Poetry, Dreams, and Unresolved Conflict: Beginning my Unofficial MFA

Chapter 1 is "Fiction" by Tim Tomlinson.  I love reading fiction although I've never been a fan of writing it.  And I can't say I've really ever tried too hard at writing it because poetry has always been the genre to woo me.  I think fiction is going to be the hardest part.  But, here goes nothing...

Getting started is usually the easy part for me in poetry.  Usually.  This chapter encourages one to write from one's life.  I am asked to think about defining moments in my life, occurrences that sparked transitions and the like.  Oh.  No.  I am getting stressed just thinking about logging these events down.  Not that I've had a crazy, dramatic life either.  OK, moving on.  I'll do that after this section.

I know nothing about the rules of writing fiction, but I feel better now that I've read "You can't make discoveries about character types, humor, personal themes, the nature of your imagination, and a whole lot of things critical to the development of a writer if you don't get the material on the page.  And you can't get the material on the page if you're hung up about rules" (15).  I'm glad we got that out of the way.  I can writer personal, I can write based on another's story, I can write about my parents.  Well, maybe I won't write about my parents.  What are the rules anyway?

Apparently, a good rule is being OK with not knowing where you are going.  I am certainly OK with that.  A lot of the time I don't know where I am going, I just know I am moving forward.  At least I hope I am moving forward.  That being said, onto the exercise:

"Select a line from a poem that resonates with you.  You can substitute a line from anything... Next, consider a recent (perhaps troubling) dream.  Then, recall a problem you're having with another person" (17).

Now that I have all of these collected in my mind, I am to begin a "fictional account" that will tie these three separate elements together:

1.  Poem: "There's been a lot of fighting/in this little boat/though I've been as alone/as before I was born." - from "Life Boat" by Jack Myers.

2.  Dream:  A man I've never met was chasing me around my mother's house until I was finally able to shut myself into the laundry room.  He punched a hole in the door and I could see him pointing a gun at me.  I closed my eyes, waiting for him to shoot.  I could hear the bullets, but nothing was hitting me.  I could see the bullet holes in the door, all within centimeters of my fingers, my legs, etc.  Then I woke up.

3.  Conflict:  A family member in my life who is very closed-off and selfish.  It's cyclical.  I don't understand it and am frustrated to no end.  But, I still try.  Why?

***Side note:  On the dream portion, I found myself wanting to write a poem!  I was even trying to craft my line-endings!  I may have to go back and turn this into a poem...

OK:  Weaving it altogether, this is what I've got:

He couldn't focus on anything other that the poem on the screen at the memorial.  He avoided looking around at others for fear someone would catch his gaze and see how deeply his pain ran.  In his mind came a barrage of bullets, memories; he could see them coming at him, shut his eyes, prayed.

He never did ask her if she received the birthday gift he'd sent her, the one he wrapped in her favorite color, although he knew she had.  All he had to do was ask, but he didn't want her obligatory gratitude.

TBC...

Smile, Andrea

I'm Unofficially Working on my MFA in Creative Writing

About a week ago, my good Twitter friend Jessie Carty posted a link to her post "Taking Your MFA Questions" on her blog.  She generously shares her experience and insight on MFA programs along with a link to the article "Six More Myths about the Creative Writing Master of Fine Arts" and other useful links.  I discussed with her my desire to work on my MFA and my disappointment in finding out that I missed the deadline for applying for the program offered at the local university.  I will have to wait another year.  BUT I should have taken this endeavor more seriously.  Even if I thought I had a month to prepare the application, I should have given this application a lot more weight.  Lesson learned.  I'm going to start working on it NOW.  A favorite quote of mine is "A year from now you will wish you had started today," by Karen Lamb.  This is going to be my motto for 2011.  No more procrastinating.  I'm running down this dream.

This all leads me to this:  In this discussion on Jessie's blog, one of her blog follower's commented on a book she had that acted as a portable MFA of sorts.  I have this very book!  It has been sitting in my pile of books to read.  Just sitting.  No more.  So today, I opened up The Portable MFA in Creative Writing by The New York Writers Workshop and read the eye-opening and motivating introduction by Tim Tomlinson.  An except I would like to share:

"The book proceeds from the premise that there is a craft in writing and that, like the craft in any art, can be taught.  As is also the case in any art, after the craft is taught the artist is on his or her own.  Talent, determination, endurance, and luck are outside the purview of this book, although many of the exercises are designed to cultivate talent, encourage determination, and train for endurance.  As for luck, we offer the insight of golf champion Arnold Palmer, who said:  "The more I practice, the luckier I get.""

My Grandpa's favorite saying is very similar to the one above:  "The harder you work, the luckier you get."  I've never written any fiction (nothing at least worth remembering) or a memoir, or a play, but the way I see it, I have a lot more to gain than I have to lose.  And for those of you who know my passion for poetry, you also know I am going to have the most difficult time not turning to the section on poetry and just starting there, but I am going to make myself proud and be steadfast in my new endeavor.  At the end of this journey, I will have my unofficial MFA in Creative Writing and will be better prepared for beginning my official one. :)   I will detail my progress here on my blog along with the occasional frustrations and pep-talks and hope you will follow along.

Smile, Andrea

P.S.  There is also a Kindle version of this book available at Amazon.com. ;)  Give it to yourself or gift it to a friend.