Creative writing students gather for weekend of inspiration
On a chilly Friday morning, Texas A&M-University-Victoria students gathered to flex their writing muscles using random words as inspiration.
As she put a series of prompts up on the projector screen, changing them every 40 seconds, Nadya Pittendrigh encouraged students not to get hung up on making every word perfect, but to get the words on paper.
“Don’t worry about making it good. Just finish it,” the associate professor of English and director of composition said. “Perfection is the enemy.”
Friday’s workshop was just one of several events planned during the university’s MFA Weekend. The weekend is a chance for students from the university’s online Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program to come together and interact face to face.
“The students in our MFA program have amazing creative minds and talent,” said Anthony Madrid, associate professor and director of creative writing. “This weekend is a chance for them to build a writing community and learn the power of having an audience. They get to personally see the impact of their own words on others.”
The weekend began Thursday, Nov. 5 with an open meeting of Skeemer, the unofficial student poetry publication. On Friday, students started the day with the Writer’s Block Party workshop; followed by a master class by Brendon Vayo, visiting assistant professor of English; and then another workshop followed by a reading by Vayo later that evening. The weekend wrapped up Saturday with more writing workshops, followed by the MFA Student Reading session.
During his master class, Vayo shared tips on how to write dialogue in fiction. During his presentation, students took part in an activity in which they wrote a word or phrase they used to say but don’t anymore, then put them in a bucket. Vayo then had students draw random entries and use them to create examples of dialogue, interior monologue and voice.
“My hope for this weekend is that it becomes an opportunity for anyone who is interested in creative writing to see if this is something they want to pursue themselves,” Vayo said. “They’ll have the chance to see what writers do in their daily activities, and hear from a variety of experts in different types of writing. I hope it piques their interest and engages their creativity.”
For Veronica Meredith, an MFA student from Waco, the program is an exciting opportunity for her to advance in her career and have support as she works to complete a large project. She currently works in the McLennan Community College library, and the college recently had an opening for a creative writing faculty member. Meredith applied, but she was told she needed to have a master’s degree. The online program through A&M-Victoria was a perfect opportunity for her to earn her degree on her own schedule. In addition, she said the final thesis project is an inspiring challenge.
“The final thesis for the program is a 150-page book, and I’ve struggled with completing long projects in the past,” she said. “This program could help me learn how to push through and finish my projects and how to prepare them for publication one day.”
During the weekend, Meredith shared some of her current projects, including a short story and a screenplay. The workshops throughout the weekend were exciting but challenging experiences, she said. The process of writing under pressure and not worrying about if everything is elegant and polished can be difficult. But she has enjoyed the social aspect of coming together with her fellow students.
“For most of the year, we mostly interact through Zoom sessions or with discussion board posts,” Meredith said. “Now, we’re seeing each other’s faces, hearing voices. It’s further cementing our bond as a group of writers who are getting to know each other and sharing parts of ourselves through our work.”
For more information about the MFA in creative writing program, go to https://www.tamuv.edu/liberal-arts-social-sciences/graduate-degrees/creative-writing/ or contact Madrid at madrida@tamuv.edu.
Texas A&M University-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the colleges of Business, Education & Health Professions, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, and Natural & Applied Science. A&M-Victoria provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as online classes that students can take from anywhere. The university supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.