Returning to Grad School at SNHU with Intro to the MFA (MFA-505)

Returning to grad school wasn't on my bingo card this year. (But, then again, a lot of things weren't.) However, my decision to apply for Southern New Hampshire University's Master of Fine Arts program, and my acceptance into said program, was something I had on my bucket list of to-eventually-dos since I graduated with my Bachelor's earlier this year. This is why, when I was accepted into the MFA program, I was beyond ecstatic and ready to dive back in. 

Like all things, I started at the beginning: with MFA-505, or, Intro to the MFA Program. 

Led by Senior Associate Dean Derrick Craigie, the class began as most of my others did: with an introductory discussion, as well as what is described as a "virtual mentorship," in which we were tasked to choose a text to help guide us through the class. I chose Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott, which I'll dive into here shortly.

The class was primarily composed of three major moving parts: a series of discussion posts surrounding what we believed our place in the writing community happened to be, a number of journals that accompanied them, and a large, interview-style project that was the culmination of our work in MFA-505. 

There was also a segment wherein we were tasked to rewrite the opening of Herman Meville's Moby Dick, and a mock workshop we took part in, during which we "critiqued" a previously written story by a writer outside the class through the Annotate program (which I unfortunately did wrong due to lack of proper instructions, which is in part a failure on present university guidelines as well as my own lack of comprehension.) I have attached a (rather unfortunately lengthy) video of the rewrite exercise, as well as my thoughts on it, below. 

You can read the final version that I refined for the discussion post, wherein we completed this exercise, on the blog here. 

Throughout the duration of Intro to the MFA, I felt as though I belonged, and that I was in a space of like-minded writers who were working toward their various goals and aspirations. I received great feedback from Senior Associate Dean Craigie, had excellent interactions with my peers, and felt the final project (the interview-style paper) did its job in helping establish a baseline toward what we will be eventually doing in the later parts of the class. 

In regard to Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, I felt that much of the text was designed with beginning writers in mind. While I do not feel that is a failing on Lamott's part, and is based more on the fact that I have been writing for some time, I would have chosen a different text had I known it was written to cater to those who were new(er) in the writing process. Had I the choice to go back and choose a different text, I would have probably picked King's On Writing, which likely would have served me better given the point I am at in the current state of my career.

Beyond the issues I had with Annotate, I felt this class was the perfect introduction to the MFA program at Southern New Hampshire University. Senior Associate Dean Craigie was an excellent instructor, and I am extremely pleased with how the course was assembled and scaffolded throughout.

Final grade: A (1000/1000)

Rewriting Moby Dick: An Exercise in Voice

Voice is a distinguishing part of a writer's toolkit. It not only allows someone to write in a manner that is distinctly their own, but to take part in the overall landscape that makes up the genre (or literary) space.

Though this post comes after I've completed Intro to the MFA Program on August 17th, I did want to highlight an assignment we were tasked to do as a discussion, which introduced and further detailed the important of voice.

In this discussion, we were assigned to rewrite the opening of Herman Meville's Moby Dick, the classic of the man hunting the great white whale, which famously begins with "Call me Ishmael." This assignment was meant to test our individual voice, in a style that was our own within a genre of our choosing. Given I write young adult fiction almost exclusively now, I decided to rewrite the opening of Moby Dick in my voice.

The discusssion took place in week 4 of Intro to the MFA, and the assignment was meant to be roughly 250 words. This is what I came up with for the reimagined opening of Moby Dick in my own voice:

Most men would cherish the ocean. I would rather be free of it.

Of course, this is no longer possible, given my circumstance, the things that have happened to me. I am but a girl whose father was lost to sea, and whose place I have taken aboard the vessel.

We were meant to chase the whale. Now, however, I wonder if we will ever find him.

The cruel wind tosses the waves and the boat in earnest. Bobbing up, then down in feverish motions, it causes the men aboard to scramble to hold themselves steady. Many are practiced sailors, some more green than others. I, however, have grown up on these waters–and have witnessed the water’s cruel beauty, just as I have its wicked tenacity. As a result, it is not surprising to see some men fall.

A wicked wave rushes forward, striking the boat with enough force to cause the frame to shudder, its people to shake. I think of my father’s final moments upon a boat like this, of his terrible desperation to make our lives better for the two of us. I remember him slipping, then falling, only to be lost to the terrible sea.

I think of his final words as he’d drowned along these barbarous coasts. The one name he’d called–not God’s, but mine.

Ishmae.

The feedback I received highlighted the craft elements that made it distinctly YA, in which I changed Ishmael from a man to a young girl, and reinterpreted the opening in a voice that was disctintly first-person present-tense. 

If you're interested in seeing a (unfortunately lengthy) video about my process with this assignment, you can click or tap on the YouTube thumbnail below to see what I did during the writing of the assignment, and my thoughts while reviewing it.

Preemptive Nerves

Hello everyone,

I figured that I would not start writing on this blog until I began the MFA program, which officially starts on June 9. However, I felt it would be a disservice to not share the nerves that have preemptively begun to envelop me, especially since they are related to school.

I took a look at my first class, which happens to be MFA-505: Introduction to Online MFA, and while I was not immediately stricken with nerves upon viewing its curriculum, I did start to feel a sense of doubt when I began to read up on the later parts of the program, during which time I will be required to work with an instructor to create a solid plan for the MFA thesis, otherwise known as the "MFA Novel."

You would think that this wouldn't bother me as much as it does, but as of now, I am working through a series of emotions, mainly being: the impostor syndrome that I imagined would come at some point, but which I hadn't expected would occur before the program actually began.

I know I shouldn't be dwelling on the what ifs or what will happens, especially since I haven't actively started school yet. Truth be told: I have been dealing with feelings of doubt since the flood that struck my previous home in the Rio Grande Valley in March (you can read more about that on my main blog on my website here.) My life was completely upended by the 100-year flood event; and while I know that I am still acclimating to life in Idaho, where I was born and where I grew up, I still feel a certain hesitation in returning to school.

I am, however, telling myself that I was accepted for a reason. I know I have the technical capabilities to write a good story. I am aware of the fact that MFA programs are historically hard to get into, and that they do not accept everyone. Above all, I am proud that I was accepted into this program.

While I know the days ahead are likely going to be filled with more anxiety, I have faith in the way Southern New Hampshire University structures its courses, as well as in the instructors they hire to teach its programs. I just have to continue reminding myself that I made it to this point for a reason, and I know it's to continue pushing myself forward.    

— Kody Boye

Welcome to Between the Lines!

Hello everyone, and welcome! My name is Kody Boye, and if you don't know who I am, I am a young adult horror, fantasy, and science-fiction author who lives in Southeastern Idaho. I am the author of works that include The Beautiful Ones trilogy, the When They Came series, and The Red Wolf Saga (among others).

On June 9th, 2025, I will officially begin my Master of Fine Arts program at Southern New Hampshire University, where I will undertake the nearly two-year journey to not just complete my MFA program, but obtain certification so I can teach at the college level. 

This blog, Between the Lines, is meant to chronicle my journey through an MFA program—not just to share in my personal feelings surrounding graduate school, but also to share in the ups and downs that may come along with it.

I am looking forward to sharing my experiences on this blog, and I hope you will follow along as well! 

Thank you for your time and interest!

— Kody Boye