Creative Writing MA and other courses advice..please!

[Posttradmum]

Hello,
A bit of background: I submitted a few applications for MA Creative Writing courses over the summer, and was delighted to receive an unconditional offer from a great Uni.
It was all a bit of a rush at the beginning of the term, but I managed to make the induction day and attended one workshop this week.

Now that I've done the journey, what should - according to my phone map- have been a 1 1/2 hour commute (which felt do-able) is at least 2 hours.
So that's 8 hours a week travelling (2 days a week on campus). This is coupled with the workshops/sessions being held late afternoon which isn't great with childcare/school pick up.

My personal tutor seems quite kind and helpful, however, I'm not sure I really clicked with him. The study group is largely graduates who have followed straight on with their MA from undergrad. They also seem very nice, but I think I was secretly hoping for at least a few cardi wearing mum students pushing 50 (like me!).

The course content itself seems interesting: I've discovered so much about breaking down a story in only a week!
But (and it's a big but) I feel like perhaps it isn't the right fit, even though I desperately want it to be..

I've wanted to get onto an MA course for a long, long time and ultimately take this darn book through to publication, or -at the very least- become a far better writer than I am now.

Since starting the course, I'm just not sure.

Wonder if one of the Faber Academy or other courses may suit me better?
My interest is solely memoir at the moment. During the MA, I'm likely to be studying everything, which is another consideration.

I feel I should quit, both head and head suggesting the same, but I worry that would leave me feeling sad, flaky and pathetic! And also regret losing the opportunity.
I had a rejection from another good uni, so was grateful to receive this offer.
Any advice is so gratefully received.

Congratulations!

An MA is quite a financial commitment though isn’t it? Have you not already committed to paying for the course? If so, I’d continue. It’s for a short time, you’ve already learned a lot and overall you are talking about a commute that is just two hours pw more than you were expecting. I’d also use the commuting time to dictate/draft your assignments/listen to audio versions of reading lists - at least no one is interrupting you to ask what’s for dinner…!

Can you get family/afterschool club/temp childcare for the year to reduce the strain on pick ups/drop offs so you can attend the workshops? A specific course like this may well open doors to a publisher/agent, especially if the course is well known - such as the ones at UEA etc. Learning how to write other styles other than memoir may seem pointless right now, but I think can only improve/hone the skills that led to the offer made to you. I think I would chat through with the dept head your concerns and see what they suggest.

On the matter of being a mature student, I think sharing the experience with younger people is no bad thing - there’s no guarantee you’d hit it off with anyone of a similar age!

Thanks netaporter 🌸
Because I applied then enrolled so late on, I haven't paid yet, but the invoice is imminent.

Now that I know the likely timetable for next year, I'm thinking of deferring instead of pressing ahead right now.
Although the danger is I'll lose some momentum, it feels much more manageable, and gives me the chance to organise myself a bit better! I did request a rough outline of contact hours when I applied, but we only found out on induction day.

It's an option and would be so helpful with finances and time..

I always fancied the MAs, but didn’t have the money so did shorter online courses with Curtis Brown Creative, then longer courses with The Novelry. I also read various books that taught me a lot. I’ve now written one first draft of one novel and two drafts of another. I don’t think the MA is the only, or best way to learn how to write a novel. I’d still like to do one, but more for the community and academic side. I almost think it might hinder the novel writing to do an MA as there’s usually a variety of stuff that needs doing (academic essays, trying other forms). Those other things will take time and focus away from the novel writing.

Does the university do any creative writing Short Courses? These can be really great; they would be a shorter time commitment or possibly online, would still give you lots of great information about writing, access to tutors and feedback, other students to be in a writing community with, etc. If you don't actually need the qualification, consider doing one of these first, then you can see if the MA is a goer later on. If your uni doesn't do these courses, look elsewhere for online courses, specifically focused on memoir and life writing. This would also be a lot cheaper than Faber Academy etc.

I did a Creative Writing MA with the Open Uni online and loved it