DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community

This was a book about exactly what the title suggests: putting yourself through your own MFA course so that you can become a better, more excellent writer. Pereira broke the book into three different sections focusing on writing, reading and community—which are all considered essential pieces of an actual MFA program. She takes readers through a flash course on writing well, then moves them through how to read as a writer and then takes them on a journey to building an author platform, crafting your brand and finding your community.

What I liked most about DIY MFA was that the author made it very clear in her pages that writing is not a quick fix. There is not anything about this process that can be done quickly. The ones who will become successful writers and the ones who stick it out and keep iterating and optimizing and learning from their mistakes and evaluating all the processes they have in place to make sure they’re the best processes. She gave writers permission to continuously change what they’re doing, within the confines of actually doing something consistently. I recently finished a book on the science of expertise, and much of what I read was contained in this book for writers, and I appreciated that.

Pereira also incorporated some helpful graphics and spreadsheets in her book so that writers can measure their progress and processes.

Overall, a helpful book to have on any writer's shelf.

*I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.

When I read that the entire DIY MFA method was being published in a book I knew I had to get it. As much of a resource as the site has been, the book, I knew, would be chock-full of wisdom. I pre-ordered the book even though I had access to the advanced reader’s copy. After reading the first few chapters I quickly figured out that this book was going to be a much-used and much-loved writing resource.

Gabriela lays out the foundation of writing in a methodical and easily-understood manner. The book is sectioned into the 3-part mission of DIY MFA: “write with focus, read with purpose, build your community.” From there the book is pared down into bite-sized chapters with clear actionable steps/homework. For example, in the Read with Purpose portion we learn to “Read Like a Writer,” and the four types of books a writer should utilize {also known as “the four C’s”}: “competitive titles, contextual books, contemporary books, and classics.”

Gabriela is a big fan of acronyms and tips which further helps to cement the tools learned. For example, the term ‘habits’ becomes:
H = Honor Your Reality
A = Add Constraints
B = Block Time and Batch Tasks
I = Iterate
T = Ten Percent Rule
S = Set the Mood
Gabriela is candid and practical throughout the book. There is no shortcut to becoming a good writer. Practicing is repeated over and over, or actually, what I came to term as Gabriela’s favorite word ~ “iterate, iterate, iterate.” That was my only issue with the book – why say iterate when practice works just as well?

If you have any desire to improve your writing, whether as a blogger or a long-time writer, pick up this book. It is sure to become your favorite writing resource – I know it is now mine!

I was delighted to receive a free advance copy of Ms. Pereira’s newly-released how-to book for writers: DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community. Have a look here:(...)
In this volume, she promises the reader the most important lessons from a Masters of Fine Arts program in creative writing. After all, an MFA program requires a huge investment in time and money, and seldom focuses on genre/commercial fiction, which is why I’ve decided not to pursue that degree. Pereira is not the first to try to condense the best bits of an MFA into a book; in fact, I have on my bookshelf The Portable MFA in Create Writing by the New York Writers Workshop, published by Writer’s Digest Books in 2006, as well as forty-two other volumes on the craft of writing fiction. Why add another one?
Well, I’m always hoping for new nuggets of writerly wisdom and inspiration, and I found quite a few in DIY MFA. This book would be a good starting point for any writer who’s just beginning her reference library. Pereira doesn’t go into any one facet of the writing world in great depth, but she gives such a broad view of all the aspects of writerly success that every reader would most likely learn something valuable.
In the first section, Write with Focus, Pereira does a very solid job of presenting basic story structure, characterization, tips for busting through writer’s block, and other goodies that fiction writers need to know. Her background is in the design and data analysis, and she’s fond of acronyms and formulas. Her tone can be quite gushing: the book is liberally sprinkled with exclamation marks and phrases like “Awesomesauce.” My favorite nugget from the first section is her technique of outlining a plot in the style of a subway map, which was a great help to me with my current novel in progress.
In section two, Read with Purpose, we see Pereira’s scholarly training. I did appreciate her liberal use of examples from popular fiction: Pride and Prejudice, The Hunger Games trilogy, and the Harry Potter books. Her explanations of these examples, though, sometimes made me roll my eyes as she belabored the obvious. Her term for critical reading is “Read like a revolutionary”—but every high school student and college English major has done this type of examination of a writer’s technique. If it’s been a while since you’ve examined how a story was put together, you’ll find good reminders here.
It was in section three, Build Your Community, that I found the most value. In fact, I’d recommend buying the book just for this section. Pereira’s advice on critique groups should be read by everyone before they attend their first face-to-face meeting with such a group. Her advice on building your online presence and blogging was also detailed and up to date.
All in all, I found a great deal of valuable information and food for thought in DIY MFA. If you’re a writer in the early stages of your career, this volume belongs on your bookshelf—or in your Kindle. Also, be sure to check out her blog at DIYMFA.com, and her podcasts at DIY MFA Radio.

DIYMFA is witty and insightful. Gabriela Pereira takes complex techniques and makes them accessible. The book is broken into carefully planned sections and provides exercises to cement and practice the craft. Orientation: helps you think like a writer and develop a regular writing practice. Write with Focus: dives into the creation of a book or short story, providing valuable secrets and breaking down familiar stories so you can see how it is done in different examples. There is even a chapter on revision, which under normal circumstances, is overwhelming. Pereira takes it one step at a time, and it's not so intimidating. Read with Purpose: how to read like a writer and includes important reference books each writer should own. Build your Community: all about forming writing groups, editing, creating your platform, networking and work submission. I can't think of anything this book doesn't contain. It's full of vital material and one I use as a frequent reference. I enjoy her podcasts as well as her webinar series (diymfa.com). She has a great, authentic, enthusiastic voice on the page and on audio. It's obvious a lot of work and thought went into DIYMFA. I can't recommend her enough. Start with the book, go to her website and get prepared to go from clueless to professional. You have to put in the work, but she has provided all the tools.

