D a l l a s R o b b i n s

How a thirtysomething former Mormon missionary ended up writing the conclusion to the most popular fantasy series since Tolkien.

In the October issue of The Believer, there is a great and fun article about Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series and Brandon Sanderson's big break in finishing up what Jordan started.  Absolutely worth a read.

Random Thoughts on MFA Writing Programs, Ponzi Scemes, and Workmanlike Novels

I have occasionally pondered on the possibility of getting an MFA in creative writing.  The idea has never really appealed to me, especially weighing the cost/benefit.  Would it make me a better writer?  Likely, but not certain. Does it guarantee a writing career?  No, not particularly.  Would it put me in a awful state of debt?  Without a doubt. 

I have come across several comments on the pros and cons of MFA writing programs.  I respect a good number of the writers who teach at such programs (Ethan Canin, Marilynne Robinson, Kelly Link, and Tony Early among a few), but they are only a handful.  I suppose if I wanted to teach at a university and write on the side, a MFA would be a good choice.  But being a working full-time writer probably requires a different path.

I like Garrison Keillor's advice,

"Skip the MFA in creative writing…. If you want to write, sit down for a few weeks with the most gripping book you’ve ever read and analyze it to a fine hair—how it’s organized, the structure, the time sequence, the characterizations—and then set out and write something similar. Don’t turn up your nose at genre fiction—which MFA programs tend to do. Learn how to write a workmanlike novel. And if it doesn’t get accepted for publication, no problem—go on and write another one."

Beyond Philip Roth's The Humbling

When Philip Roth's latest novel The Humbling was released, it took a few weeks before the critical reviews catched up with it.  And some reviews I've read (here, here, and here) provoked strong reactions, with some worthwhile critical insights.  I read the book and enjoyed, but a masterpiece it is not.

That's when I came across Leon Wieseltier's review, which is not exactly a review in the traditional sense, but uses The Humbling as an example of what has been lost in fiction of late.  The first three paragraphs of his review are simply stunning in my opinion, and anyone who cares about literature should take the time to read and think about them.  He begins first with a quote: