Getting an MFA in fiction won't necessarily get you published. But it's a great way to connect with other writers, hone your skills and push you to take your writing seriously. It can be intimidating at first, especially if you don't have much confidence, but with hard work and support from other writers, you'll be glad you took the trouble to get the degree. Read on to learn get an MFA in fiction.
Instructions
1. Check out the schools offering MFA programs across the country. The Graduate Schools website is a good place to start (see link in Resources). Make sure the schools you apply to have a special fiction track or you could spend precious time and money studying writing forms you're not interested in.
2. Read what the faculty has written to get a sense of what their style is. You'll be writing your thesis with a full-time staff member, so make sure you can bond with at least one of them. Nothing is worse than finding your opus under the thumb of a writer who doesn't understand it.
3. Pick a mentor. Be respectful but not shy when you approach a professor about helping you become the best fiction writer you can be. The worst answer is "no" and you're back to where you started. A mentor can really improve your writing and encourage you to stretch your talents.
4. Fulfill any teaching requirements the program has. Not all programs offer this, but if you like to teach and want to earn money from your writing knowledge, it's a great way to get practical experience.
5. Ask about editing the department's literary journal. This gives you another avenue of work once you get your MFA. You'll also get to read the works of published writers and learn from their mistakes.
6. Take great care when writing your thesis, which is generally a short story collection or novel-length work. Start working on it as early in your studies as possible and write in it at least five times a week.
7. Attend writing conferences, workshops and seminars. You may think you're learning enough at school, but you've got a great way to introduce yourself to potential agents and editors by mentioning you're getting your MFA in fiction.
8. Submit stories to contests and literary magazines. Use what you've learned through your MFA fiction workshops to improve rejected stories and resubmit them. You just might graduate with some publishing credits.
