This unassuming brown tome rested on the bookstore’s shelf for several months before I finally bought a copy. "How could one small book distill several years of writing practice and study into 278 pages?" I wondered. Surprisingly, it does a very good job of relating the essential points of excellent writing methods. It’s up to the reader to do the work of practicing them.

Flaws in an MFA Program

The books starts off by listing the many flaws and shortcomings of an MFA program. The author feels some of those flaws include:

  • Instructors who feel that good writing can’t be taught
  • A huge amount of debt and student loans
  • Lack of organized structure and vocabulary for critique work
  • Disdain for anything not considered literary by the instructor
  • A focus on only a few classic writers, rather than a wider purview

The goal of the book is to overcome these shortcomings and save the aspiring writer thousands of dollars, while still giving a foundation in writing well.