THE CAREER NOVELISTter, command of theme, contemporary settings, and current styles.
No doubt about it: M.F.A.'s write lovely stuff. Rarely, though, have I
read a novel by an M.F.A. that had a terrific plot. M.F.A.'s do not gen-
erally make their living writing novels; mostly they teach, and per-
haps there is a connection.
Most readers of this volume are probably beyond their formal
education. Should you return to the classroom? Are novel writing
courses worth it, or should you just take the plunge?
Experience is a great teacher, of course, but the task of novel writ-
ing is so complex that I strongly suggest that you not leap into it
without some preparation and practice. If nothing else, try your
hand at short stories. That will not work for everyone, of course. I,
for example, have never done a short story. My first fiction was a
sixty thousand-word romance novel, which was published and
made me a small pot of money. However, I had a strong writing
background and had also been producing reader's reports for a new
line called Rendezvous Romances (later renamed Silhouette
Books). I was uniquely prepared for that task.
If you do enroll in a writing class, be aware that you will learn
more if your instructor is sympathetic to the type of novel that you
want to write. Try to audit the class ahead of time. Phone former stu-
dents. Be a good consumer. What's at stake is your confidence.
Many a good writer has been hurt by a bad teacher.
Now, what about career backgrounds? Are there any occupations
that can usefully prepare one for full-time novel writing? Do techni-
cal writers, screenwriters, or journalists have an edge?
Here are some of the jobs that my clients had before they went
full-time: psychiatric nurse, sculptor and game designer, under-
ground journalist, secretary, real estate developer, ad salesperson,
flight attendant, civil servant, career counselor, college administra-
tor, lawyer, copy writer, mother, and homemaker. As you can see,
that is quite a variety of occupations.
The nation's best-selling authors present a similarly diverse
cross section. Tom Clancy was an insurance salesman. Judith Krantz
was an advertising executive. Stephen King was a high school
teacher. In prior occupations you can sometimes see the roots of