think that is fair. Is anyone going to be a publishing industries bitch? These industries poison the mind of the new writer to write in a certain way or to tell a story in a certain way. Some people are called to write novels and others short stories. While I am constructing new stories I’ll be busy sending off the rejeted ones. And, if worse comes to worse I will just publish it myself. Many people love and read short stories since we live in a fast paced age. Though the rejection hurts and I am still mending my wounds, this is how I feel.

And I don’t know, what I write I am always an outsider.

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