Welcome, Luminous Writers, to the Write, Publish, and Shine podcast. I am your host, author, and literary magazine editor, Rachel Thompson. This podcast explores how to write and share your brilliant writing with the world.
In each episode, we delve into specifics on how to polish and prepare your writing for publication and the journey from emerging writer to a mother. Hi, luminous writers.
In this season of reentry, which I think happens regardless of your school situation, even years away from formal education, even without kids to anchor you to this scholastic calendar,
I think most of us adopted the programming where we come out of our summer days about now, ready to buckle down and get learning or start projects or reach some schools in the back half of the calendar year.
You may already know, if you’ve been listening for a while, that I am part of that educational programming that happens, and a lot of my courses start around this time of year. I do have my Love Course registration coming up,
starting on the 29th. This is part of why I’m full transparency, part of why I’m recording this episode to talk about online courses for writers and to really explore the difference between the less conventional,
certainly newer programming that’s happening online with diverse course offerings. Sometimes there’s full programs, sometimes it’s sort of like one off here or one off there versus a more traditional education for writers,
which has been for many decades, the MFA program, the Masters of Fine Arts, being creative writing. So I thought I would do a comparison between the two.
And to help me, I spoke to several of my course alums as well, and they shared with me their experiences. I’ve put some smattering of quotes,
I’ll quote from them in this episode. But if you wanted to see a profile of each of the writers, if there’s something you identified with in them, know that this episode also appears in article format on my website.
And you can find that at rachelthompson .co /articles. And that’s where you can read a little bit more of a profile of the writers that I reference in this episode. MFA’s and online courses,
of course, are not the only two options, but they are often two choices that the writers I work with Grapple with when they’re considering taking a course with me. So I wanted to go through the differences between them and speak to you,
especially if you’re a writer looking to enhance your skills and make an informed decision about your educational path. And my hope is that by being comprehensive and exploring the key differences between these programs that we can delve into the benefits,
the challenges, considerations of each option to help you choose the right path for your writing journey. So maybe you’re having that re -entry feeling right now and thinking, “Oh,
what should I be doing next for my writing? I’m looking for some kind of educational programming, but what’s the right path for me?” So many writers are constantly seeking ways to improve their craft,
expand their knowledge, and connect with like -minded individuals. They’re maybe a little tired of toiling away in that room of their own, feeling isolated and wanting to connect with other people who are pursuing this wild journey into a creative endeavor where we create things with our own minds and then we share them with the world.
And there are two popular options for getting that Minecraft improvement, expanding knowledge, connecting with other writers are the masters of fine arts and creative writing or online writing courses.
So which path is right for you? I’m going to go through the pros and cons, and I hope help you make an informed decision. I’d love to join you as a thinking partner to kind of mull through what works for you because there is no one size fits all when it comes to this,
And I hope it aligns with your writing aspirations and your lifestyle, whatever choice you make. So I don’t really believe in pitting one option against another and clearly I’m using this attention -grabbing headline to bring you into what I hope is a more nuanced look at each.
There are different reasons to take both online courses or to commit to a full MFA program or even choose something in the middle like a writing certificate program. In the first year of my lip my glove course when I offered that course for the first time a student told me After taking the course that they learned more in the five weeks of our course about publishing then in the four years it took them to complete
their MFA and I have to say this really surprised me and Took me it back because I hadn’t realized writers were choosing between These two as equal options or comparing them in any way and they’re not equal options at all.
So I guess that’s why I was surprised. And I also didn’t expect folks who already had MFA’s to join my courses. I thought, okay, well, those folks are set up, but this is for the people who were choosing an alternate route.
But they have, lots of people who have MFA’s have worked with me in my courses and have been great participants in the courses. So I’m gonna start then by talking about the MFA experience,
what I know of it as someone who has not taken an MFA, but have worked with a lot of writers and a lot of my writing peers who I have taken different courses with, some in person,
some online, have gone on to take a full MFA program. So pursuing a Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing offers a structured, immersive experience that can significantly impact your growth as a writer.
This is what I see as the key advantages of an MFA program. The first is structured curriculum. MFA programs provide a well -rounded structured curriculum covering a wide range of writing forms,
genres, and critical theory, offering a deep immersive education in literature and writing. The second, and probably the one that I think has a lot of weight, is academic credibility.
and MFA is a recognized academic credential that can enhance your professional credibility and may open doors to teaching positions at colleges and universities. Rigorous feedback,
MFA programs offer regular, intensive feedback from both peers. So there’s the workshop element of an MFA program and experienced faculty who are often published esteemed writers,
which can significantly accelerate your growth as a writer through detailed critiques and guided revisions. Another benefit is networking opportunities.
