mfa in creative writing

mfa in creative writing

The Importance of an M.F.A. in Creative Writing

1. Introduction

In a recent article in The New York Times “The Things They Wrote: M.F.A. Students, Their Work and the World”, author Louis Menand asks the question: “If writing can be taught, why do we have writing programs as opposed to writer’s camps?” (90). Creative writing degree holders say it justifies the means, proven by statistics. This sort of individual, and that of people seeking a sense of literary community and the personal growth involved – more than the average writer – will find an enclave of talent at the university level. An MFA is a terminal degree, meaning it is the highest degree one can obtain in the field. Though job teaching at any level may be a bit tough getting in the way of finding time to write, many professional writers today seek to find a way to balance their career and family life with an additional means to have a steady livelihood. Full time, tenure track positions for graduating MFA students are something of a scarcity, therefore those who hold the degree often use it as a means to teach, research, travel, or take time off to write. According to the 2001 Census data, the number of MFAs who reported to have an income generated from writing was 17.3 percent, as opposed to BAs which were 4.3 and 4.2 percent for high school grads. With an increased level in academic education, the time and place has become a sort of proving ground for many talented writers who seek to earn their living through their work.

The number of people pursuing graduate degrees in creative writing has grown dramatically over the past two decades. The need for writers to be able to connect with an audience is stronger than necessary. Currently, there is no literary requirement for anyone who wants to write. Many individuals feel that a required literary degree may hamper a writer’s ability to be creative. However, many successful novelists and writers have taken the step to further their education, whether it is successfully for them, or an internal struggle.

2. Enhancing Writing Skills

The major benefit of the M.F.A. is to enhance one’s art through a highly focused curriculum. The M.F.A. offers workshops and craft courses in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction, and is designed to help students develop their skills through the close reading and writing of published works. It also offers a wealth of writing experience. Many MFA programs require a thesis project that ranges anywhere from a novel to a poetry collection. In this project, the student is expected to develop a significant body of work and demonstrate knowledge of the genre. In addition, many MFA students choose to work on a smaller scale, taking part in editorial work or joining literary organizations such as student-run publications and presses. Finally, the MFA offers a practical qualification in the field. The terminal degree required for employment as a creative writing teacher or professor is the M.F.A. Customarily, the M.A. has been considered a “teacher’s degree” in which one studies literature in order to teach it; it is a fact that many of the M.F.A. graduates may also end up teaching first-year composition, introductory literature, or working part-time. But between the built-in teaching assistantship and the opportunity for adjunct work, it is more often the case that M.F.A. students teach composition and/or creative writing to undergraduates. The MFA would better prepare them for this profession. Overall, the degree offers a more significant return on the investment made, in time, money, and effort, than the average M.A.

3. Expanding Creativity and Imagination

Observe most M.F.A. programs and you’ll notice that the majority of the course material focuses on the creative writing process. Through workshops, lectures, and classes (in and out of your genre), you’ll be focusing on the creative work you produce. Most programs require their students to complete a thesis in a specific genre (i.e. a book of poetry, a novel, etc.). This focus on the creative is a great way to expand one’s imagination. In a workshop setting, students are immersed in others’ creative processes, learning how different people approach the same end result. Often this involves a lot of trial and error, and through this process, students learn to critique their own work – an invaluable skill for any writer. An M.F.A. program is the perfect setting in which to try new things. With the safety of a classroom and the guidance of professionals, you can afford to take risks. If they don’t pan out, oh well. At least now you know that experimental post-apocalyptic prose written in the third person isn’t your thing.

4. Building a Writing Community

Online courses offer writers the opportunity to connect with and learn from a varied and often international community of fellow writers. For many students, the most rewarding aspect of the low-residency model is precisely this opportunity to meet other writers, to share work, to learn to give and receive feedback, and to develop lasting relationships that go beyond the workshop and classroom. Our students have the chance to take online genre-specific and multi-genre workshops, broadening their skills and knowledge. We regularly host online open house chat sessions, as well as guest presentations by publishing professionals and well-known authors. Students can join the exclusive MFA student community at all stages of their writing and learn about publishing opportunities. EOU’s faculty and students also maintain an extensive network of writers working in numerous genres and coming from varied writing and publishing backgrounds.

5. Career Opportunities and Advancement

For those of you interested in other areas of writing or the arts, this degree will allow you to develop your craft and reach a high level of expertise. Ryan Borchers, who is still working on his M.F.A., stated, “I think the M.F.A. can be the most beneficial to writers in the arts and other non-writing fields who want to greatly improve their writing ability and keep creative writing a strong part of their professional repertoire in the future.” This is the often overlooked hidden job market, and many of these writers can work freelance and still maintain an influx of creative energy into their primary occupations. Whether or not the M.F.A. will pay for itself here remains to be seen, but it will undoubtedly be valuable to the writer and to those seeking continued personal development through writing. Step one in making a career change is to get a foot in the door. An M.F.A. from the right place and with a good teaching record can provide that foot.

At Northwestern and many other universities, part of your responsibilities for being a teaching assistant will be to teach beginning creative writing to undergraduates. This could also be considered a form of community service as your goal is to enrich the lives of others by introducing them to the expression of human wisdom through literature. It is a valuable experience that may lead you to pursue teaching as a career. Assuming you continue on through the Ph.D., the job prospects for the academic who is also a strong creative writer have much improved since the mid-90s. A majority of these students at Northwestern, those in their creative writing track and those in the Lit track that now require a critical writing sample in the form of a research paper, have feared that there would be little to no chance of teaching college-level English upon receiving the doctorate. But according to recruitment trends, the most successful English departments are now hiring faculty with strong records in both creative and critical writing.

The M.F.A. will provide you with the time and opportunity to work on a substantial writing project. Whether it be a novel or a collection of poems, the faculty and your colleagues at Northwestern will be able to give you valuable feedback and advice. This project will also lead you to produce a manuscript which is necessary for job applications in teaching creative writing. In a competitive job market, this degree is something an employer would expect you to have if you are teaching at the community college or university level. Teaching creative writing as a university professor can be an exciting and low-stress career in which the M.F.A. will be the required credential, and as Dale points out, still leaves you time to write.