HookedOnPhonix

My workshops were a total mixed bag; the quality is so dependent on the instructor and the cohort. Overall I've been pleased with it. There are a few instructors who I avoid because they have a bad reputation (either for being vicious or only open to hard realism), and there are a few people in my cohort who I try not to end up in workshop at the same time with (for similar reasons). You can't tell what the atmosphere's like until you get there, so if you do get in a few places try to visit, or ask for the email of a current student. For a genre writer, you might think about avoiding programs which are known to be overly competitive, because that can put people in survival mode and make them a bit cliquey and non-inclusive. On the other side of the coin, be wary of the all-inclusive, we-take-all-types-but-offer-no-funding schools like Columbia, because while you can find a workshop that exactly fits your needs, it's almost never worth the price tag. In my experience, the impulse to write the "workshop story" (which is code for a dull but well-written, very literary, very realistic story in which nothing much happens, but which the workshop can't find fault in) is self-imposed. The first few times you or someone else brings something risky to workshop and it doesn't work can make you retreat back into the safety zone. But the first time you bring something risky to workshop and it does work, that's where you can really start sinking into your voice. (Another note, it doesn't sound like this is an issue for you but I think a lot of people don't get into an MFA program the first time around because they're sticking to safe workshop-y stories, which means they're interchangeable with all the other safe, workshop-y stories in the pile.) Can I ask which authors are stylistically similar to you? I might have a few school ideas. Here's an essay from Saunders about his experience at grad school, and how for a time he lost the spark in favor of being over-literary: https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/my-writing-education-a-timeline

Hi, recent fiction grad here. You're right that many schools have a literary preference, but the best writers will get in somewhere regardless of form. You also see a lot of the newer literary big shots toeing the line - Ben Percy, George Saunders, Karen Russell etc. If it's hard genre, you'll have a more difficult time, but an original story, written well, with elements thriller, mystery, and horror, would be well received at most programs. (Brown, as you mentioned, is its own animal.) While the article has some good points (I do think the literary / genre divide is artificial and silly) I don't agree that MFAs push a pretentious echo chamber... not the ones worth going to, anyway. It's also holding up Flannery O'Connor as the main voice it's pushing against, and she was referring to what workshop looked like in the 1950's. For a view on a current day workshop atmosphere, check out this essay: https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexanderchee/my-parade As to where to apply, because you're more of a genre person, program fit is going to be especially important. Even if you got into an excellent literary program, the faculty there aren't necessarily going to be equipped to be most helpful to you. My advice is to look up your favorite authors and see if they're teaching anywhere, make a list of those schools, see which ones are funded, and narrow it down from there. It's not unreasonable to ask for 6-8 recommendations. 10's a lot, but if you have a good relationship, go for it. If they have creative writing backgrounds you may also want to think about asking them for suggestions, it gets them more invested and makes it less of a chore. Make it as easy as possible for them, thank them profusely, and keep them updated if/where you get in! Edit: Forgot to add my big note. Don't get discouraged, and don't be too nervous to apply! It's really impossible to guess which schools are looking for what style of writer on any given year, so worry more about what you're looking for in a school than what they're looking for in their applicants. Good luck!