Book Review and Author Interview: After The Workshop by John McNally
Posted on | March 29, 2010 | 1 Comment
After The Workshop by John McNally
I was a media escort.
With those five words, John McNally begins his fictional biography of Jack Hercules Sheahan, a once promising graduate of “The famous Iowa Writers Workshop”. Jack, is suffering one of the greatest bouts of writers-block and underachievement to come out of The Workshop since its founding in 1939. For those blessed (or cursed) with the need to write, the travails of Jack Hercules Sheahan will be, if not memories, nightmares and fears that keep one up at night. Jack, who had his story, “The Self-Adhesive Postage Stamp”, published in The New Yorker and selected for The Best American Short Stories prior to graduation from “The Workshop” has not written one word on his post-MFA novel in ten years. (Now that is an impressive block by any writer’s standards.) Jack, remains in Iowa City in a small Victorian apartment near the campus, barely surviving by escorting authors around Iowa on book tours. The media escort, as Jack describes it, is the lowest rung of the publishing industry. Through Jack we get a glimpse of the quirky and often barely sane beings commonly called “writers”.
John McNally knows his subject well, having been a media escort and holding an MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop. But McNally, unlike his fictional protagonist, has several critically acclaimed works to his credit, including, America’s Report Card (2006) and The Book of Ralph (2004).
The travails of Jack Sheahan will resonate with anyone compelled to write or in love with books. This novel is a peek behind the curtain to see how writers create (or don’t create) art. McNally’s tale of Jack’s adventures in trying to locate a missing writer he is escorting who may have gone over the edge, his encounter with a best-selling author who has been hiding out for ten years and may have caused Jack’s writers-block, are as humorous and engaging as his dealings with his perpetually nude neighbor, M. Cat during a raging Iowa blizzard.
John McNally broke away from his current writing long enough to answer a few questions about After The Workshop, and talk about what he is currently working on.
Rocky Cole: What has been the initial response to After The Workshop, and did writing this book alter your approach to writing or to book tours?
John McNally: The initial response from pre-pub reviews (PW, Booklist, Kirkus) and readers has been very positive so far. I couldn’t be happier about it. It took a while for the book to get picked up by a publisher for fear that it was “too insidery,” but to me the book has always been about a guy with a crappy job who wonders if it’s too late to do something with his life, which almost everyone I’ve ever known, in every walk of life, has dealt with and wondered at some point. There’s definitely some “insider” stuff in the book, but my hope has always been that a reader who isn’t a writer can still appreciate the book. I was happy to see (today, in fact) a non-writer Amazon reviewer say just that.
I had a great time writing this book. It’s the first time a novel of mine has fallen into place. What you read is pretty close to what the first draft looked like, with a few exceptions. The actual writing of the book reminded me of why I wanted to be a writer in the first place — because it’s something I enjoy doing. It’s easy to forget that and to focus all your attentions on publication, but I’ve always had better experiences when I don’t think about publication and take pleasure in the act of writing itself.
And it has changed my approach to writing. I’ve returned to writing fiction long-hand, which I’d quit doing about twelve years ago, and I just bought a refurbished IBM Selectric typewriter, so that I can type up my handwritten drafts and revise them in that form before transferring everything onto a computer. In other words, I’m getting back to those things that attracted me to writing in the first place, and I’m trying to be more patient about it all.
RC: How have your peers from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop responded to the book?
JM: I haven’t heard anything yet.
RC: This book seems to be very different than what you have written before (The Book of Ralph) – have you already started on a new work and can you say anything in general about where your next project is headed?
JM: I’ve taken a break from a long historical novel to write a short novel that’s very different from anything I’ve written before. All I can really say about it is that it’s from the points-of-view of several women, and I’ve used a classic book as a springboard, not unlike how my character Tate Rinehart writes novels, much to the irritation of my novel’s narrator, Jack. The new one is a twisted little novel, and I’m having a great time with it. The novel is set in L.A., where I lived for a year not too long ago.
RC: And I understand that you have a new book on the craft of writing that is forthcoming?
JM: Yes…I have a book coming out in September that seems right up the alley of your website. It’s titled THE CREATIVE WRITER’S SURVIVAL GUIDE: ADVICE FROM AN UNREPENTANT NOVELIST, and will be published by the University of Iowa Press.
