Hmm...MFA in Creative Writing?

Someone recently encouraged me to go to college for an MFA in Creative Writing. Actually, and I've had several people encourage me to write a book too. I don't really know if they know anything about me at all, or were just encouraging me in general.

My old friend of almost 20 years now (well, 15 at least), emailed me and said he found a poem I wrote for the Prom Program in high school. He wrote, "You've always had that gift." Which I didn't really think was a gift then. I wrote very rhymey-very synchronized poetry then. My AP English teacher thought it was interesting though, and I was elected to go to a writing fair, where I did only so-so in critiques. The analysis was to not try so hard for "sounds" but that something about the structure and rhythm was very interesting. I was asked a lot of questions. I think the rhythm must have come from my exposure and love of music. One of those poems was this one, which I wrote when I was 16 about a guy, if I can remember it all, from memory...let's see:

Sixteen roses
in remembrance of you
I lay upon the promise
of love we once knew
One burning kiss,
a cool goodbye,
Passion surrendured
and then left to die
I find in a drawer
an old picture of you
the sacred reminder of
love that was true

(see, I think it's very general and boring, and "love-ish" and rhymey)


When I got into college I wrote from a different style, more playful and descriptive, and took a poetry class at a community college and my classmates really liked what I wrote. My teacher liked some of it. One poem, he thought was dumb, but after everyone in the class went on about it, he revised his opinion and wrote so in the margins. The poem was this one:

"There is a banana in my bookcase
I was saving it for a midnight snack
But now it's brown...
I'm glad there are no mice around!"

My teacher said, "Do mice eat bananas?"

Very pragmatic man, that one. haha! :)

I wish I had gone into journalism, long ago. The things I like about journalism are:
1. the ability to get in on interesting debates, forums, lectures, and info,
2. the ability to ask a lot of questions.

I do like to ask a lot of questions and interview people. I would have liked to be an investigative reporter I think. But that requires a more direct and plain, or business writing style, which I don't think I'm very good at. I'm more of a creative writing at my best, I think.

I do like to investigate things though, I love to do research, and I like to debate and ask questions. Which is why I've pondered law for so long. I just don't know that I could "take" it though, being a lawyer in the real world.

Which is why I'm still torn, and wondering if I could actually really make a living with an MFA in Creative Writing or teaching.