Years ago, I wrote an entry on my old blog that I had
ambition that never slept. I had plans and goals for my future, and I knew
exactly how and when I would achieve those aspirations. At the time, I planned
to go to law school, and a colleague I had worked with for many years with the
state seemed to consider me a protégé, so law school seemed the correct path.
However, after getting married, I determined that law school wasn't really
where I wanted to go. Unlike other institutions, law schools have never embraced
distance or online learning (although things may be changing thanks to
Covid-19). I knew that if I attended law school, my family would have to make
many sacrifices that I didn't think were fair to make. It had also become
clearer to me that I didn't actually want to be a lawyer. What I wanted to do
was work to change bad policies, or laws, and my background in assisting
lawyers in defending those laws seemed to provide a great starting place for
what didn't work.
So, I found a hybrid master's program and I completed
the program in two years. The next stage of my plan, after law school and
(hopefully) getting a prestigious fellowship, was to pursue a master's or
higher in creative writing. That brings us to today. I'm at the end of my
fellowship, and all signs point to conversion being inevitable (although I'm
still waiting on official word). I feel secure in my position in the world,
both professionally and personally.
Recently, it became a question of what type of degree
I wanted. A well known school in the state has an online MA creative writing
degree, and at first, that seemed the way to go. However, as I learned more
about the types of creative writing degrees, I began to lean more towards a
MFA, which would give me the fall back option of teaching, should something
happen with my day job. Both programs promise to help students write a
completed manuscript by graduation, but the MFA has more transfer-ability to
other career opportunities.
I've narrowed my favorites down to three colleges,
though really, I have my heart pretty much set on one. Determining my writing
samples has been a challenge. Last semester, I took a few courses at the local
community college, just to get my feet wet with writing again. I've also been
working on a novel since Christmas, and while I've thought of using part of it
as a writing sample, I'm not sure it's quite ready to submit as evidence of my
ability.
Regardless of where I end up attending, I definitely
feel ready to go back to my first love. My passion for the law, both creating
and defending, has grown with me as an adult, but writing is a part of me, and
I'm ready to let that part of me shine.