Being part of an MFA program allows you to build a network of other writers, mentors, and industry professionals, which can lead to collaborations, publishing opportunities,
and career advancement. There’s a dark side to that, and I we’ll get into a little bit of that later as well. And then another benefit though is dedicated time for writing. So many MFA programs offer residencies or intensive periods where you can immerse yourself in writing,
providing dedicated time and space away from everyday distractions to focus on your craft. And I think that’s really a key word for the MFA experience is focus. You’re really just like putting everything aside and honing in,
focusing on your writing, and that’s all. As Kelly Pedro, a writer who took my Litmag Love course and who is now starting in MFA this year, told me, “The workload in the MFA is intensive.
There is a lot of reading, a lot of writing, a lot of workshopping. That happens in online writing courses as well,” she goes on to say, “but not in the same intense way for such a sustained period of time.” Alright,
So we will circle back to MFA’s, but I wanted to talk also about the advantages of online courses. The MFA advantages immersion in the craft,
like completely immersing yourself. Online course advantages flexibility and accessibility. Online writing courses offer a different set of benefits catering to writers who value flexibility and targeted learning.
Here’s why many writers choose this path. The first is that it’s cost effective. There’s just no other way to slice that information. It’s clear that online writing courses,
even several years worth of online writing courses, typically cost much less than enrolling in an MFA program. So this allows you to develop your writing skills without incurring significant debt.
And the debt can be significant. Next is flexible scheduling. So online courses offer the flexibility to learn at your own pace, making it easier to balance writing education with work,
family, or other commitments. They’re also customized learning paths. Online courses usually concentrate on specific areas of writing, for example, fiction, poetry, memoir, and getting published,
allowing writers to target their learning to their interests and needs. There’s also the immediate practical application. So rather than that deep immersion and disappearing for quite a while before the benefits come,
like with an MFA program, you’re really just getting this immediacy with online courses. So many online writing courses are designed to help writers immediately apply what they learn with the focus on getting published,
building a writing platform or completing specific projects. And then a final benefit I’ll outline right now for online courses are access to diverse instructors. So online writing courses provide access to a wide range of instructors,
including published authors and industry professionals from around the globe, offering diverse perspectives and expertise. So I’m going to refer to conversations I’ve had with two of my alum of my lit mag love course,
Tamara Zhang, who told me online courses work better for my work schedule and the flexibility it offered. Also, money -wise, it was very reasonable and it saved me time because I didn’t have to physically go somewhere.” She said,
“Some online courses like the Raider Studio and Lit Mag Love prepare you to publish your work. I received so much practical advice and guidance on what Lit Mags and publishers were looking for in my course.” So yeah,
in the Lit Mag, of course, she learned practical advice and guidance on what lip -makes and publishers were looking for. I’m sharing that, I’m guessing part two, say, “Yay, look at my course,” but also to think about the fact that that’s really a core benefit of online courses is the practicality of it.
And Agatha Antonow, who’s also an alum of my lip -make love course, told me, “I like the convenience of being able to take a classroom anywhere, and with this type of teaching, I have access to teachers and mentors from around the world,
including teachers I would never have dreamed of studying with. She added, “After a day of work, it’s easier to fit online classes into my schedule. I find many of the classes I take have a hands -on component too,
where students are asked to free write or review each other’s work. And that kind of jump right in style is how I tend to approach writing. And most things really, she goes on to say. So I hope that you can hear from that that there’s an element of personality involved in which one works better for you.
So Agata is mentioning jumping right in is her style, and that’s why she’s gravitated towards online courses. So I mentioned that I’ve created this also as an article on my website at rachelpompson .co /articles.
In that article, I’ve created a chart that just compares MFA’s and online courses with a side -by -side look. I’m gonna go through it now, but it’s probably better to look at the chart itself if you wanted to have that at a glance opportunity.
And I’ll link directly to the article in the show notes for this episode as well. So the first aspect is cost in MFA programs, high, often requiring significant loans,
online courses lower, more affordable options. Another aspect is time commitment. MFA programs can be two to three years. I mentioned at the top of this episode,
someone who took four years because sometimes life gets life -y and it takes longer and can be done full -time or part -time. Online courses can be flexible from weeks to months.