RC: Since reading “After The Workshop”, I am eager to get my hands on your next book, Good luck with the book tour and don’t be too tough on your media escorts.
Decision Process on MFA Programs – What is right for me?
Posted on | February 5, 2010 | 1 Comment
While all MFA programs have different deadlines for application, most traditional programs will enter new students in the fall term. Many low residency programs will also begin in the fall, but some will offer a summer term admission and a few have an added option of winter admission. Add to the previous mix a small number of programs that have rolling admission and flexible starts and you can see that there is no one right answer about when all programs begin or when their deadlines for application are. With all this in mind, the best advice for a potential MFA student is to get organized and be strategic when considering programs.
Organization does not have to be complicated. Here is a simple organization structure if you are applying to MFA programs:
1. Make a simple list of the programs you are considering applying to attend.
This can be a document file, a spreadsheet, or just on a piece of paper, but make sure there is room for multiple columns of factors for each program. For example: distance, cost, travel, low-residency versus residency, number of hours required, teaching versus non-teaching based, et cetera.
2. Begin to gather information on each program.
Some of this information can easily be obtained from the internet and the schools websites. Alternatively, you can click on most programs links or email them and have hard-copy program information mailed to you fairly quickly.
Tip: If you end up talking to an operator and they are doing a hard-sell or want you to do an “immediate application” run like hell.
3. While gathering program information make a list of what you want to get out of an MFA program and what any “must have” aspects of the program are.
For instance, is it important that it be a traditional full-time program such as The Iowa Writers Workshop; do you need a low-residency format so you can work; does the program need to be within driving distance; are there specific genres you want to study; does the program have a teaching component or certification. The better you understand what you want from a program, the easier it will be for you to make the best decision you can about which program to apply for.
4. Evaluate the individual programs data as it comes in and fill out your master “spreadsheet” that was described in step “1″ above.
As you look at each programs brochures and materials keep two things in mind: First, keep in mind what your criteria for “best” is; and second, remember that the material you are looking at is a “sales brochure” – it has been created to sell the program.
Tip: Take a close look at faculty and at graduates of the program and do some on-line searches to see what they have been writing and publishing.
5. File everything and dig for details.
Make a simple file of all the program data and make sure to get all of the details you need to make comparisons. Every program will present data differently and you will have to dig or make a few calls to get apple to apple comparisons in some cases. This is especially true in the case of program length and cost.
Tip: If you are doing a low-residency program find out if residency period room and board is included in the estimated program costs. This can add up to an additional $3,000 a year in some cases.
6. Gather as much data as possible to make a good decision but trust your gut.
Okay, we are writers, and as such we understand that things are not always cut and dried. Any MFA program can deliver the goods for a particular writer if the circumstances are right for the writer at that particular time. Maybe the program is not great but the writer and one particular instructor just click; or, perhaps it is just the simple fact that the writer has finally taken the step of committing to writing by starting an MFA program.
Conversely, you can have a great writer at a great program and it just doesn’t work out. For example, Raymond Carver, one of the best American short-story writers ever, only made it through one year at Iowa’s famed workshop before throwing in the towel. Why? Because Carver thought the program was distracting him from his writing.
In the end you have to make a decision based on what you feel is right for you, but gathering data is part of the decision process. When you make your decision, you can feel good about making the best decision for you at this particular time.
What is the Best MFA Program for You?
Posted on | January 26, 2010 | 1 Comment
The question of which MFA program in creative writing is nearly an impossible question to answer. Judgments of this kind can be nothing but subjective and thus any number of answers is possible. What is best for one person will not be best for another. Thus, in order to divine the answer to the question which is the best MFA program, the asker of the question must first consider what their definition of “best” is.
As a writer, one can use the tool of imagination to discover what they want to achieve from a writing program. Try this simple exercise and write your way to an answer.
Imagine that it is ten years on from your graduation from an MFA program and you are being interviewed by a writing magazine on the occasion of the publication of your fourth novel. This novel, as with the previous three, is destined for the pages of various bestseller lists. You are seated in a chair and the interviewer says…
“You have had a tremendous amount of success as a writer and I have heard that you attribute much of your success to your graduate writing program. Could you tell our readers what you learned in your writing program and what made the program the right fit for you?”
