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Advice on applying for MA
My husband has unexpectedly given me the green light to apply for the MA Creative Writing course at Bath (personally I think he's just trying to butter me up so I let him go away for the drunken weekend away with his mates he keeps going on about).
So, has anyone ever applied/completed an MA, and any tips on dazzling the faculty? They want either two short stories or two chapters of a novel. The only short story I'd consider showing them is in a very rough first draft stage, though applications seem to be open until the summer so I have time to get it (and another) ready, I hope.
I read an interview in WM a year or so ago by someone who did the course in Bath, and I think she said that at her interview they expected her to be attending writing groups and such like. I've only ever been to a local group once so I guess attending more regularly should be my first thing to do!
Any other tips on getting myself and my writing ready for the most critical eyes in the West?!
So, has anyone ever applied/completed an MA, and any tips on dazzling the faculty? They want either two short stories or two chapters of a novel. The only short story I'd consider showing them is in a very rough first draft stage, though applications seem to be open until the summer so I have time to get it (and another) ready, I hope.
I read an interview in WM a year or so ago by someone who did the course in Bath, and I think she said that at her interview they expected her to be attending writing groups and such like. I've only ever been to a local group once so I guess attending more regularly should be my first thing to do!
Any other tips on getting myself and my writing ready for the most critical eyes in the West?!
Comments
Read as many of the books that have been published by graduates as you can - this should give you an idea of the standard expected.
Which part of the course do you want to specialise in? I did the children's writing MA. But there is script, poetry etc as well. Familiarise yourself with the alternatives.
Make sure you know the modules that will be available. If some particularly interest you, make sure you mention them and can explain why they are so enticing/exciting to you.
The most important thing you need is excellent, original writing with a strong voice to send in as examples of the sort of thing you do.
The next most important thing is to be alight with enthusiasm for writing in general and for what you are writing.
Be prepared for them to be negative about an aspect of your submissions - they may love your style and dialogue but be uninspired by your story arc or something. Be prepared to listen to ANYTHING they say with grace and understanding, because this is the third most important thing - a main part of the course - you do workshops with your peers and a tutor, and work is handed in to everyone - so they are all allowed to comment in a positive, helpful, constructive and caring way. This is crucial to the success of the course and your experience of it - and you grow to value those opinions dearly.
Make sure you have read work as above by other graduates, and have a very good knowledge of other writers in your chosen genre, and other writers in general. Make sure you have prepared who is your favourite writer and why.
Also, see who the tutors are and read their work - any one of them might be interviewing you.
When you check all the modules make sure you have read one of each category at least and see if you can find the reading list for factual books and know what they are, perhaps have read one of them. It's really hard keeping up with the reading on the course so well worth doing in advance anyhow!
I know gazillions who have been on the children's writing course, so could give you any amount of advice about that, but know only few of the adults who were writing, so cannot help much there with asking for advice.
Good luck, I'll come back and say more if I think of anything.
Also, as PM says it is incredibly intensive - I spent all day and evening writing for the year, and it is a whole year, not 9 months.
One of our course was also a teacher 3 days a week and found it very hard (but he is now a published writer and also a teacher, so it can be done!).
Why have you had to wait for your husband's permission to go on this course?
PM, ah an excellent point raised there, I was just really planning around current work commitments, and considering that I'm making my Twins manuscript my top priority for the next few months to get it 'out there.'
Dora, as Liz says it's a huge financial outlay and, at £6,595 (give or take) it's a decision we need to agree on together! He's very supportive of my writing goals.
(Liz, your name is listed in the prospectus on the Children's course as a successful graduate!)
I've read the details for both the Creative Writing MA and the Children's Writing MA. As someone who likes to write a bit of everything, I'm wondering what course would be the best to apply for? Having read the Children's course info, I'm now feeling very drawn towards it (originally I wanted to apply for the other MA). I really do love writing my children's stories.
