Learning the art of genre with Advanced Literary Studies (MFA-507)

My second class at Southern New Hampshire University took place over the past ten weeks, and involved the study and close reading of two books, which served as our "advanced literary studies." Helmed by Instructor Barbara Miller, the class started with a typical roundtable introductory discussion, as well as the decision of which texts we would read throughout the course.

For my two books, I went off-script and chose Among the Hidden, the first in the Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix, and Scythe, the first in the Arc of a Scythe series by Neal Shusterman. These were meant to be a comparison and contrast of themes, writing styles, and story execution by a classic author (Haddix's novel was published in 1998) and a contemporary work of fiction (Shusterman's was published in 2016).

The majority of the class encompassed the readings of these two works of fiction, as well as analyzing themes and structure and writing short journals and papers about them. I chose Among the Hidden in part because I had fond memories of having it read to me during one of my elementary school classes, and also because it was similar to the thesis I had originally envisioned writing (I have since changed stories). Margaret Peterson Haddix's masterful storytelling was on full display in this novel, and I cannot overstate how skilled she is as a writer. Telling the story of a young boy named Luke, the narrative follows his journey through understanding his place in his family as a third "illegal" child in a dystopian country, where the government controls family size through not just threats of violence, but physical execution. 

I blazed through Haddix's first book in her Shadow Children series pretty quickly. Its plot was fast-paced, its primary character was very fleshed out, and the side characters were also developed in ways that not only helped carry the protagonist through his story, but also made him feel real in the process. The themes of government overreach were somewhat eerie in some regards (and timely in others, what with the way technology has advanced in the last ten years), but the novel still holds its ground, even if it features internet chat rooms (a very '90s thing).

The second book I (started to) read was Scythe by Neal Shusterman. While I will admit that I only managed to get a fourth of the way through it, due in part to health issues I had for the first five weeks of the class, I can tell that Shusterman is very skilled as a writer, and his world was incredibly imaginative. Like Haddix's Among the Hidden, Shusterman's Scythe deals with themes of government overreach. However, its dystopian theme is blended with a utopian reality: that people no longer can medically die from old age. However, the population must be executed by appointed officials called "Scythes" to maintain control of the number of people on the planet. It was a brilliant concept, and while I feel like I've slighted the novel by not giving it a proper chance, it just didn't appeal to me as much as Among the Hidden did.

In the third week of MFA-507, we were tasked with showcasing our writing skills by "practicing craft" through the use of character and setting. This short assignment was meant to display how we could build a world in a contained space, while also critiquing our fellow graduate students' ability to do so. I wrote a brief vignette called The Electrictian, which was meant to be a set piece for the novel I originally wanted to write for my thesis (the one I've since decided not to write). If you're interested in reading it, you can find it for free on this blog by clicking or tapping here.  

In the fourth week, we were tasked with writing a compare-and-contrast paper, specifically about the themes in the books we were reading and the way they worked. As previously stated: I contrasted the themes of government overreach, as well as the dystopian elements in Among the Hidden, and those utopian ones in Scythe. 

In the fifth and sixth weeks, we prepared and wrote a book review. I reviewed Among the Hidden for this assignment.

The seventh, eighth, and ninth weeks were spent preparing for the final project, which was a "craft toolkit" that allowed us to show our knowledge of craft elements, our understanding of how our professional authors of choice utilized them, and also to demonstrate how we would use them in our own writing. 

While there was a quiz in there about literary terms (that I unfortunately lost points on due to my misunderstanding of some terms and the overthinking of others), the class, and the overall work that took place in it, was the culmination of ten weeks of literary study, both of the past and the present. Barbara Miller was an excellent instructor who graded on time and was eager to respond to any questions that were asked of her. She was also active in discussions, which I greatly appreciated.

Final grade: A (997/1000)

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