In preparation for DIY MFA 2.O, I’d like you to go shopping for school supplies.   While you don’t need to restock your school supplies altogether, you should treat yourself to a few small things.  You’re starting on a big project and by taking time to put together a couple of tools and supplies, you show that you’re serious and are making an investment in your writing.

So what do you need to collect before you start?  Here’s a photo of my DIY MFA 2.O kit.

Notebook:  The ecosystem notebooks are nice because they’re environmentally friendly and come in pretty colors.  I would rather write on unlined paper, but that’s a personal preference.  I also like writing inspiring quotes in the inside front and back covers for encouragement.

Pen: My favorites are Pilot Varsity in dark blue (not shown above) because I want to be able to see comments I write on manuscripts easily and dark blue is also easy on the eyes.  I buy these pens in bulk online.

Postcard:  I keep a postcard of a Tiffany stained glass window with my notebook at all times.  The image is what I think of as my imaginary ideal writing space.  If I’m writing in a noisy cafe or crowded subway, I can look at the picture and imagine myself in a peaceful writing space.  On the back of the postcard, I’ve written three mantras.  No matter what obstacle I’m running into with my writing, one of these mantras usually helps.  They are:

Stickers:  Actually, it doesn’t need to be stickers, per se, but you do need some sort of reward-system.  I give myself a sticker for a writing job well done and to celebrate that small victory but oh-so-important victory that comes with a good writing session.

Dice:  Currently, this is my favorite writing tool.  I carry two dice with me at all times.

Mascot:  I think every writer needs a mascot.  It’s like having a little piece of your workspace with you even if you’re “writing out.”  It also means you have company while engaging in that lonely craft of writing.  The mascot is also a reminder that you are awesome.  After all, how many people actually have mascots?

Brain Bank:  I’m going to use the pink vase-cube in the picture, but you can use anything you like.  The only requirement for this item is that it be big enough to store your ideas.  Some ideas: piggy bank, cookie tin, small basket, cookie jar, even a shoe box.  I’ll talk about what to do with your Brain Bank later this week.

As you assemble your writing tools, remember to keep things as portable as possible, so you can write on the go.  The only one that might be non-portable is the Idea Bank, but you could make it portable by using a pencil case or coin purse for it.  Here’s a picture of my portable writing kit.

Welcome Back to YA Cafe, where book lovers can gather and chat about teen literature.  I’m your barista, along with Ghenet from All About Them Words.

Each Friday we pick from a menu of topics and share our thoughts on our respective blogs.  We’ve also got plans brewing for interviews, events and even some exciting giveaways, so stay tuned!  Join the discussion by responding in the comments, on your own blogs or on twitter using the hash tag #yacafe.

 Today’s Special:  Why do we love dystopian Teen Literature?

I’m probably going to get in trouble for saying this but I don’t watch the news.  I don’t read the newspaper and the only type of online news that I follow is stuff that pertains to writing and literature.  Because that’s what I like to read: books.  In an ideal world, I would live somewhere where I could get my news and current events from novels rather than periodicals, television or the internet.  This is why I love dystopian teen literature.

Gabi’s Top Five Countdown: Why Dystopian YA is So Much Better than Watching the News

5)  It talks about real issues in a non-boring way.  Let’s face it, political issues and current events can be a bit dry sometimes, but dystopian literature takes those same ideas and talks about them in a way that makes me not want to fall asleep.  I’d much rather read The Hunger Games than an editorial rant on why reality television’s all that is evil in our society.  And M.T. Anderson’s Feed is almost scary in how well it predicts that technology is taking over our culture.  I love dystopian YA because it gets teens (and adults!) to think about important issues without boring everyone to tears.

4)  There can be violence but in reality, no one gets hurt.  I’ll admit it, I like a good fight scene when I read dystopian literature.  Still, there is something comforting in knowing that when I put the book down, no humans or animals were actually harmed in the making of that story.  It shocks me how we can watch violence on the news, then change the channel or shrug it off, like it’s scenes from some action movie.  It’s not.  People are getting hurt for real.  Maybe I’m crazy, but the news should not be “entertainment.”  This is one of the reasons why The Hunger Games really spoke to me.  It’s a great commentary about how we allow grim realities of war and violence become “entertainment” on the news.

3)  There’s love.  I love that almost every dystopian YA book boils down to the notion: “The world sucks.  Let’s make out.”  There are all these terrible things going on in these dystopian worlds and yet these teen protagonists are still real teens.  The world might be falling apart, but they still care whether the person they’re crushing on likes them back.  Even in books where there isn’t a strong romantic thread, there’s still some deep and caring relationship that propels the story and gives the protagonist hope.  Which brings me to reason #2.

