That’s right!  We are nearing the beginning of August and with that comes the countdown to DIY MFA in September.  Woohoo!

iggi is in serious back-to-school mode and is already reading ahead in our iggi-books.  See, iggi has never gone to school and is majorly obsessing about this project.  Especially about what to wear… because showing up at iggi U in one’s iggi-suit would be… er… rather inappropriate.

At iggi U, we’ve been preparing the campus for when you join us in September.  We’ve been planning “classes,” putting together an iggi U registration and plotting out details of the DIY MFA challenge.

As you can imagine, iggi’s thrilled.  After all, nothing makes iggi happier than to have a colorful bloggy-badge saying that iggi has graduated from a DIY MFA.  Not only that, iggi can’t wait to (virtually) march with all the other iggi U graduates at Commencement while humming along to Pomp and Circumstance and trying not to trip on the over-sized iggi gown.

Of course, iggi U won’t be just about learning stuff and sharpening our iggi-smarts.  There will also be plenty of opportunities to share ideas and also meet other iggi U tweeps using our #diymfa chat thread.  iggi-tinis are optional (but welcome… especially if you bring one for me).  Because school just isn’t school if you don’t get sent to the dean’s office every once in a while…  And evil-iggi will be getting to know that office all too well.

As the pre-DIY MFA planning continues through August, I’ll be asking you all for feedback on various aspects of DIY MFA, because I want to make sure this September extra-blog-anza is as much fun for you as it will be for me.

Today is a two-for-one special: 1) Have you ever attended, applied to or seriously considered going to an MFA in creative writing?  2) If so, what was your primary motivation for wanting to do it?

Hello!  I have so much to tell you all that I hardly know where to start.  You know when you have a bazillion ideas for blog posts and not enough days to write them so you try to cram it all into one post?  That’s this post right here.

That said, I’ve decided not to fight the random today and share all my crazy thoughts with you all at once.

Random Thought #1:  I am sorry to say I will be leaving the blogosphere for a short vacation starting the second week in August because… I’m going to Ireland.  SQUEE!  For years I’ve had visions of frolicking in verdant fields, stocking up on tons of wool and maybe even hugging a sheep.  Still, it means fourteen days of limited internet.  I’m thinking of trying to sneak my laptop with me so I can get my internet fix, but I don’t want my hubby to go all gregzilla on me.  So, the way I’ll leave it is this: if I can post while I’m away, I’ll post, but if I can’t you’ll know it’s because I’m getting my knit on.

Random Thought #2: DIY MFA
As most of you already know, I’ve become intrigued (READ: obsessed) with this idea of a Do-It-Yourself MFA.  I’ve since come up with this crazy (READ: utterly insane) idea of doing a month-long blog extravaganza on this topic.  I’ll be challenging myself to post an article on this topic every day for a month, with the idea that by the end of it, I should have touched on all facets of the DIY MFA.

September is the month when most people start back at at school so it seems fitting that iggi U should open it’s (virtual doors) at that time.  The idea is to create a space where writers can find as much information on this topic as possible in one place so that they may put together a program of study that fits their own writing needs.  The plan: I’ll be posting every day on some aspect of the DIY MFA through September, the idea being that by the end of the month, you should have all the info you need to put together your own personalized writing plan.

My question for you all is this: is this idea completely crazy?  Is this topic something you’d be interested in hearing more about?

Random Thought #3:  Last, but certainly not least, is a quick reminder.  The Writing Through the Senses challenge ends tonight at 11:59pm EST.  If you’re doing the challenge, please check to make sure I’ve got you on my list so you’ll be included in the contest.  And don’t forget to read the Writing Through the Senses posts and give your comments.  Thank you to everyone who has participated!  I’ll be posting the winner tomorrow.

Last week I started writing about this idea of a DIY MFA.  As I gear up for my super-secret, super-exciting fall surprise, I wanted to talk about who would be the perfect candidate for the DIY MFA.

