The Portable MFA in Creative Writing

Preface- I am a PhD student in a social science field, so technical writing is my only writing background.I have really enjoyed this book thus far (I am not quite finished yet). As someone coming from a social science background I have found this book extremely helpful in boosting my creative writing (I do it on the side as a creative release). I can't compare it to what you might learn in school because my writing training so far has been geared toward writing research. However, it has helped me identify my creative writing weaknesses and grow beyond them. Also, it has helped me hone my skills as a reader, allowing me to articulate what I do and don't like about different pieces I read.

There are many, many, many books on the Writing Creative Process. That being said, there are very few that feel, as you are reading and doing the prompts, that the instructor is there in the room with you. This book is in that category. I enjoyed the writing style and learned something at the same time. Good read.

An excellent guide that you can use to craft your own self-study in creative writing. Takes the reader step-by-step through the various facets of an MFA program, without having to shell out thousands of bucks for it. If you're interested in creative writing, this is a must-read book.

Badmouthing Bukowski will get you a bad review. Cheap literature snobs. Seriously, Raymond Carver is a great writer and all, but he’s no literary Jesus, he’s no Bukowski. Get over yourselves.

It's alright. I particularly like how the introduction serves to warn away many budding writers from wasting their money on an MFA. Much better that you just save the money and write your novel yourself. It's very telling that the longest chapter is on "Personal Essays" - the kind of thing that people find interesting for themselves, but rarely ever sell unless you are a three-time cancer survivor who raises free-range pigs with a three-legged dog in the Appalachians. Just saying, many of the chapters are hideously pretentious and difficult to navigate if you are more of a popular fiction writer. The book is alright and will save you $$ if you want some pointers from an MFA program, but don't want to slap down $55,000 to get them.3/5

I read several books like this as I worked to complete my novel and it helped me tremendously in building my skills.

I have bought many workshop-style books which might give some uninspired or tired tips on how to use craft and details to present a scene. Although I wish there had been more on fiction writing, I found myself also reading the other sections and finding that each portion was helpful, connected to the reader, and succinct in a way that insanely busy people such as myself can treasure. Jumping back into a book after a few months is no easy task, and just a few days with this book helped me back up to speed regarding craft and some stylistic elements. It won't exhaust you, and each section has something for any writer.

So far this book has been a load of help. I'm almost through the fiction section, which is admittedly what I bought the book for in the first place, and it is filled with good information and helpful exercises. And while I haven't read the other chapters of this book yet, if the quality in the first chapter is anything to go by this was well worth the purchase.

I have read only Tim's fiction section so far, and I loved it. Very concise, gets to the point, full of detailed techniques.

Splendid overview of MFA in creative writing, with a focus on poetry, fiction, and various types of essays