I'll chime in for the benefit of GB residents.
Here the MFA is known as MA in Creative Writing. It's offered by several universities and it's usually hard to get in; I was accepted by dint of my published works by the UNiversity of Sussex, Brighton.
It's quite expensive, though there are bursaries and grants to help with the costs. I was too late applying to get any of these grants.
The first term I was in a bigger group of around 20 people, and we studied Victorian literature with Barbara Hardy, who is quite a well known academic on the subject. She was fabulous, and the group worked well together. We had to read several novels and poems and I found the pressure of "having" to finish a novel in order to take part in the discussions quite taxing; I was working part time at the same time and also had to look after my disabled husband. However, it was only one day every fortnight that you had to be in school.
The second term was a Masterclass taught by Irving Weinman, an American author, and again, he was fabulous. he gave excellent feedback on my work and really helped with my writing and encouraged me, and everyone. The feedback from the other students was also great.
By this time, the group had split into fulltimers and parttimers. The fulltimers were attending other classes, once a week. My part time class was wonderful. We welded into a really close unit.
The third term we did not have to come in to school at all. We had to start work on our dissertation, and only met occasionally.
The second year I had to defer the course for personal as well as financial reasons. I was sorry to miss the company but I had no choice, really. It also looks like I'll have to drop out completely. I was hoping to return coming September but I won't be able to. As the course is shutting down this is my last chance so it loos like I've lost the £2500 I spent last year on the course.
Nevertheless, I don't regret it in the least. It was a wonderful experience, well worth every penny.
So the other reason for pursuing an MFA, which ideally should be your main reason, is for personal benefit. An MFA allows you to devote yourself to improving your craft, putting together a substantial piece, and joining a community of like-minded, academically-oriented writers.
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This was exactly my experience.
Another big positive is the people you'll meet. I have so many writing friends now it's kind of ridiculous, and everyone is supportive of each other because we're all going through the same thing. Plus the teachers are a big help, very friendly, and very accessible. They teach at my school because they love working with other writers and teaching the craft.
Yes. I live a rather hermetic, isolated life and it was great to be part of this writing group. Though I don't doubt I could have found other, cheaper groups, on account of the selection process this group was on the whole very talented. I am sure I'll see at least two of my classmates in print one day. Everyone was so supportive and just plain nice! We still meet for "socials", and I miss them all.
I don't mind reading it sometimes, but I'm not good with symbolism and I have a very hard time "getting" it (I was actually teased for it during our senior roast
), much less writing it. It's like some big mysterious world that I'm looking at through a foggy window.
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Me too!
One of the reasons I don't mind not finishing the course is that I finally faced the truth that I am not an academic. I found the literary assessment of novels and poetry very difficult and not at all my thing, and Barbara, brilliant herself, had very high standards as to the diseection of the literature we studied. This was all right during the group sessions but we also had to write a critical essay and I didn't do too well on that. I did much better on the Masterclass, which was practical and just up my alley.