So, I have failed at providing updates about the MFA process. As of now, I have one more semester until my MFA's completed. Wow, it is incredible how fast time flies when you have a writer-ly existential meltdown on a daily basis. If I could give anyone any advice on how to survive in a Creative Writing MFA, it would be not to take yourself, your work, your colleagues or life in that particular moment, so seriously. I came into my program expecting to be judged by others, but that is the worst mindset to have as an artist. I was afraid to make mistakes, and in turned, made mistakes, which is the point of going of perfecting your craft. The MFA program, when done right, is an apprentice program. You attend to be around, associate with and understand writers, which will at the end of the day help you understand yourself. And the most important advice you'll receive is from those who have attended your program before you, if those people are available. I found an atmosphere of acceptance in hanging out with alumni that were still attached to the program somehow. I heeded their warnings, and in turn had to grapple with my preconceived notion of what a writer ought to do. Now, I regard craft books with mild interest and listen to what feels right in my writing at the time. I mean, if I need to become a shut in to finish a chapter then I'll do that, or if I need to travel some place to conjure up former states of mind, to make good poetry, then that's what needs to be done. It's art, not a science, it (writing) can come off stiff if it is formulaic.
But, even after saying all that, I will say that each artist has to find their way. What works for me, might be disastrous for others. I just want to one day feel the way I feel about my favorite books, with my work, or at least write to the level that some kid in a library somewhere will regard my work as special. Still, the first reader to please is yourself. I suppose that is the ultimate goal of MFA to understand what you like and don't like about writing, and how to deal with the pitfalls in an analytic and intuitive way.
