If you’ve got some time on your hands, US magazine Poets & Writers has a very interesting interview with literary agent Nat Sobel.
As well as anecdotes about working with James Ellroy, and many, many insights into the current state of American publishing, Sobel also has some interesting things to say about the value of MFA creative writing courses:
I was asked this question once at a university. I was talking to seniors, and some of the writers were considering going into MFA programs. They asked me about the MFA programs. I said I thought it was great for discipline: You have to write. I mean, you should want to write, but if you find that difficult and need the discipline of going to class, then you should go do it. If you want to go ahead with a career in the university, if you want to teach creative writing, you’re going to need an MFA. I think the programs do some good for people who either need the degree in order to continue in the university setting or need the discipline. But I think the originality factor is something that’s suffering as a result. We’re getting too much of the same old, same old. But I’m working right now with a writer who’s going for his MFA, and he’s writing a novel in first person that is very unusual, and I’m encouraging him to keep working on it. It’s difficult to give you a blank statement about MFAs. There are good things and there are some quite negative things.
I think that makes a lot of sense.
The full interview is here. Put the kettle on, because there’s plenty of it.
