What’s this Romance MFA project? In a nutshell:
Creative Writing MFA + Romance Writing Course + DIY = RomanceMFA.com
I’m not the only one in the world who wants to write better, or the only one who wants to write romance for money, or the only one who wants to read the best classic romance novels. And yet, somehow, when I started looking for “romance writing MFA”, that wasn’t a thing. But it should be, right? So here we go.
DIY MFA
Have you heard about a “DIY MFA”? Check out diymfa.com, where Gabriela Pereira posits that your typical MFA program boils down to the following equation: “Writing + Reading + Community = MFA”. That’s not too far off from Ray Bradbury’s advice for aspiring writers to write a short story a week and also read one short story, one essay, and one poem every night. In this era of indie authors, indie publishing, and the information supernova of the internet, it is more plausible than ever to bootstrap yourself an education, especially in a profession where the words you put on the page are more important than the letters behind your name. (Plus, I already have a master’s degree that isn’t doing much for me, and no plans for further educational debt.)
Designing a Romance Writing Course
I’ll be following the DIY MFA formula and using this website to share progress on my writing and reading.
Writing
I think the writing part is relatively obvious. While this website is more about sharing thoughts and discussion about the romance genre, I’m also sharing some writing resources. For instance, here’s a post on writing consent in romance. I’m writing historical sports romance under the pen name Irene Davis, with debut novel Anyone But the Earl launching in April 2019.
Reading
Romance is a prolific genre, and has been for a long time. Where to even start? I can’t admit how much time I spent working on my reading list and syllabus for this project, because my taller half will read this and shake his head sadly about my time management skills and obsessive tendencies when it comes to research. Rest assured that much research was done and that my reading list was not lightly chosen. From 18th century classics to classic bodice rippers of the 1980s, my syllabus covers about thirty novels and a handful of craft and literary analysis books. As you’ll see on the blog, I’m posting about the books as I work through them.
Community
I am lucky to have found a fiction writers’ group in my hometown, and since joining Romance Twitter, I’ve connected with many amazing writers, including the HBIC Nation. I’d love to connect with you too! Hit me up on Twitter or drop an email to info (at) romancemfa.com if you’d like to chat!
Tuesday Topics Newsletter
Want to see some of the resources I’m going through? In January 2019, I’m launch Tuesday Topics: a newsletter bringing you three links around a single romance-genre related topic every week. From writing diversity to Regency fashion, to social media for authors, I’ve found lots of useful information since I started this project and I want to share it with you!