On Turning Writing Community, Writing Habits, and Submitting Work Into A Life

Every so often a student will, as they are graduating, ask me for advice about what is next for them. I’ve even wondered if it should be its own class. And I have been meaning to offer some advice to new writers specifically that may also be useful to older writers and so to do so, I’ll describe a few choices and practices that have helped me and perhaps they will help you also. Me at the first OutWrite Conference in San Francisco, in March of 1990—after my undergraduate degree and before my MFA program. Photo by Rick Gerharter. Many undergraduate students will ask about the MFA and more should ask me than do. That said, it is not the only path and I do believe it. I also believe most undergraduates are not ready to go on immediately. My standard answer if students ask me about whether or not they should apply to an MFA program is to ask them if they are submitting work to magazines and contests. If they are not, I typically suggest that they get into the practice of it and to build th

Every so often a student will, as they are graduating, ask me for advice about what is next for them. I’ve even wondered if it should be its own class. And I have been meaning to offer some advice to new writers specifically that may also be useful to older writers and so to do so, I’ll describe a few choices and practices that have helped me and perhaps they will help you also. Me at the first OutWrite Conference in San Francisco, in March of 1990—after my undergraduate degree and before my MFA program. Photo by Rick Gerharter. Many undergraduate students will ask about the MFA and more shoul