Two Cool Things

So, two things:

Vermont College of Fine Arts Admission Packet

I got my Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA packet and am stoked (Have never used the word and yet it feels so right).  I brought home some work, so I'm saving the packet for the weekend when I can absorb it all, but I just wrote up the check to send off my deposit first thing in the AM.  I will not give VCFA the chance to change their minds.  Once they cash that check, they're on the hook.  I'm all theirs and there's nothing they can do about it.  Bwah ha ha ha!

Girl Scout Cookie Love

I finally got me some Girl Scout cookies!  As a Girl Scout Cookie newb, I have just eaten some Samoas and Thin Mints.  Where have you been all my life?  My sister and I have been speculating as to the ingredients that are used to make these cookies so awesome. Our conclusion is as follows:  Crack + Girl Scout sacrifices.  

Whatever it is they're doing, I'm officially endorsing it, sacrificial lambs be damned!  Girl Scouts, I will no longer avoid you when I pass you peddling your wares.  I will now pursue you in a fashion I can only describe as "avid."  You have been warned.  

Tomorrow I will be moving onto the Tagalongs and Trefoils.

MFA Application Success

Yesterday I received the answer from the MFA program:  I've been ACCEPTED!!  

I missed the call, but when I checked my cell, I practically hyperventilated when I saw that the phone number was the program director's.  I experienced a moment of doubt as I dialed my voicemail to retrieve the message, but my fears were allayed when I listened to it.  I should be receiving my acceptance package sometime next week, so once I sign on the dotted line, I will be officially enrolled in the Vermont College of Fine Arts for the MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults.

It's a low-residency program, conducted by correspondence and with twice-yearly two-week stays on campus.  The faculty is stellar, all accomplished writers like Martine Leavitt, Matt de la Peña, An Na, and Franny Billingsley, among so many others I don't have the space to list!  And the graduates?  Just as accomplished:  Jandy Nelson, Lauren Myracle, Carrie Jones--again, I could go on.

I'm honored to join the VCFA community and can't believe I actually can.  I may have slipped in by mistake, but I won't say anything if you don't!

MFA Application

So the Director of the MFA program I applied to called me yesterday afternoon while I was at work.  Very exciting!  I could tell she and the faculty like my application materials, BUT if I could re-submit something?


I had a feeling that was coming (sigh).  She was referring to a critical essay on a piece of children's lit and I wasn't exactly sure what the committee was looking for, so I sent in something I had written in the past, hoping it would suffice.  My gut instinct told me maybe, maybe not.  I was uncertain.  And a bit lazy, truth be told.


The director was really sweet and said that the faculty just wanted to be 100% sure I'd be able to write a critical essay, so would I be okay with re-submitting that part of my application?  Would I be okay?  Of course!


The fact that the director called me has to mean something good, right?  Even if I don't ultimately get accepted, they're at least considering me, I hope.  Otherwise, why even bother calling?


The director said I could take the time I needed with writing the critical essay (approx 3-4 pages), a week if I needed it.  She said she didn't want to make feel like I should do it overnight or something, to which I responded, "Oh, you have no idea!"  She laughed.


So naturally, I wrote that sucker in a few hours and emailed it before 9 AM this morning.  I think I did a decent job of it.  It's been a few years since I graduated Cornell, but I apparently remembered something from all the paper writing I did then.  I'm glad that's over with!


Now I just have to wait 1-2 weeks for the decision.  Dun, dun, dun...

To MFA or Not to MFA, That is the Question

I’ve recently applied to an MFA program in creative writing.

Having said that, I’d like to address the question of whether a master of fine arts is necessary to a successful writing career.  The answer is (drum roll)...Heck, no! 

There are tons of MFA-less writers who are way more successful than most grads could ever hope to be (um, Stephen King, Nora Roberts, JK Rowling, anyone?).  A solid case against the MFA in writing was made by Jennifer Weiner several years back on her blog.  Her stance is basically to "get a job, not an MFA" for the life experience which will inspire creativity.

So why am I possibly getting an MFA, you ask?

Because if I want to get a higher degree and my job will help foot the bill, why not get it in something in which I’m interested?  Plus, it’ll get my butt in gear writing-wise and even allow me to teach creative writing down the line.

I’ve only applied to one program because it’s the only one I could see myself attending.  The program requested the usual materials: application form, 2 letters of rec, academic transcript, critical essay, personal statement, 25-page fiction writing sample—all that good stuff.  It’s all submitted, so until decision day, I get to play the waiting game.  Aren’t I lucky?  Whatever the outcome, I’ve made a promise to continue working on my manuscript and actually, you know, finish it.

The long and short of the MFA debate is, in my opinion, that if you feel you need it to be published, I wouldn’t recommend it.  It’s great for a solid grounding in the writing craft, teaching credentials, and even a contact or two.  At the end of the day, however, all we publishing folk care about it is a good story (and for fiction writing, A FINISHED MANUSCRIPT).

Very official publishing formula, success guaranteed!

Smidgen of talent + Much butt-in-chair action + Much patience and humility + A dash of luck = Published Author

Put all those elements together and all you need is the right pair of eyes to catch sight of your work.  The rest is history.

Music in my head: Sweeney Todd - Stalkerish, but catchy