Qualities Necessary for the DIY MFA

• Be a Self-Starter:  To follow a plan like this on your own, you need to be the sort of writer who can motivate yourself and keep yourself going.  While it’s great to ruminate and let the muses work their magic, a DIY MFA doesn’t do itself.  You need to be good at pushing yourself because no one will be there to do it for you.
• Honor Self-Imposed Deadlines:  Nothing imposes a healthy dose of fear in a writer like a deadline.  Problem is, you won’t have class deadlines to motivate you so you need to be good at scaring yourself into getting the work done.  Self-imposed deadlines are very easy to ignore because no one is there to tell you your work is overdue.  You need to come up with ways of giving your self-imposed deadlines enough weight that you get the work done.
• Reach Out:  Writers need support from other writers.  Conferences and readings are great places to meet other aspiring writers, so don’t be afraid to approach other writers and speak to people.  If you’re shy about meeting people in person, start with reaching out to other writers via blogs, twitter or online writing networks.

Think you’ve got what it takes to do a DIY MFA?  In the fall we’ll be doing DIY MFA extravaganza with weekly themes, a twitter chat and a daily plan to help you set up your very own DIY MFA.  Stay tuned for more about the DIY MFA and in the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts below or tweet your comments using the #diymfa hashtag.

I recently graduated from an MFA program in creative writing, and as I have blogged previously MFA programs, while valuable, are also flawed.  Don’t get me wrong, I am so glad I had that experience and would not trade it for anything.  I do, however, realize that not all writers are as lucky as I was to be able to do an MFA.  For some it’s the geography–there just isn’t an MFA program conveniently located in their hometown.  For others, work/family/life make going back to school complicated.  And let’s not forget the budget issue; MFA’s aren’t cheap and writing isn’t exactly a career that guarantees piles of moolah.

Which brings me to the point of this post.  For some time now I’ve been tossing around a crazy idea: What if there were such a thing as a Do-It-Yourself MFA in Creative Writing?  The advantage of a DIY MFA is that writers can complete the work at their own pace, tailor the writing/reading/study plan to their specific genre or interests, and anyone could do it regardless of geography, logistics or budget.

To that end, I’ve decided to do a series of posts about DIY MFA (just in time for this Blogfest)!  Stay tuned for more posts about how to put together your own tailor-made MFA writing program.

Disclaimer: DIY MFA means you don’t get that shiny piece of paper at the end of it all and the clouds will not part and a beam of light will not anoint you a “Master of Fine Arts in Writing.”  So if you’re into pieces of paper, beams of light and so forth, I suggest you get your application together and go for the real deal.  But if your goal is to improve your reading and writing skills, work on craft and challenge yourself, then maybe a DIY MFA is for you.  Curious about what goes into a DIY MFA?  Read on.

Ingredients for a DIY MFA

Books:  If you want to create a DIY MFA you’ll need access to books.  That means if you’re living on a desert island with no libraries, bookstores or internet, you’ll have a hard time putting together a DIY MFA.  Then again, if you’re on a desert island with no libraries, bookstores or internet, you probably wouldn’t be reading this anyway.  As you put together your DIY MFA, one of the things you’ll need to do is develop a reading list.

Critique Partners:  You’ll need at least 2 trusted readers to whom you can send writing for feedback.  The beauty of this is that with the internet at your fingertips, you don’t even need to be on the same continent as your critique partners.  Of course, face-to-face meetings are great, but it’s certainly not a deal-breaker if you must do critiques via email.

Time:  You will need to set aside some amount of time each week (even if it’s only an hour or two on a weekend afternoon) for your writing.  Honing your craft takes time and you must protect this time from interlopers.  This is the advantage of being in an MFA program: if someone starts getting in the way of your writing time you can just say “sorry, got schoolwork.”  In a DIY MFA you’ll have to protect your writing time on your own.

Community:  Perhaps the most valuable aspect of going to an MFA program was the opportunity to meet other writers (both emerging writers like myself and established writers).  My MFA program required that we attend a minimum of 8 readings each semester and I think that is extremely important.  In a DIY MFA, you don’t have a built-in set of readings sponsored by the school to choose from.  Instead, you’ll have to hunt down readings and literary events for yourself.  Some places to look: your local bookstore or library, poets.org (they have a great events calendar), and literary associations.

Check back for more posts about the DIY MFA.