My Big Fat MFA Life!

As my profile says - I am a Creative Writing student at The City College of New York. This is my second year, and already I've had the opportunity to take classes and study works from the Victorian and Modernist eras. I've had my own writing critiqued, praised and ransacked. I've had so little rest from the nagging desire to write "just one more page," and have met fellow sleep-deprived students from all walks of life who suffer from the same neurotic tendencies as I do. I want to get better, and thankfully I desired to push myself to the limit by seeking such torture that is the MFA.

While I think everyone who aspires to write should seek an MFA, I'm also smart enough to know that it's not for everyone. There are those of us who feed off of their own energy so much they can sit in front of a computer and crank out a best seller in no time flat. In my case, I wanted the complete package. I wanted the ability to write, listen to others read their work and develop a kinship with like-minded people who all strive to discover their inner-voice and let it shine brightly in front of them for the world to see. Just in the year I've been at City College, I've seen my abilities take me to places in my own mind that I never realized possible. Every day I feel myself getting stronger, my technique crisper. I believe in what I'm doing, because for the first time in my life, I have found something to be passionate about - something worth fighting and sacrificing for! The written word is the source of my greatest love and pain. It challenges me to supersede my personal shortcomings and take that next brave step forward into glory. The structure of my MFA makes it possible for me to want, to desire, to toil, to give my all to my craft. I know success will not fall into my lap, but I'm also smart enough to know that with hard work comes the fruits of labor. One day it will all come to me. I have no doubt.

Getting an MFA is a huge sacrifice. Days when you'd rather sleep or watch TV or go hang out are practically non-existent. You forget the ball game more than you'd care to; you find days where you'll pick your head up and see a million R's on your computer screen because you passed out on your keyboard. Believe me, I've done it all. But I will tell you this - there's nothing like seeing the finished product of something you've worked on for months, if not years. It's even better when someone you don't know tells you how much they appreciated your work - after all, it's a part of you that you've bravely shown to the world. And you know what? It doesn't get any better than that!

That is what I call "my big fat MFA life!" You are welcome to it however you see fit!

Much love,
Dave