Another aspect is structure. So MFA programs tend to be a bit more rigid with pre -determined curriculum. Online is flexible, you choose courses as needed. Networking for MFA programs,
strong in -person connections. Online courses, there are virtual networking opportunities. Feedback, intensive, regular workshops that are in the MFA programs.
Online courses, it varies, can be more personalized, but it varies. Credentials, MFA programs, you got to recognize academic degree. online courses,
you may get certificates, but more likely you’re just getting personal growth. So it really is about the actual learning versus the paper that comes from the learning. The focus is broad literary education when it comes to MFA programs,
online courses, the focus is specific skills or genres, and then in terms of accessibility, MFA programs often require relocation, although there are a lot of low -residency or no -residency MFA’s these days.
And then online courses just by definition are available from anywhere, well, anywhere with the internet, with a good internet connection. So yeah, how do you make that right choice for your writing journey?
So choosing between an MFA and online courses ultimately depends on your personal goals, your lifestyle, your learning preferences. And I’ve outlined some factors that you might consider when you’re making a choice.
So the first might be your career aspirations. If you’re aiming for a career in academia or you want the prestige of a formal degree, and MFA might be the better choice. However,
if you’re more focused on improving your craft or getting published, maybe more quickly getting published as well, online courses can provide targeted skills and knowledge. The other factor to think about is time and flexibility.
You heard what Agatha had to say about working for her lifestyle. Tamara also was talking about not having to physically go somewhere. So MFA programs require significant time commitment,
often over several years. Online courses offer more flexibility, allowing you to learn at your own pace and fit your studies around other commitments. You can kind of dive in and dive out of it over many years.
I have been doing this now for seven years, teaching online courses and have had people work with me from the beginning, so it becomes more of a lifelong learning opportunity versus a set.
Again, deep dive solid two, three, four years. The third thing to think about are financial considerations. So MFA programs can be expensive, often requiring substantial loans,
although there are exceptions to that, and I’m going to mention some from Kelly Pedro, the student that I talked about at the beginning of this episode who’s currently in the MFA,
but online courses are generally more affordable and allow you to invest in your education gradually. And I’m someone who offers a sliding scale option for my online courses,
so it depends on your financial need and your financial position. I’m not saying that they’re totally wholly accessible for someone who, you know,
doesn’t have access to any income at all, but I’ve tried to make things more financially possible for writers and I think more and more online courses are doing that.
And then, you know, to be fair, I think probably MFA programs as well have different scholarship opportunities too. The fourth factor is learning style. So if you thrive in structured environments with face -to -face interactions,
an MFA program might suit you better. If you’re self -motivated and comfortable with digital learning, online courses could be ideal. And then networking goals could be another factor.
So MFA programs offer strong in and networking opportunities, while online courses provide virtual networking, the connections may not be as deep or long -lasting. I mentioned before that maybe there’s a dark side to the networking opportunities.
It really just comes from, and here I’m not going to quote anyone because, of course, I don’t think they would go on record, but I definitely have writing peers who have done MFA programs and been in an environment.
The networking was maybe a little toxic, not really the right place for them, and then you’re kind of stuck with this group of peers. And the benefit of networking becomes actually a disadvantage because there’s maybe bad blood or there’s sort of negative aspects to the relationship.
So you can get these really strong in -person networking opportunities, but it could also be dark in the sense that, you know, maybe someone takes a dislike to you and then could end up impacting your career in that way.
Again, I’m not quoting anyone directly here and maybe this is a little bit of hearsay, you know, testimony, so don’t take it wholly as that big of a risk,
but I do think, you know, just thinking about it that that could be a risk of being really set with one group of people. And I guess I’m saying that of course you know my bias as someone who’s offering online courses but also someone who prefers not to be tied into a specific community for that many years because of the chance of there being maybe not the best relationships that can come out of that.
And there are ways to offset many of these challenges, in particular the financial burden. I mentioned Kelly Pedro who told me I was very fortunate to get two scholarships to fund my MFA and I was given an opportunity to be a graduate teaching assistant,
so I have some income for a term as well. So while there are more financial considerations, there are possibly opportunities depending on where you study and what access you might have to different funding.
I want to be fair as fair as I can knowing my biases and which I think I’ve been explicit about. But there are some challenges in online learning and I want to talk about them and then perhaps how to overcome some of the challenges.
So while online courses offer many benefits, they come with their own set of challenges. Here are some common issues and strategies to overcome them. The first is lack of structure. So we’ve talked about the MFA I’m having that deep dive really focusing in on your studies for a number of years,
but there’s really a lack of structure with online learning where you’re kind of pulling a la carte from programs. Unless you’ve joined one that has more of a structure, but still you’re never going to get the same structure that you’d get at a university institution.
