MFA update

I'm almost finished with everything for my third packet, which is due Friday. It is hard to believe I'm halfway through my first semester at Vermont College of Fine Arts!

I'm thrilled to be working with Margaret Bechard. She's an award winning author, and is also a great teacher. I've loved both her books, Hanging on to Max (contemporary) and Spacer and Rat (sci fi), that I've read. Her feedback to me is incredibly insightful, detailed, and useful in improving my writing immediately. It is also applicable to all my future writing. I'm lucky I got her as my advisor.

So far this semester I've written a lot and learned even more:
-Six critical essays.
-One picture book.
-Two short stories--one decent, the other in need of CPR.
-34,000 words of a first draft of River, a contemporary YA adventure novel. After I finish this draft I'll need to step back and make some hard POV (point of view) decisions, choose the best way to tell this story.
-I've read 3 craft books and stacks of other books.
-Plus, I better understand many craft issues, especially ones related to characters and their development, POV, and showing emotion.

My break is over. Time for me to get back to work. I still have some revising to do on the essays and need to write more of my letter to Margaret, where I discuss my writing this past month.