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MFA Creative Writing Reflections

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How do I feel finishing my first year as a creative writing MFA grad student? Thank you for asking.

I feel:

  • Exhausted
  • Excited
  • Proud
  • Motivated
  • Educated
  • Ready for a vacation!

When I reflect on my first year at Lesley University, it’s apparent that I like to challenge myself. Oh the leisurely life of a slacker… that has never been me. In my first year I have experienced creative and craft breakthrough, honed my voice and forced myself to edit like a samurai. It has really has paid off. I have developed an awesome work ethic when it comes to my writing. It’s not always fun, but I sit my but in the chair (or stand at my make-shift standing desk) and get to work. I love being productive and that is a reward in itself many days.

My MFA program has not been all work and no play. I LOVE (love, love, love) my school residencies and count many of my peers dear friends. Sometimes I daydream about them, wonder what they are up to in their part of the world, hope that their writing is going fabulously and of course eagerly anticipate seeing them at the next residency.

 

Over the last year, as a writer I have learned:

  • To never give up
  • Following your passions involves sacrifice
  • Sleep is often optional
  • The harder you work the better you become

 

Over the last year, as a human being I have learned:

  • To see the beauty in every person and hope for the best
  • When busy with your passions, make every moment with loved ones quality time
  • Regular, boring life can inspires greatness
  • Family time is never optional

 

The craziest part of my exhaustion after the first year? I am already considering my PhD options. Go figure!

This coffee mug was given to me by my second semester mentor, Pam Petro. It’s become my, “I’m a writer” mug, and I love it.

Alexis Marie Chute MFA creative writing Lesley University coffee cup 2 blog

My Writing Process

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First of all, welcome guests to my new writer & author website! It has been a serious labor of love getting this site off the ground and I am so thankful for my amazing husband who devoted countless hours to learning code and making this dream a reality. Thank you Aaron!

Now, onto exciting business! My friend and fellow writer, Sabrina Fedel, challenged me to the “My Writing Process” blog tour. Sabrina is a MFA in Creative Writing Alum from Lesley University, where I am currently a grad student. Was I up for the blog tour challenge? Absolutely!

 

1. What am I working on?

I am on the final leg of editing my memoir about my pregnancy following the death of my second child. Editing this book has been challenging because I must constantly place myself back in the midst of an emotionally devastating time of my life – but I’m almost done! I am also working on essays for multiple publications including my ongoing column in Flurt Magazine. I write a great deal every single day and in a wide range of topics from art, grief and healing, self-esteem, the writer’s life, social commentary and profiles on interesting people. Not to mention blogging: www.AlexisMarieArt.com, www.WantedChosenPlanned.com, www.AlexisMarieWrites.com, and soon www.AlexisMariePhoto.com – I blog a lot! I find all this writing exciting and the variety refreshing. Also in the mix, I am in the planning stages of my next book… but more on that in months to come.

 

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

This is the single most important question that every writer must define for themselves in order to be a success.

Regarding my current memoir, I believe what sets my work apart is its raw authenticity and vulnerability. I show myself at my worst; the darkest moments where I struggle and fail as a human being as I mourn my child and wrestle with my marriage and faith. It is scary to imagine others reading my book because it exposes so much, but at the same time I believe that the honesty I portray will resonate with others who have also lost a child and those that have experienced any kind of trauma. In the end, I hope this vulnerability will inspire and help readers as they navigate their own path to healing.

In the other writing that I do, the articles, essays, reviews, interviews; I believe my work makes people stop and ponder and even just laugh at life. These things are essentially me and are traced along each letter of every piece of my work.

 

3. Why do I write what I do?

In many ways I believe my current writing on bereavement and art for healing chose me, not the other way around. When my son died, he gave me a voice, passion and something important to say. That’s why I write what I do, it’s a legacy for my son birthed from empathy for others and a desire to be an encouragement.

At the same time, I do not want my work to be solely defined by this one niche. There is a lot I have to say and these new directions can be seen in all the current writing I am doing. I will always write from the place of a healing individual, because that is who I am, but I also have a cheeky side to my new work that I am excited to develop.

 

4. How does my writing process work?

My process is simple, really. I have 24 hours a day, just like everyone else. I say to myself, “Let’s see how much I can get accomplished,” and make a game out of it. If I have six hours to work but eight hours worth of work to do, I push myself and see how productive I can be.