So I think the solution to that lack of structure is to create a structured routine, setting clear deadlines for yourself and developing a consistent schedule for coursework.
I think it’s also a know yourself opportunity. So just knowing what kind of accountability works for you. What do you need in terms of motivation to keep you going and complete your courses?
Because I definitely talk to peers in my course who are also online course offers and I myself have seen people sign up for courses and then sadly not complete them even though we do our best to create some kind of accountability to motivate and encourage folks.
Sometimes as I said before too life gets lifey and it can be hard to complete things so thinking about that lack of structure as being one danger for taking online courses and what are things you can do to offset it,
knowing yourself, having clear deadlines for yourself, remembering why you’re doing it too, like who you are and what it means for you to be taking this course and how it’s gonna help future you in terms of your writing.
Another challenge would be distractions. So it can be distracting because you’re not going to another place, so you’re at home where the laundry also lives too. So it requires you to find ways to minimize distractions and focus.
You can designate a workspace, set up a dedicated organized and distraction -free area for your writing and study sessions. That’s maybe, again, easier said than done when we have to work in the same spaces that we’re living in.
I’m someone who has been working at home now for more than 20 years in various capacities, not just in this online coursework or my writing related work.
And I think I’ve learned to really separate those two things, the home stuff and the work stuff, but it’s like a constant balancing act,
I think. So it’s not something that you just arrive at, it feels like a practice to me, but it becomes part of the practice. If you choose the online course route, I don’t really want these aspects of the MFA program,
but then I have to offset it with the fact that I will have distractions and I’m going to have to create a practice around handling that. And then the other thing is isolation. It’s the good side and the bad side of online courses that you don’t have to travel somewhere that you don’t have to go to a specific place,
but then also maybe you’ll feel less connected from the writers that you join courses with. But the solution to that, I think, is to engage in online communities, so actively participating in discussion forums,
really pushing yourself if you’re someone who’s a little reticent to do that, joining group chats, virtual meetups to foster connections with peers and instructors. In my online courses, I really encourage people to work together to pair up at different points.
If they’d like to, you can totally do it on your own. However, works for you. But I think those little opportunities to connect and chat with other writers in the course can be really beneficial and help minimize that feeling of isolation.
And then self -discipline is the last challenge that I’ll mention. And that really relates to that lack of structure and distractions. So I think really setting goals and rewards,
so establishing clear writing goals and rewarding yourself for meeting them to stay motivated. And I actually think that working with peers as well, it’s one of the things that I really love about teaching online courses is that I see people get motivated in a group because I also do one -to -one coaching.
And there’s some kind of magic in seeing people working together on a goal, even though they’re working on publishing their own writing, but to do it alongside other people and be able to celebrate each milestone with another set of writers is really motivating and helps with the self -discipline.
I feel like one reason for that is because they get to think about, Well, what would I say to so -and -so in the course if they were feeling down about themselves or they didn’t want to do this today?
It’s like you kind of start internalizing some of the ways that you do encourage other people, maybe someone will post and say, “Oh, I’m not feeling it today. “I wish I was more motivated “or I don’t feel like confident about this area.” And then other writers come in and give them a pep talk and in doing so,
kind of like embodying that pep talk for others then helps them embody it for themselves. So I’ll mention Agatha Antonow again, who said that she found the investment helps her keep focused.
So when she invests in a course, and in her words, having invested in a course, it makes me take my writing more seriously. I always end up doing the work and creating something. And when I create something,
I think, well, I’ve done this much, I might as well try submitting it somewhere. I love that. And I think maybe that outlines then the third option, which is to do nothing, right?
So it’s like, oh, I’m just going to keep slunging away in this room of my own. I’m not going to take an online course. I’m not going to join an MFA. But Agata is saying investing in the course really helps her take her writing more seriously.
Now I’ll introduce Jen Robinson, Jennifer Robinson, another alum of my Lit my love course who told me her struggle with focus and self -discipline was more about too much of a good thing. She said, “I set an intention to actually not take any more online writing courses just temporarily while I could focus on other things.” And then a few months ago,
she woke up and was like, “I’m in three writing courses right now. How did this happen? I’m overwhelmed.” So her experience in online courses is one of connection and not isolation.