Considering the question for a moment you sit quietly and then begin, “Well, I do believe that my MFA program helped me along the path as a writer. The best thing about the program was finally identifying myself as a writer. That, of course, and the interactions with other students — other writers.”
“And the instructors?”
“Yes, the instructors and teachers were key. The best thing about them was…”
And thus, by using the imagination, a writer has the advantage of discerning the type of program they would most like to attend and to define what “best” looks like for them. Will it be a part-time program? Low residency? A program with famous writers in residence? Again, each writer’s definition will be individual and unique. Once you have defined what looks best for you, including location and affordability, you can then begin to gather materials from various programs and see which one comes closest to the vision of what is best for you as a writer.
Yet even with all of this research and worry over where to go, the fact is, you get from a program what you put into the program. Any writing program can be perfect for a certain writer at a certain time, and the attitude of the writer is the key as to what can be gained from any writing program.
In the end, use your writing to explore what you want from a writing program. Do your “due diligence” in trying to find such a program, and then put together and send off some applications and trust the eternal muses to open the right door.
Writing Samples for MFA Applications
Posted on | January 13, 2010 | No Comments
Here are two questions that come up frequently: How important are writing samples to MFA program applications? And… If you go over or under on page or word count will it hurt your application?
The answer to the first question is simple. Writing samples are the single greatest factor in getting into a Creative Writing MFA program. There are other factors, obviously, but as far as key things an admission committee will weigh, the writing sample is far and away the most important part of an application.
The second question is a little harder to answer but the best advice is to go under but do not go over if at all possible. Remember, the writing sample is supposed to reflect your best work and show that you have the potential to become an even better writer. Good MFA programs will get hundreds of applications for twenty or thirty positions and you blowing off the admission guidelines won’t gain you much ground with the admissions committee.
The best thing that you can do is put forward really good writing samples that you are proud to have read. If you can do that, then it won’t matter a whit that you have provided 20 pages when the limit was 30. Most programs guidelines set a limit for pages rather than a minimum. The admission committee is made up of writers and instructors. They know that most applicants have hundreds of pages they could submit. The program is looking for your best material, material that reflects your potential.
The bottom line: never go for quantity over quality.
In the end the choice is yours, and if you put good writing forward it will serve you well.
MFA Deadlines Loom
Posted on | January 7, 2010 | No Comments
Yes, it’s only January, but now is the time to start seriously thinking abut deadlines for creative writing programs. While every program around the country has different requirements and deadlines, all will require some form of the following:
- An error free application (This is not the place to misspell the program’s name… or your own.)
- Letters of recommendation (These should address your potential as a writer.)
- A personal statement (Again, error free and a place to showcase your ability in a short form.)
- Your best writing samples (Probably the most important part of the application for an MFA.)
Some programs will also want GRE scores or have other requirements, but the list above covers what most will want. Look at putting together application packages as a creative writing project and craft each application for the individual program you are applying for. This does not mean that you cannot use the same writing samples for multiple programs, or that your personal statement cannot be basically the same, but tailor each statement and application for the program it is intended for. No one likes form letters.
It is never too early to begin working on getting good, specific recommendations from people that see your potential as a writer. MFA programs are not impressed by titles, so it is better to get a recommendation from a high school English teacher who can speak directly about your potential as a writer than having a “form letter” from President Obama’s office.
Take the time to help the people that are writing your letters of recommendation out. Give each one a package that contains specific requirements or the appropriate forms for the programs you are applying for. Give the recommender some suggestions of what needs to be addressed in the letter and even provide them a sample letter from someone else to look at… craft an example letter yourself and include it. This is not the time to be stoic or self deprecating. Believe me, the writers of your recommendations will thank you for the assistance and you will get better letters.
Finally, make a chart or spreadsheet that notes the deadlines of all the programs you plan to apply for and make a reverse timeline of deadlines. Give yourself plenty of room and figure that not all of the people writing you letters of recommendation will get them in on time. Have one or two extra recommenders lined up. It is better to have five letters come in when three are required than to have only one show up at the program you are applying for.
Treat the application process as a creative endeavor and have fun with it.
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