Hello!
So, technically, my books are closed for August, but we all know that application season is starting soon: MFA programs, of course, which start to close in December for full time programs, but also all sorts of residencies and grants and fellowship application deadlines start to fill my calendar come September and probably yours too. Literary magazines re-open. Contests call.
Are you ready to put your best work forward?
My best application advice at any scale is to not let these deadlines creep up on you (and also to have a solid work sample always ready to go). I hope we’re all getting our last summer kicks in but also sharpening our proverbial (or literal) pencils for the start of a fresh1 year, keeping one eye on those fall and winter deadlines from under the sunshade.
First Things First: *Should* You Apply For an MFA?
This week! at Write or Die, I’ve added another session of Should I Apply For An MFA? on Wednesday, August 16th, from 7-8:30 PM EST. You can sign up for a (free) spot here if this question has plagued you before or is currently.
You’re All In & Want Company
My MFA coaching cohort with Write or Die starts on September 21st if you want guidance, accountability, and community throughout your application process. This cohort is a supportive, structured group focused on navigating the MFA application process for 2024 with as much confidence and as little stress as possible. I can’t guarantee program admission, but I can guarantee that you’ll leave the cohort with your best shot at admission and solid application materials for other things and connection to what your work is about and why it matters to make it. Details here.
You Prefer to Go it Solo (ish): For MFA & Beyond
I offer a range of one-on-one MFA and other application prep packages including:
The All In: Two rounds of reads of MFA application materials, gentle but firm hand-holding through the process through 3-4 coaching calls.
The Mini Prep: One round of reads of MFA application materials, but a more hands-off approach by me on process overall.
Statements Only: Personal statements are oftentimes the trickiest parts of an application but also I think, kind of the most fun? They get you to talk about what your work means to you and why you do it, and why you want to keep doing it. While I have this package set up for MFA statements and can absolutely help you decode what the programs are really asking for in these often vaguest of vague questions, this package is also great if you’re looking to dial into this question for other applications such as residencies and fellowships.
Here’s what a former MFA prep client said about our work together on this part of the application:
After working with Danielle on just two revisions, I transformed a rambling, self-conscious, and avoidant first draft into a clear, concise, and authentic personal statement for my MFA applications. By poking and probing, suggesting areas of clarification, specification, or simplification, Danielle helped me identify what it was I really wanted to say. In some ways, it was a reflective coaching session in disguise. Danielle's questions led me to greater clarity on my intentions for an MFA.
Manuscript Reads: The single most important part of any application is the writing sample. If you want to put your resources into one thing, this is the thing. I charge $400 for anything up to 8,000 words (in range for most applications) and per word above that.
I’m back to client work in September but happy to field inquires through the rest of August to get you on the fall schedule for any of the above. You can do so by filling out the form on my website, sending me an email at backtalklazarin@gmail.com, or replying to this missive directly.
Things to Keep Your Other 👁️ On
My Reverse Outlining for Fiction Projects class sold out in July, and I got great feedback on it, and am planning on running it again in October in a slightly expanded form. So if you missed it then, watch this space to be the first to sign up for the next round.
At my own desk, I’m about a third of the way through revising my novel, aiming to get it done by the end of September-ish. If you’re curious about what that looks like, I’m sending out revision updates—and the other usual stuff about what I’m thinking about and reading—every two weeks from my OG newsletter, Talk Soon.
What kinds of classes are you looking for these days? Beyond/before/after/if never the MFA, I’m curious what folks are hoping to learn in the next few months. How to hunker into revision? Generative classes? Forming cohorts for reading or writing together? Let me know by replying! I love to hear from you.
Danielle
Everyone knows writers hear the call of back-to-school whether or not we’re actually academics or students. Do you find yourself wandering to an office supply store? Calling books read between June and August summer reading? Hi.