#I've seen a lot of people sold a bill of sale on what an MFA will give you

[english-mace]

And part of that is - finding a crit group who grow with you. Though I've learned a lot from classes or critiques from experts, I have learned so much more with and from peers who're still learning alongside me.

From being in the US, I think I know a few more folks than Freya who've come through the MFA life, and - some of them can do a very great deal of damage. Particularly if there is a mismatch between what you want to write (in my case: speculative fiction) and the, hmm, particular slant of that program's aesthetic (in general? literary. most MFAs are very heavily biased towards poeticism, realism, and the litfic prestige game, sometimes to the point of forbidding 'genre' outright.).

With regards 'next steps' - presuming your career goal is Author - well. Here is a thread on bluesky right now (apologies, yes, without a login that's impossible to see - OP, I have a few invites spare if you want one) of Kameron Hurley, in reply to Martha Wells, saying: none of us make a living this way. I'll say for myself, I've had an agent since 2017, four Hugo Award nominations for the podcast, two books out on submission with two more we hope to take on sub in 2024, and no bites. Which is how it goes. For myself, having a separate job has given me a place in my life where I can do well, be rewarded, and feel some pride when the rollercoaster of Art is doing its best to send my stomach out the bottom of my feet.

If you are in a place where an MFA is a financial and logistical commitment you can make for its own sake, and you have in mind a program whose slant matches your desires, then it could well be a healthy next step. I just know a lot of people with a lot of debt and a lot of disillusion, having been sold a world where getting one causes one to be published (and to keep being published, and to earn enough to live).

Hello! Sorry to bother, but if you don’t mind talking about it— I was wondering if you attended an MFA programme? I looked on your website but didn’t see anything about it. I’ve recently completed undergrad with a BA in Literature (creative writing concentration) and I’m looking into my next move; I really admire your work and I’d love to hear your perspective on getting a master’s— or on not getting a master’s. I hope you are having a lovely day!

I did not! I have two degrees and neither of them has the slightest thing to do with literature or writing.

I won't pretend to know much about how MFAs work and what they're useful for, as I think they're much less of a thing in australia; I understand some programs are considered prestigious and good for networking, and that many of them involve getting group feedback on your work?

I will say that nobody I know personally who is published in the worlds of SFF or romance has done an MFA. I can't speak for more mainstream literature or other genres, but honestly: I can't imagine such a program would be worth the money unless you were very sure that you'd benefit from the specific structure of tutelage and feedback that they're offering. (and having to get things done to deadlines, which I can understand being useful if you struggle with finishing things otherwise!)

if it's mostly about wanting to improve your craft, I think you could do much better with a small critique group of writing friends who you trust and who you know enjoy the genre you write in. I found mine in fandom about twenty years ago!

the main thing that will improve your writing is to write. and write more. and write more.

and the main things that will help you get published, if that's your goal, are: having written a good book, a thorough understanding of the basic steps of querying an agent OR how to start out in self publishing (both of which you can find a lot of information on for free, online) and -- sadly, but inevitably -- sheer timing and luck.

you can't do anything about the last one. but you can do a great deal about the first two without spending money on them.