I think that’s probably why she’s over -committing a little there. She says, “Online writing courses have impacted my writing life in terms of community.” She goes on to say, “I’ve met so many wonderful people in writing classes,
and currently I am a member of two workshop groups that were sort of created out of just meeting through various courses.” So I mentioned the third option of maybe not doing anything in flogging on the room of your own,
But the real third option, if we’re looking at these two choices, which is combining MFA and online learning. So it’s worth noting that these options aren’t mutually exclusive. Many writers find success in combining elements of both MFA programs and online courses.
For example, you might take online courses to prepare for an MFA application or to supplement your MFA studies. Like those folks who said, you know, they learn more about publishing by taking my course.
They could have, depending on their workload, I guess, but could have taken my course while they were in the MFA too, and it would have helped support, okay, they’re doing that deep dive into craft, they’re developing their work, and then they’re learning how to submit it.
Another option is to pursue an MFA and continue taking targeted online courses afterwards, like that writer did, to stay current in the field, and then opting for a low -residency MFA program that combines elements of both traditional and online learning seems like a really good compromise too.
And although I’ve had many writers come to me after completing an MFA in my course on getting published, as I said, it’s really common for writers to start out in online courses and then move to a formal institution.
Again, Kelly Pedro told me online writing courses were so valuable to me because they helped me realize that my writing is important and worthy of pursuing, and that I didn’t need anyone’s permission to pursue it.
I had taken quite a few online writing courses, and they helped me learn how to see what’s working in my writing, how to workshop, and how to find my writing voice, and helped me find my people in a warm and encouraging environment.
And Tamera Jong said that after taking my maglove course, I got the courage and confidence to apply to the writer’s studio at Simon Fraser University and I got in much to my surprise and happiness.
I’m going to conclude by emphasizing that this is up to you to chart your own unique writing path, whether you choose to pursue an MFA, enroll in online courses,
create a hybrid approach, or continue to toil in the room of your own. And maybe it’s not toiling. Maybe you’re like, that doesn’t describe my experience in my room of my own. Remember that there’s just no one -size -fits -all solution.
The most important factor is your commitment to improving your craft and pursuing your writing goals. So consider your personal circumstances, your learning style and career aspirations when making your decision.
Whichever path you choose, stay dedicated to your writing practice, seek out opportunities for growth and feedback. And I really believe that we never stop learning and that these are all opportunities to continue your learning.
Your writing journey is uniquely yours, so embrace that path that resonates with you and let your passion for words guide you towards whatever success means to you. I’ve put together what I think are some helpful FAQs about MFA’s versus online writing courses.
They’re also in the article, which you can find up at racheltompson .co /articles or just click on the link within the episode show notes and it’ll take you right there.
If you are ready to take the next step in your writing journey, whether you’re looking to hone your craft, get published or connect with the supportive writing community, just know that I offer a range of online courses designed to meet your needs.
My popular lit mag Love course is coming up in terms of registration. It’ll be open for registration on September 29, and then I also have more in -depth writing craft courses.
So I have the publish of the right publish and shine is, of course, in and of itself, or I guess publish and shine, and then I also have a write and shine, so that’s my writerly love intensive, and that will come up again in January.
So I just mentioned this here. If you want to stay connected and be updated about my course offerings. That will happen if you continue listening here but also the best way to keep in touch is through my newsletter which you can sign up for at rachelpompson .co /letters.
The Write, Publish, and Shine podcast is brought to you by me Rachel Thompson. The sound editing is done by Adam Linder. Thanks Adam. You can learn more about the work idea to help writers write publish and shine on my website at rachelthompson .co and when you’re there sign up for my writerly love letters I send every week.
They’re filled with support for your writing practice and as I mentioned updates on my course offerings. If this episode encouraged you to write publish and shine by exploring your educational options in this season of reentry I would love to hear all about it.
You can always email me at hello @rachelthompson .co and you can tell other luminous writers about the episode. You can do this by sending them to the podcast at rachelpompson .co /podcast.
This is episode number 102. We’re telling them to search for right publish and shine wherever they get their podcasts and those podcast apps on Spotify, on Apple podcasts.
Don’t really know what are the other apps out there. I listen on Pocket Casts, but I think there are other apps that people are using. That’s wherever they get their podcasts. So yeah, they can find me there.
And thank you so much for listening. I encourage you to keep learning and growing as a writer. I’m recording this episode in the South Sinai Egypt, on lands historically and presently inhabited by the El Muzin and Bedouin,
near Palestinian lands occupied and continuously bombarded by Israel in clear contravention of international law and orders by the International Court of Justice.