DIY MFA Street Team Roundup: Weeks 4-8

by Elisabeth Kauffman
published in Writing

Over the past few weeks as we anxiously awaited the review copy of the DIY MFA book, the Street Team has been hard at work, contemplating their weekly prompts and tackling big questions about their writing lives. We waded in deep this month with some heavy questions. It’s not easy to admit fear, weakness, and failure, but all of this month’s bloggers faced these questions unflinchingly.

As I said last month, the best part of being part of DIY MFA is the reminder that we all have different backgrounds, but we all have similar themes that bind us into a talented and inspiring community. In that spirit, we’d love it if you shared your answers, too! Leave us a link in the comments if one of these questions inspires you or strikes a chord, and we’ll give you a shout-out next month.

Now, enjoy these four writers and their answers to DIY MFA Street Team Questions of the Week 5-8.

QOTW #5: What’s your writer’s kryptonite? (HINT: It’s usually related to your superpower in some way.) Have you found a way to work around that weakness?

Sandra Shattuck – What is your writing kryptonite?

This week’s question was hard! People don’t like to admit their weaknesses and it showed in the number of responses we had to this question. So here’s a shout-out to Sandra for looking honestly at herself and sharing her weakness.

QOTW #6: Five myths about creativity: (1) Creativity is an exclusive club, and you can’t be part of it. (2) Creativity is innate–you either have it or you don’t. (3) Creativity is driven by chaos, so there’s no way to control it. (4) Creativity is all about getting that one “Big Idea.” (5) Creativity means polishing an idea until it’s perfect. Does one of these myths hit home for you in particular? How so? What have you done to challenge that myth?

Carrie Ann Golden – Creativity Myths

It’s easy to get sucked in by these myths and end up thinking that you’ll never measure up or fit in as a writer and a creative person. Carrie talks about her struggle to let go of creative myths that held her back from giving her creative all to her work.

QOTW #7: There are a lot of people spouting “best practices” about writing. Have you ever tried one of these “best practices”? How did it go?

Michelle Chalkey – How to Find Your Best Practices as a Writer

Michelle does a great job breaking down the reasons why someone else’s best practices might not work for you. She shares four questions you can ask to help you figure out what your best practices are.

QOTW #8 Resistance is the compass that points us to the juicy material, the high-stakes projects that really matter to us. Share an example of a time when resistance acted as your compass.

Leoma Retan – Take a Risk – Reach for your Dreams

Leoma shares her journey to conquering her fear and the steps she’s taking to be able to share her writing with the world. I love this post because it’s a great reminder that people come at this writing thing from all different angles, but that fundamentally we face the same challenges.
Please take a few minutes to stop in and show some comment-love to these writers. As I said before, there’s nothing that writers love better than to know that someone out there is reading what we’ve written. And stay tuned for more round-ups of great writing from the DIY MFA Street Team.


Elisabeth-headshot-1-275x275Elisabeth Kauffman is a freelance editor in California. Her favorite genres are YA fantasy, sci-fi, and romance. She regularly obsesses over board games, Doctor Who, and Harry Potter. Come share your ideas with her on Facebook and Twitter and on the web at www.writingrefinery.com. Also, check out her author website: www.elisabethkauffman.com and her author page on Facebook.

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