Graduate studies are never listed in the requirements for becoming a writer, and few published authors have formal university education in creative writing. Most have attended the school of hard knocks or have other degrees that allow them to write about their areas of expertise—like John Grisham writing about lawyers. So does an master of fine arts degree really help a writer? The answer is yes.
MFA in Creative Writing Helps Writers Improve
Joshua Henkin, author of Matrimony and Swimming Across the Hudson, says that he enrolled in an MFA program because he “wanted to get better” (“Your Goal: Become a Better Writer,” Writer’s Digest, September 2009). He adds, “I sensed that getting better involved writing workshops. I needed to learn how to become a more intuitive writer.”
Writing graduate programs offer the help and advice of experienced, professional writers who can guide beginning writers in improving their craft. Betty Jane Hegerat, another MFA grad, says, “My thesis advisor pushed me to go far deeper into that work than I had ever imagined.”
Professional writers can help students capitalize on their strengths and correct their weaknesses. From his experience in an MFA program, Henkin says, “An MFA program can’t teach you to become Virginia Woolf. But it can teach you how to get out of the way of your own mistakes: it can teach you how to become a better reader, which in turn can make you a better writer.”
Many creative writing programs have writers study the works of other great writers as well as work on their own writing. Discussions with other writers—both the faculty and fellow students—about both the readings and their own writing can help writers grasp what is good and what is poor writing.
MFA in Creative Writing Builds Professional Writers
Sarah McCoy, author of The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico, pursued an MFA after an agent “saw a spark in McCoy’s writing but told her to ‘get educated’” (“The American Dream,” Jordan E. Rosenfeld, Writer’s Digest, September 2009). After writing a few short stories and doing some research, “McCoy wrote the first draft of [her novel] in a ‘fever pitch of three months’ and spent the remainder of her MFA program polishing it.”
Henkin says that taking the MFA taught him to sit down and write every day. Even a part-time MFA program has deadlines and demands that require a writer to take writing seriously. A full-time MFA program requires a full-time commitment. The discipline learned in the program would help writers long after they graduate.
MFA in Creative Writing Attracts Agents and Publishers
Jesseca Salky, a literary agent, admits that one author’s query caught her attention because “he had an MFA” (“Real Queries That Worked,” compiled by Jessica Strawser, Writer’s Digest, September 2009). An MFA makes a writer stand apart from the crowd and shows that he is serious about his craft.
After McCoy completed her MFA, she quickly found an agent and then signed a two-book deal with a publisher. For her, “pursing an MFA was integral to her path to publication.” The MFA program allowed McCoy to build upon her writing talent to have a publishable manuscript.
Ally E. Peltier, an editor, writer, and publishing consultant, says, "For publishers, a master's degree in creative writing represents connections via your academic program to authors who might provide endorsements; a devotion to your writing career (i.e., you're likely to produce more work and are a good long-term investment); and the ability to teach at universities and notable conferences, increasing exposure and sales potential" ("Author Platforms: Why Background Matters, and How to Get the Right One," FundsforWriters.com email newsletter, July 19, 2009).
So while anyone can write without an master of fine arts degree, an MFA may help those who are serious writers take their writing to the next level.
Related article: Creative Writing Graduate Programs in Canada: Earn a Canadian Master’s Degree in Writing
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