So, I just wondered whether anyone had any thoughts on whether the writing skills and techniques learned on a Children's Writing MA are transferable to writing in general, if that makes sense at all? I would love to become a published children's author, but I do want to hone my skills to write other publishable things, too.
From the application point of view, there are about 50 I think on the adult course and no more than 16 on the children's. I have no idea if that makes it easier getting in or not - presumably there would be more takers for the adult course?
I think the two things are quite different. On the children's course, you go through the entire spectrum of age groups - picture book, early readers, 7-9, 9-12, YA...and different genres, comedy, Sci Fi (sc fi not in detail, it was just a piece of writing, but - it showed us all just how difficult it is to imagine not only a story but an entire way and place of living!) etc. You do that in one of the workshop groups once a week. the other workshop group is about your own writing, and there's another about marketing your writing, and the market for your writing, which is very specific.
I have a feeling that saying in an interview for instance that you weren't sure which course you want to pursue between adult and children's might count against you (they go for enthusiasm about your chosen thing) unlike if you weren't sure whether to specialise in adult novel or scriptwriting for example.
On the children's MA, you have a good chance of writing a whole book during the year - and if not, getting it almost there. On the adult course, unless you are a super whizz, i think it would be trickier simply because of wordcount. Having an entire book examined in detail from every aspect is a wonderful catapult.
i think it's going to be a hard choice for you. Only you can know where your heart lies.
But on whether the two courses show you the same things, well, children's you concentrate on things which are important to children - adult can be about anything. a good YA can and should be able to be read by adults. A fabulous picture book has to be appealing to children with lots of jokes and surprises and things the child will know and eel superior about to eh character, but also, it needs to be able to have some adult 'in' jokes so that the adult also finds it funny and readable over and over.
Both courses will make you think about your story and what it is saying, both with give you the ability to make sure there is a beginning, middle and end, an arc which works. hooks, ups and downs, facility with dialogue, blah, blah, blah but tbh you have to be a pretty good writer in the beginning to get accepted - the actual talent of gaining the reader's interest and writing something with a unique voice which you can hear and yet which doesn't get in the way of the story needs to be in place. although it certainly matures and solidifies and gets polished and made good enough for the market.
It's with regards to the story arc, plotting etc that I'm really referring to as 'transferable' skills, and wonder if I could apply the same techniques to an adult novel in the future. If the course teaches that then it sounds like it should be the one to go for. I guess the open day is the time to ask questions, and if I'm lucky enough to have an interview, I will certainly be more decisive!
They keep the children's bit small on purpose - there were 8 in each group when I went and know they didn't want it to ever go much over that. (You are divided into two groups - we always thought that must have had second sight because we got on so well, and wondered how they divided us - it was only when I saw us on a list that I realised it was alphabetical!).
One of the tutors on the children's group now is actually one of the people who was in my group. She is lovely.
The open day should be fun and you might find yourself being taken round by someone on the course.
"A short piece of creative writing for young people: for example six poems or two short stories or no more than 20 pages of a novel for young people."
Do you think I could send picture book texts? I have two rhyming stories (300 and 750 words) and a 1,000 story that I've been submitting to agents. Plus the 1,000 novel intro mentioned above. Do you think a combination of those things would be acceptable? I'm worried about getting it wrong!
Picture books are the hardest thing to get right, there are so many rules.
Without seeing or more info it's tricky to advise.
Good luck!
Fingers crossed!
Hi Dora.
Although it's not the outcome you wanted, you still have the ability to write. I haven't done any courses and it hasn't stopped me, so chin up and keep typing!!
One thing you can do - read as much as you can by other students who have been on the course. Just reading stuff that's been through the system will teach you things.
It will be easier next year if you want to try again - they wouldn't have suggested that if it would be a waste of time. So, once the disappointment is less raw, it should really GIVE you confidence, as they clearly thought your other aspects were positive.
Put it to one side for a bit, do something nice for yourself and look at it again in a few days and hopefully you will then see that it isn't as negative as it feels right now.