My working process is like a race; sometimes I sprint, sometimes I jog, every once in a while I walk. My bad days are a slow limp – but I am always moving. I never stop. This relentless determination is a trait I got from my Mom. There is literally no stopping me and I will never give up.

In a passion/business like writing, perseverance is key.

While challenging myself, I always strive to be positive and accept that I am doing the best I can. It’s not always easy to show myself grace and understanding. I’m a pretty strict boss and I get along quite well with the drill sergeant in me. She barks out orders because there are always a plethora of deadlines and this energy fuels me to push myself to the limit.

My office chair is always warm; I sit down and get to work. Each and every day. I don’t give myself time for procrastination. It’s this ‘focus and get it done’ work ethic that energizes me. I love the feeling I get when I’ve accomplished something and that reward is highly motivating.

 

That’s it! That’s my writing life in a nutshell.

So, how about you? Are you up for the challenge? What is your writing process?

(Comment below or post on your own site and then share the link here.)

Here are some of my friend’s writing processes:

Sebrina Fedel

Cynthia Platt 

Isolation and the Writer

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I am just about to finish my second residency as a creative writing grad student. I loved being on campus with other writers and immersed in seminars that stimulate my art and hone my craft. It has been a fabulous break from working alone in my office (or alone in my art studio).

Once residency is over I know I will be headed back to work in the required isolation of my passion/profession. I’m already feeling a little lonely just thinking about it – but I have a plan!

 

coffee hand photo copyright alexis marie chute

Ideas for Writers to Annex the Isolation:

 

  • Work in a place where people will surround you. A coffee shop. A library. On the train. There is a children’s play café I like to go to where my kids can do their thing and I can write. It’s a nice environment because we still get to interact frequently yet I somehow still manage to get a lot done there.

 

  • Be a part of an online community of writers. I feel lucky to have multiple groups on Facebook where I can go and interact with other writers. These places are touchstones of virtual camaraderie.

 

  • Be a part of a flesh-and-blood community of writers. This is a challenge for me since I have little kids and not as much flexibility to go out every night – but my resolution is to pencil in the events around my city and make a good effort to get out of the house. I am a part of the Canadian Authors’ Association and the Writers Guild of Alberta. These are my communities. What are yours?

 

  • Make keeping in touch with others a part of your writerly discipline. I plan to write emails, text messages and cards (gotta love the hand written card) to my friends and fellow writers. It takes effort but is worth it. The goal should be to encourage, celebrate and commiserate together and to form friendships that will benefit both parties. Cheerleaders and honest critics are like gold.

 

  • The most important point: Make peace with being alone by recognizing the difference between solitude and loneliness. Solitude is a gift. Being alone in your skin and comfortable there, solitude is the place where life’s noise can be hushed and true focus and even inspiration attained. Solitude recognizes that while physically separate from others we are never truly alone and that the love from those that care about us always remains close.

Are their any ideas that I missed? How do you stay sane as a writer (as any kind of creative person) during the hours of solitary work? Let’s brainstorm!

 

How does a Writer Prepare for Her MFA?

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The time clock marking my first day at Lesley University is counting down, quickly, – but technically I’m already a Masters of Fine Art student with the work load that must be checked off before day one of the first residency. I’ve got books to read and nearly a hundred pages of supplementary material to cover as well. I need to prep my writing for the hands on workshops. Not to mention reading and providing feedback on my peer’s writing…

I can picture a select few of my friends recoiling at all this reading, but hey, that’s why I applied for my MFA; I’m a bookworm and a passionate writer. What some may think of as literary torture, I relish with girlish delight.

Okay, okay. It is not all fun and games. I’ve got to put in some serious leg work and sweat it to prepare everything on time. Still, there are some things in life that give you goose bumps and you just know, deep in the core of your chest, that these are the moments that matter and will be magic in the end. This is the time that matters, right now.

 

Besides the assigned readings and travel logistics, how am I preparing for my MFA? Good question!

 

1. I am writing about it (Thanks for reading).

 

2. Rubbing virtual shoulders with current students online; making friends I’m already excited to come face-to-face with during our step out of the virtual world and onto campus.

 

3. I’m trying to get other stuff done. Clean the office. Tie up the loose ends of projects. There’s a lot to accomplish before I can be worry free and enjoy my schooling (quiet down you who just called me a “keener.” It’s true but you don’t have to rub it in!).

