Trust Your Gut: My DIY MFA Story

Seven summers ago, I walked into a small conference room at the Writer’s Digest Conference, wondering what I was doing there. The topic was YA literature, and while I was interested in YA, the novel I was working on was for adults. I think it’s safe to say that if there had been anything more… Read more »

Let Your Imagination Run Wild

When I first started going to therapy in 2013, my therapist took a great deal of notes on my general thoughts and behavior, just to get a sense of me as a person. One of the most important things she found was that I had a pretty wild imagination. And that wildness has played a… Read more »

New Columns at DIY MFA!

Hey there word nerds! You may have noticed that there are some new faces and names around here on Mondays and Tuesdays. We are SO excited to be launching these new columns, and bringing you more awesome advice and expertise to help you Write With Focus, Read With Purpose, and Build Your Community. One of… Read more »

Letting Go of Perfectionism the DIY MFA Way

I’ve been a perfectionist almost as long as I’ve been a writer. I strove for good grades in school, agonized over homework for hours, and practiced the heck out of dance routines. The work ethic I developed as a result was driven by my determination to do well, a desire to please my family, and… Read more »

Rise to New Challenges the DIY MFA Way

“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one becomes a master.”—Ernest Hemingway Writers are, by nature, dreamers. We dream about finishing a book. Then we dream about getting an agent. A book deal. Hitting the New York Times list. On and on and on. But here’s the thing: each one of these dreams,… Read more »

DIY MFA Street Team Roundup: Weeks 9-14

It’s July! Summer is in full swing, and the DIY MFA Street Team has been hard at work reading The Book and posting their reviews out into the world. If you were wondering what others think of The Book, make sure you check Goodreads, Amazon, B&N.com, and iBooks. You won’t be disappointed. These past few… Read more »