I have nothing, Suela. Again. Bitch doesn't publish fiction. Ever. I don't think there are general-interest women's magazines any more; just fashion, motherhood, and crafts. (Three separate genres that blur.)

Ever. I don't think there are general-interest women's magazines any more; just fashion, motherhood, and crafts.

Well, there are a few sports-related magazines, like "Shape" and SI: Women (are they still around?), but again, not covering fiction.

SI: Women is no more.

Suela, I can't name names at the moment, since I'm at work and my Writer's Market is at home, but I know there are magazines out there that do, for lack of a better word, literary personal experience pieces. And fictionalized or no, that's what it sounds like you have to me.

Uh, anyway, though, I'd say that from what I've always heard people say, MFA degrees don't really do anything to advance your career, per se. They're more about getting better as a writer through that practice, and networking. And one from the University of Smalltown is much different from one from, la, Columbia. ITO reputation-boosting. I really wouldn't weight them very much.

In poetry, an MFA is almost-strictly for getting a job teaching poetry, and worth little if it's not from Iowa University or UC Irvine. Indeed, in today's poetry climate, they get dismissed even easier than they probably should be. The winds of the art form are railing a bit against it's self-appointed hierarchy. A lot of poets blame academia for nearly killing the art form in the 70s and 80s, and indeed, the stranglehold a few small groups have held on the art form has led to a lot of stagnation.

Did you see the piece in Newsweek's last issue about the death of poetry?

Did you see the piece in Newsweek's last issue about the death of poetry?

Yeah, my response goes up within the week on About Poetry. Bloody worst article on the subject I've ever read.

Will you post a link please?

Bloody worst article on the subject I've ever read.

Considering how many times somebody writes that particular essay, being the worst you've ever seem is an awesome achievement.

I'm looking for some input. I may end up posting this on Natter and/or Bitches, since it's as much a career/personal decision as a writing one, but I thought I'd start here first:

I started working part-time so I'd have more time to write. Originally I intended to spend most of my time on freelancing of one form or another--magazine articles, freelance business writing, a resume service--while setting 5-10 hours/week aside to work on my novel. I occasionally see a career counselor, and she pushed me really hard to focus most of my energies on a resume service, since it's a skill I already have and would bring me more income more quickly than the magazine/business writing route. We planned it that I'd be ready to go into business come July 1, when I cut back my hours from 80% to 60%.

Anyway, what I've discovered so far is that I had it backwards. I don't want to be a freelancer who works on her Great English-Set American Romance Novel in her spare time. I want to be a novelist who does some freelancing on the side to keep the creative juices flowing and bring in some short-term income. And I'm not sure how well running a resume service will fit with that. Hell, I'm not even sure how well such a service would fit in with my day job schedule. Starting in July, I'll be working Tues.-Thurs. or Wed.-Fri. depending on the week. I won't have much control over when I get the orders for resumes and cover letters. If I can't turn them around in 24-48 hours, customers will find someone else who can. I'm afraid I'll end up with just enough business to run myself ragged but not enough to quit my day job, and that my novel will suffer. And really, it's all about the novel in the end.

Are these rational fears? And is it rational of me to think I'd be better off going the magazine/business freelance route, because I'd likely have more control over my schedule? I'd still have deadlines, of course, but they'd rarely be 24-48 hours, and I'd have a little more negotiating power. I think. And I could pace myself more. Does that make sense?

What it comes down to is I don't want to have a thriving resume service. I want to be a novelist. And it may be wild hubris on my part, but I believe that I have what it takes. I'm doing what I was put in the world to do. I truly believe that as long as I don't give up, I will make a go of this someday.

(And should I be trying to hush that voice that keeps saying, "This is what you're FOR. Of course you're a storyteller. You know you can write. Of course you'll be published someday. Keep writing. Anything else would be a poor second-best"? Because the world is full of failed novelists, and who am I to think I'm one of the Chosen Ones?)