 

4. Prep my family. My daughter knows I am going to be away. She’s intrigued by the idea of spending more time with her dad and grandparents and is over the moon about flying to Boston for a vacation when my classes are done. My baby, my sweet little unsuspecting guy – all I can do for him is pour endless hugs and kisses into every second of our time together. Hubby will be busy filling my beautifully expert mom shoes while I am gone so I’m not too worried about him. He won’t have time to miss me. I have informed my family that I will be an emotional mess of mommy love while away and that I’ll need constant encouragement to stay the course. All have been sufficiently warned.

MFA Lesley University Cambridge nail biting photograph copyright Alexis Marie Chute

And last and likely most importantly:

 

5. I’m trying to NOT think about it too much. As a writer with a constant flow of verbal commentary that quietly narrates my whole life, I’m avoiding psyching myself out. Especially as I have a graceful pull towards the dramatic, I can already imagine my inner monologue going something like this:

“Alexis Marie pushes her thick black glasses back into the groove of her nose, her eyes nearly as wide as her frames as she stares up at the tall buildings before her. She tugs at her shirt. ‘Damn it!’ she curses, hoping no one will notice her perspiration soaked underarms. ‘Day one as a grad student,’ she sighs as she searches her course schedule for the room number of her first class.

After a myriad of false starts and wrong doors, she finally sits amongst a group of people who lounge confidently, like seasoned academics, tweed coats and all. The first workshop member stands to read her work, a piece of writing about her childhood. ‘Oh crap,’ Alexis Marie’s shoulders slump. ‘This woman is describing herself as a rambunctious blond three year old… I miss my own rambunctious blond three year old back home. How am I going to get through this? I’ve been a grad student for 30 seconds!’ With subtlety so as not to draw attention, Alexis Marie slips her cell phone out of her bag and begins to search for the earliest flight back to Edmonton.”

 

And there you have it. That is why I do not want think too much about the wonderful/scary/exciting/nail-biting experience I am about to dive into. I know myself well. It really is better if I stay busy, remain focused on the immediate here and now – then one day, when I allow my consciousness to catch up with me, I’ll be like, “Wow, my residency has begun! I can totally do this!”

 

Until then, wish me luck!

MFA Lesley University Cambridge calendar pens photograph copyright Alexis Marie Chute

Accepted! I’m a MFA in Creative Writing student!

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I will be walking in the footsteps of many great writers as I begin my Masters of Fine Art program in Cambridge Massachusetts. Just today I received the acceptance call from Lesley University to study creative non-fiction.

Being a multi-faceted artist is just who I am. I cannot be only a painter, or only a photographer, or only a writer. Every part of my creative expression serves to benefit and enrich the other parts. It has been my dream for so long to be a published writer. In the last year I have made huge headway with this dream by writing a memoir and two novels plus countless poems.

My acceptance into Lesley is a major milestone on my creative journey. This is a good day! A very, very good day!

Lesley’s campus is just footsteps from Harvard Square and minutes from Boston. It is my dream location of study! As a person who finds inspiration through travel and new locals, I am thrilled to continue my creative pursuits in this wonderful location! Lesley University has painted a beautiful picture of the culture in the city:

Boston is filled with fascinating nooks and crannies, some obvious and others that you will find for yourself. Think bookstores, used record stores, thrift shop nirvana. Newbury Street is lined with art galleries, European-style cafes, and boutiques. Additionally, there are many interesting and vibrant areas such as Chinatown, artsy Jamaica Plain and Brickbottom, and Portuguese and Brazilian neighborhoods found in Cambridge. Boston attracts some of the best, brightest, and most creative people in the world.

As a student of Creative Writing at Lesley University, I will:

–          Receive guidance from prize winning writers

–          Join the university’s accomplished alumni of published writers

–          Participate in residencies on campus in Cambridge

–          Be inspired in a major literary city and become a part-time citizen of that literary Mecca

My first memoir is about my pregnancy following the loss of my son Zachary. Now, in my MFA, I will embark on a new memoir which has been percolating in my mind and heart for the last year. I can’t wait!

Over the course of my MFA I will post about my experiences and keep you all up to date! This is an exciting chapter for me (yes, book pun intended).

I’d like to thank my amazing cheerleaders Daphne Read, Brenda Mann & Jody Stark. Thanks also to my family and friends for believing in me and my writing.

Short-listed!

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My creative non-fiction piece has been short-listed for PRISM international 2013 Non-Fiction Contest!

This is such a super honor! When I posted yesterday about the schedule of when the winners would be announced, I was actually off by a day.

