‘Tis the season when kiddies start packing up their lunchboxes and rolling their wheelie-dealie book bags to the school bus.  ‘Tis also almost the season when iggi U will open its doors and kick off the DIY MFA extrabloganza.

A few days ago, I got an interesting question about DIY MFA and I thought I would share my answer in a post.

Question:  How long do classes go… is it just for month of September, or longer?

Answer:  Yes, “classes” will go only through September.  OK, if we don’t cover everything in September it might lop over into October for a day or two but really, the plan is to cram everything into one month.  Why hurry, you might ask?  Why not relax, take our time and do the whole iggi-U thing over a semester or a year?  I’ll tell you.

Really, iggi-U is only the first step.  During September we’ll be working on ways to set up your DIY MFA plan and get you started.  But when iggi-U is over, that’s when the fun begins.  See, the whole idea of DIY MFA is to help people set up a plan and then put it into action.  Unlike a school-based MFA that lasts a set amount of time, DIY MFA is all about implementing your writing plan for the long term.

The other thing is that one of the core principles of DIY MFA is that different writers have different needs and will work at a different pace.  If we made DIY MFA over a set time period, that pace might be too slow for some and too fast for others.  The whole idea of DIY MFA is that it’s about writers putting together a plan that works for them.

It all comes down to this: in September, we’ll give you the tools to put together your writing plan.  After that, it’s up to you.  See, that’s the whole point of the DIY part.  Since you’re doing it yourself, you’ll have the freedom to set your own goals and work at a pace that’s right for you.

Thank you to @kathanink for a great question!

This post got me thinking that one thing I really want is to hear from all of you and find out what questions you may have about this DIY MFA project.

So go ahead and tell iggi what’s on your mind.  Do you have a topic you’re dying to see covered at iggi U?  Do you have any burning questions about DIY MFA? Do you want to know what iggi’s favorite food is?  Ask away!

You can post questions in the comments section or, if you prefer, email iggi and me at:
iggingabi(at)gmail(dot)com

Hello friends.  Today I have to write a not-so-fun post, so let’s see how fun I can make it, shall we?

You see, lawyer-hubby has been looking over my shoulder and insists that I include a disclaimer to this whole DIY MFA thing.  Here it is.  You ready?

1. iggi U is a fictitious university and is not accredited by any official powers-that-be.
2. Neither iggi nor gabi may be held responsible for any learning (or lack thereof) that occurs during a DIY MFA.
3. Participants in the DIY MFA should not expect any financial reward or compensation as a result of completing the DIY MFA.
4. Any person who includes iggi U or DIY MFA on their resume with the expectation that it will be considered a serious institution, is seriously mistaken.
5. No animals or iggis were harmed in the making of this DIY MFA.

The thing is DIY MFA is not about getting a degree or a shiny piece of paper.  DIY MFA is not about going to school and having the skies part on graduation day and a beam of light anoint you with learning and knowledge.  DIY MFA is not about credentials or school because DIY MFA is the anti-credential and the anti-school.

The whole point is that it’s subversive and goes against the institutional view of higher learning.  The whole point is that learning can’t be condensed into a finite number of years in a geographic location, but must be carried on through life, despite what curves life throws us.  The whole point is that DIY MFA is bigger than any school or classroom.  It’s about building a fulfilling writing life, setting up a plan and sticking to it, through this roller-coaster ride we call life.

iggi U registration is officially open, and iggi and I can’t wait to share all the exciting surprises we have in store.

First, the classes.  As I mentioned on Friday, there will be five classes offered at iggi U this fall and they are scheduled for the following days:

Mondays = Love of Literature
Tuesdays = Creative Community
Wednesdays = Craft-ivity
Thursdays = Working the Workshop
Saturdays & Sundays = Brain Bootcamp

You can take as many or as few of the classes as you like.  Each course will include weekly posts and assignments to help you put together your personalized writing plan.

Next, the badges.  That’s right, if you sign-up for iggi U, you can put your very own DIY MFA badge on your blog to show the world that you’re part of the awesomeness.  I made one badge in each of our school colors so you can choose the color that suits you best!  (And yes, at iggi U we have not two, but four, school colors.  Because we’re specialer like that.)

Last, but not least, the contest!  Here’s the deal.  Just register for iggi U using the form below and you’ll be automatically entered in the contest.  That’s it, no strings attached.  You don’t have to link from your blog or tweet or anything like that.  Of course, if you do choose to spread the iggi-luv, I will smile doubly inside.  At the end of DIY MFA, I’ll pick the winner by lottery.

What of the prize, you ask?  Since DIY MFA is all about writing, the prize will be about writing too.  After all, I may be making a crazy assumption here but I’m guessing that if you’re reading this, you’re probably a writer.  This means you must have some written stuff that could use a critique… which brings me to our prize.

*Work should be double-spaced, with standard margins and 12pt font.

Today we unveil the DIY MFA course offerings for September 2010!  I’ve planned it out so that each day we have a different topic.  That way, if only a couple of topics interest you, you can check back on those days specifically.  As you will note, there is nothing scheduled for Fridays.  That’s because Friday will be our Week-In-Review day, when I’ll post highlights from the past week in case anyone needs to catch up.  But enough chit-chat… here are the classes. 

Love of Literature
Mondays
I’m betting that if you’re doing this DIY MFA, you’re pretty big into reading and books.  I’m guessing you have piles of books hiding under your couch, or in the laundry hamper (while your laundry’s on the floor), or even in your freezer.  Who uses a freezer?  It’s just this big yummy box that will keep your books all minty-fresh.  But I digress.  The thing is, doing all this reading willy-nilly doesn’t always serve us writers best.  In Love of Literature we’ll talk about reading with a purpose and making the most of our reading time so that we have time for other fun things, like going to the zoo and petting the sheepies.

Creative Community
Tuesdays
Think of this as a field-study class, where you get to go out into different realms of the writing world.  It’ll be like one big scavenger hunting party.  The object of the game is to search out and custom-design your own unique writing community by cobbling together online networks, professional associations, conferences and other fun writerly events.

Craft-ivity
Wednesdays
This one is all about craftsy goodness.  No, we’re not talking about arts and crafts (oooh, but my knitty fingers so wish we were).  We’re talking about that wonderfully exciting kind of craft that’s all about writing and creativity.  I know it’s crazy to try to cover writing craft in just a handful of weeks, so Craft-ivity will focus just on two basic elements of prose (character and plot) and two basic elements of verse.  I will most likely be enlisting help from a verse specialist so don’t be surprised if we have a guest post or two.

Working the Workshop
Thurdays
No DIY MFA would be complete without a workshop component.  Having been in dozens of workshops myself, I’ll share with you some tips like: finding or forming a good critique group, the Dos and Don’ts of giving and taking critique, and of course the ever-important question: I got my critiques… now what?

Brain Bootcamp
Saturdays & Sundays
This super-intensive approach to creativity will be all about drawing outside the lines, breaking down mental blocks and living the creative life.  Think of this class as a weekend-length creative kick in the backside.