2)  There’s hope.  No matter how bad things get in dystopia, the characters always manage to find hope.  Protagonists in dystopian novels are probably the most optimistic people in the universe because even though their world is unthinkably awful, they still hope things will get better.

1)  You know when you’re being lied to.  Dystopian YA literature doesn’t pretend it’s telling us real facts.  It’s perfectly clear the moment you pick up The Hunger Games or Matched that the place you’re reading about isn’t actually real.  These days, reports and footage get chopped up and edited so that they tell the “right story” and give the news the right spin.  It’s hard to know who to trust.

I’m not saying every single news channel or newspaper is out to distort and manipulate our minds, but I do think that we all need to have a healthy dose of skepticism about what we believe at face value.  With dystopian literature, we know from the get-go that it’s not real; there’s no pretense of reality.  And I find that rather refreshing.

Want to hear more about dystopian teen literature?  Fellow barista, Ghenet shares her thoughts on her blog: All About Them Words.  Check it out, then tell us what you love about dystopian YA!

What is DIY MFA?
 DIY MFA stands for Do-It-Yourself MFA.

OK that’s nice, but what-the-hey is an MFA?
The MFA is a master’s degree in the fine arts.  You can go to school for an MFA in any number of fields including: Film, Studio Art and Sculpture, Music, Theater and, of course, Creative Writing.  This is usually a two-year degree (if done full-time), though length can vary between different programs.  Also, some schools offer an MA (Master of Arts) in Creative Writing and some schools even have PhD’s in Creative Writing.

Do you have something against MFA programs?  Is that why you created DIY MFA?
MFAs are great–in fact, I happen to have one.  For some people, the MFA can be a good fit, but for others it just isn’t feasible.  Logistics, time and money are all factors that play into a writer’s decision to do an MFA and for some people it just doesn’t make sense.  But this doesn’t mean these writers are any less serious than their MFA-going counterparts.  That’s where DIY MFA comes in.  I want to share some of the secrets and skills I learned in my own MFA experience and help writers develop their own Do-It-Yourself writing plans.

What is iggi U?
iggi U is the only university–imaginary or otherwise–where you can do a DIY MFA.  It’s called iggi U because iggi happened to be the first creature to graduate from this fine institution.  He’s also the university president, provost, dean and coach for the soccer team.

Sadly, no, at least not a real degree.  iggi U would be happy to grant you an imaginary degree but that won’t help you much in terms of building credentials or a resume.  iggi U is a fictitious university and not accredited by any powers-that-be so if your goal is to get an official degree, you’ll need to go to an official school.

The truth is, an official degree would go against all iggi U core beliefs.  The whole point of DIY MFA is that learning can’t be defined by geographical location or a set period of time.  Learning happens throughout life.  You learn something every time you write a new sentence, send out a query or get a rejection.  DIY MFA’s #1 goal is to help you reclaim your writing education and take charge of what you learn, rather than letting it take charge of you.  DIY MFA is about being an active participant in your own writing life.

Any other questions about DIY MFA that you’d like me to answer?

That’s right, DIY MFA is coming back in April for another month-long spree of writing fun!  For those who aren’t familiar with the Do-It-Yourself MFA concept, you can visit iggi U and check out posts from our first extrabloganza last September.

DIY MFA 2.O will be all about getting the creative juices flowing.  Didja notice that it’s the letter O and not a zero?  That’s because the O stands for ORACLE, which will be a huge part of this new version of DIY MFA.

What’s the ORACLE, you ask?  The ORACLE is a place where writers go to commune with the muse.  The acronym stands for: Outrageous, Ridiculous, and Absurdly Creative Literary Exercises.  Remember how in ancient times, people would go visit an oracle to get answers to life’s problems?  This is sort of the same idea except this ORACLE helps you bust your way through writer’s block.  No, the ORACLE won’t write your book for you, but it does put you in touch with awesome ideas and scrumptious stories buried in your brain.

In this new version of DIY MFA, we’ll be focusing on bringing some of those stories-to-be out of hiding.  We’ll build a secret stash of writing ideas so that when you’re under pressure to find new stories, you’ll have somewhere to go where you can find them.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.  First things first.  Over the next few weeks, I’ll be fine-tuning my plan for April and I needed some input from you all.  I want to know what you think worked and didn’t work about DIY MFA in September, and what you want to see more of DIY MFA 2.O.  And, if you didn’t participate in September, I want to hear from you too.  My goal is to make this the best DIY MFA yet,  just for you.

Please share your iggilicious thoughts in the form below.  If you have more detailed comments to add, feel free to leave them in the comments section.  Thank you!