Summer School

Dear Maggie,

Are you really going back to school? Will this degree help your writing career? Are you excited?

Sincerely,

A Student in Sioux City

Dear Student.

Yes, I’m really going back to school, and I’m so excited! This particular MFA program is unique in that it focuses on genre fiction writing, publishing, and screen writing, so I won’t have to pause my writing career while I complete it. The thesis is actually a full-length novel, which is pretty convenient since I’m always working on my next novel.

I’ve been thinking about an advanced degree for a while. At a Comic Con years ago, I spoke at length with a writer I admire, who also happens to lead the publishing section of the MFA program I’m attending. I asked him a similar question. Was an advanced degree worth it for a writer? He countered my question with a few questions of his own. Why did I want the degree, and what did I hope to get out of it? I thought a lot about that in the years between our conversation and making application to grad school.

What I know from experience is that writers become better writers by writing. We learn along the way, and sometimes a piece of advice we received as a baby writer doesn’t resonate until we’re well into the trenches, so to speak. I’ve learned good writing craft from my fabulous editors. I’ve gotten useful, practical tips from other panelists at conferences. My thoughtful, skilled beta readers remind me when I fall into some of my own bad writing habits, and I’ve navigated my way out of writing slumps and plot tangles through conversations with other writers. So, an advanced degree isn’t really necessary for a writer to improve their craft. Why, then, do I want to go back to school? I answered that very question in the personal statement I wrote as part of my graduate program application. It’s a little on the long side for this blog, but if you’re at all interested in my writing journey and how I ended up a grad student in my 50’s, read on…

Around a decade ago, when my fourth and last child entered grade school and my oldest headed off to college, I knew it was time for a career change. For years, my husband joked that I should write a book already, and I would answer that I just didn’t think I had an entire story in my head. I’d written content for websites and ads, blog posts, a little poetry, and correspondence for work over the years, but nothing truly creative since my college days, and even then, not a full-length novel.

Then, as I felt the dynamics of my family shifting, my dormant creativity began asserting itself. I was able to take on a yearlong writing project at work thinking it would give me the change of pace I needed. As it turned out, it was one of the most satisfying things I’d ever done professionally. Since I was in the habit of writing every day for work, I challenged myself to write creatively every day as well. Remarkably, when the work report was finished, so was my first manuscript. While I knew the story wasn’t ready for public consumption, finishing it helped me leap a giant hurdle in my own mind. 

By 2016, that heavily edited manuscript became the first book in a science fiction trilogy and went on to win the Writer’s Digest Grand Prize. With the support of my husband, I began to imagine what a career as a full-time writer might look like, and over the last several years, it’s been quite the adventure. I finished publishing my sci-fi trilogy and sold five speculative short stories into various print and podcast markets. I took on a non-fiction assignment and interviewed twenty families with children fighting cancer for a non-profit organization called Project 3.8. I became the managing editor for the Inkitt Writer’s Blog and the Vice President of the Association of RI Authors (ARIA). A group of writer friends and I established a website called Book Club Babble, which has become a top-searched site for book club questions. I’ve traveled all over the country signing books and presenting on panels at Comic Cons, World Con, and writing conferences.

When Covid hit, like the rest of the world, I was thrown into a tailspin. I knew I could either allow fear to cripple my creativity and derail my career, or I could use my voice and my words to stay emotionally afloat and connected with my community. My personal blog became a place of reflection, and I used the unexpected ‘down’ time to finish an urban fantasy I’d been outlining for years. I also decided to shift my focus to writing something lighter, and my alter ego, Maggie Clare, was born. During the Covid years, I published four romantic suspense novels under my pen name, and created a fun, playful platform for Maggie.

A bit more life has happened between the end of lockdown and now. My husband faced a serious health issue, from which he has thankfully fully recovered, our last child went off to college, we sold our home, bought an RV, and are traveling the country checking off bucket list items. My urban fantasy manuscript is on submission with my new agent. I am halfway finished with the first draft of a high fantasy novel, and Maggie is working on three more romantic suspense stories to finish out the series. I am still VP of ARIA, where I’m spearheading the launch of the ARIA Writing Academy, and I now maintain two platforms and blogs. So, a logical question might be, why an MFA, and why now?

The purest answer is that I love to learn. I love to surround myself with smart, creative, driven people who help me stretch, and it’s time for me to stretch as a writer. The program at Western Colorado will allow me to focus on genre fiction and will help support the career I’m already building, while at the same time challenging me to grow artistically and professionally. I’m truly excited to learn in an academic setting once again. I’d also like the option to teach at the college level, and an advanced degree will allow me to do so. As much as I love the freedom and creativity that being a novelist allows, I thrive in a community and I miss teaching. 

I’ve circled the idea of earning an advanced degree for years, and the timing finally feels right. While this may seem counter-intuitive considering we are nomads at the moment, we actually have a great Wi-Fi system on board, and both my husband and I are committed to our careers even as we enjoy our unconventional lifestyle. I hope you’ll find me to be a good fit for the MFA program at Western Colorado University, and I very much look forward to the years of creativity, learning, and professional development this program will undoubtably offer. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thanks for the fun question! If you have a question for me, send it to maggie@msmaggieclare.com, and I’ll answer it here on the blog.