Today is the day!

At some point today I will get an email with either ‘Congratulations’ or otherwise – but no matter what, I am thankful and elated to have gotten this far.

My piece of writing is about my experience of attending my son Zachary’s memorial service.

I will post again later on the final verdict. Until then, I’ll be holding my breath…

PRISM international’s 2013 Non-Fiction Contest long-list

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When I write, I create, edit, submit and forget. It’s a process that works since I am a super busy artist/photographer/writer/mom/wife/renaissance woman extraordinaire. The forgetting part is handy since I don’t waste time biting my nails wondering if I have a rejection letter city hopping its way to my mailbox.

PRISM International Magazine

So you can imagine I was wonderfully surprised to discover that my creative non-fiction piece, “Goodbye and Goodbyes” made it onto the long list of the PRISM international 2013 Non-Fiction Contest long-list. Wawsa! This news made me smile!

The long-list of 15 pieces of writing has been officially announced today. The short-list will be announced tomorrow, Tuesday January 15 and the grand prize winners and runners up the following day, Wednesday, January 16. It will be a whirlwind three days and I have already begun my nail biting now that the race is on. I may have no nails left by Wednesday but I can’t wait!

 

A little bit about PRISM International:

PRISM international is a quarterly magazine out of Vancouver, British Columbia, whose mandate is to publish the best in contemporary writing and translation from Canada and around the world.

 

The submissions for this competition go through two rounds of blind judging before the final verdict is decided by the final judge, Andreas Schroeder.

Here is the long-list finalists! Congratulations to all writers! What a feat! It is truly an accomplishment to get this far and I am thrilled to be listed amongst these fellow creatives.

– ‘Sans Everything’ by Cullene Bryant

– ‘An Excerpt from Horse Camp’ by Jonarno Lawson

– ‘Queasy’ by Madeline Sonik

– ‘Salt Spring Sprouts n Seeds’ by Stephanie McKechnie

– ‘When you finally know me’ by Trisha Cull

– ‘Nine Bouquets from Nine Sailors’ by Eve Joseph

– ‘People and Cow of Good Fortune’ by Leonard Neufeldt

– ‘I Thought I Knew You Emily’ by Madeline Nattrass

– ‘Click: Immortality’ by David Alexander

– ‘The Skeleton Coast’ by Zara Callmann

– ‘The Breaking Wave’ by Laura Trethewey

– ‘Habibi’ by Maisie Jacobson

– ‘Goodbye and Goodbyes’ by Alexis Marie Chute

– ‘Narrative Supplement’ by Carolyn White

– ‘Vanishing Point’ by Heather Tucker

 

I will put out another Writing Update on Tuesday and Wednesday to announce how the competition plays out!

The Quiet Rebuild

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This post was first seen on my blog Wanted Chosen Planned as it relates to the rebuilding of my life after the loss of my son Zachary. I featured it there to encourage those who have lost a child to experiment with art (of all kinds: painting, photography, journal writing, etc.) as a means to find healing. I re-post it here as my hope for this blog is to bolster the weary creative spirit within us and to turn our frustration, fear, and failure into the artwork and creative writing that we were born to bring forth. 

“The Quiet Rebuild” © Alexis Marie Chute, Wood Sculpture 2012

I have been making sculpture although I am not primarily a sculptural artist. I find the use of my hands in the tactile nature of my recent artwork very soothing. My art has been focusing on the idea that we create our understanding of the world in many ways. When my son Zachary died, my world crashed down. Like a forest burn by fire, I was brought to ash, literally. It is fitting that my artwork uses wood, both natural and manmade. I find this particular piece, “Quiet Rebuild” particularly therapeutic to look at. It reminds me of where I am at, rebuilding my life in a different time, a simpler, basic time where my expectations of the world have been brought into check.

I rebuild my life and my understanding of the world from the burnt forest, atop a humble piece of wood. What I make of my life at this stage is truly of my own invention and each fragment of my understanding of the world comes together in an awkward balance but feels right in the face of everything I have endured.

Art is a personal and unique expression. It may not bring you the answers you search for but it can help you understand the questions you are asking. I encourage you to experiment, play and create like a child. Healing often does not arrive in the way we expect.

“The Quiet Rebuild” – When death comes and takes, it changes us who live. When we see this life as it is, the impermanence of all we hold dear and yet our ability to continue on, to love and value what truly matters, then we rebuild our soul with these lessons, changed yet whole.