I have been a big fan of DIY MFA since I first heard Gabriela Pereira speak at the Writer's Digest conference in August 2014. As an educator, I responded to her strong ability to command her classroom's attention; deliver a clear and detailed lesson, chock-full of advice and information; and show confidence in her audience's ability to absorb and understand the material. Since that conference, I have become a columnist for the DIY MFA website and a proud member of Gabriela's team. I'm also a member of the Street Team for the book, and received an ARC to review.

As previous reviewers have mentioned, this book is divided into the three main pillars of DIY MFA: Writing, Reading and Community. All three sections could easily stand alone as their own manuals for writing craft, purposeful reading, and building a writing tribe. The fact that they exist under one cover makes this book a must-have for any writer, no matter where she is on her writing journey.

What I've always loved best about DIY MFA, though, is Gabriela's strong voice. Reading her writing, from this book to the website and her "Word Nerd" email list, is like talking to a friend who's not afraid to tell you what she thinks, but also respects your individuality. She knows what works for herself, but also goes out of her way to find methods that work for others, and suggests them all as answers to your writing questions. This book reveals that Gabriela's own path to writing success comes from much trial-and-error, failures that turned into learning opportunities, and "iterations" (a favorite word of hers) to improve her habits. The authenticity of that path gives Gabriela credibility as both a writer and an educator. I admire her because she does what I personally try (and sometimes fail) to do: pursue continuous growth and learning about myself and my chosen career path. If Gabriela were to write this book again in ten years, I bet it could be twice as long, given that she continues to learn and share what she's learned about the world of writing.

If you only read one book about writing this year, make it this one!

I discovered this book while listening to the author being interviewed on The Creative Penn podcast. As an autodidact, the concept of a DIY MFA really appealed to me. It delivers. For those who don't have the time or money to pursue a traditional MFA, this book will do a couple of things for you. It will give you a good overview of what a quality MFA program will/should offer. It will give you a solid grounding on the basics of becoming a writerpreneur. And it will also give you a better sense of whether or not you feel you want to pursue an actual MFA, or just hit the ground running. For the same price as a sixer of fancy craft beer, totally worth the investment IMO.

DIY MFA is an essential book for writers to create successful habits and bring out their best writing. An alternative method to the traditional, costly MFA program, DIY MFA gives you the tools you need to attain those things you would find in an MFA program. The author, Gabriela Pereira, has gone through an MFA program herself and wants to provide a more realistic solution to those of us who are constantly debating whether an MFA program is right for us.

Pereira’s program is built on three pillars: write with focus, read with purpose, and build your community. Each section goes into great detail with advice and exercises to apply to your writing life. I love that the sections are short and broken up into specific topics, so you can flip around to whatever topic you need to focus on at a given time.

I’ve read several books on writing and yet I found plenty of new tips and tricks within DIY MFA. Pereira has original acronyms for remembering certain philosophies and creating new habits that makes it fun. Her advice is straightforward and gives you a process to follow. She also has fun and colorful worksheets for goal setting and project planning that I find incredibly helpful.

DIY MFA is a must-read for writers. It’s fun, straightforward and motivating. I will be consulting this book several times throughout my writing life.

Please note that I was given an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. The additional caveat is that I'm a long time visitor to the website [...] and hence already a convert to the notion put forward in the title and book.

Starting with planning, motivation, improving your craft, and working toward writer's groups, marketing and publication, this book tries to cover it all. This is ok and works well enough since it was never her goal to be a comprehensive instruction in all this writing but instead an arsenal to get you learning for yourself, looking for the answers in the greater world as you need them (necessarily since technology, communities, and industry keep changing!), and trusting yourself to work (hard!) to become the writer you know is in you.

DIY MFA, the book, is halfway between typical motivational and instructional books in terms of content and style: it equips you to direct and learn for yourself how to be and improve as a writer. Gabriela's personality certainly comes out on the page (exuberant and supportive, direct and tough when she needs to be) making the book much like a long conversation with a (wise) friend. My biggest complaint is that she's a little over-fond of acronyms! This list of the main ones in use actually give a nearly perfect overview of the books extensive coverage.

For finding _your_ process
VITAL variables, information, trip wire, analyze, learn
Self-explanatory acronyms,
HABITS honour your reality, add constraints, block time/batch tasks, iterate, 10% rule, set the mood
FAIL face your fears, assemble your allies, initiate and iterate, let it go
IDEA inspiration, development, evaluation, action
Concerning character development and bringing to life on the page, two more,
WORST want, obstacles, risk, stake, transform
TADA thoughts, action, dialogue, appearance
A perfect, if forced, acronym for a box of inspiration,
ORACLE "outrageous ridiculously awesome creative literary exercises"
And finally, for your writing 'home', the axes of writing friends/mentors/supporters,
CASA critique, accountability, support, advice/apprenticeship

My copy is literally falling apart from how much I underlined and wrote all over this book. This book was amazing! I read it because I recently got into an MFA, but I also kind of felt clueless so I wanted ro read somwthing that would help prepare me for these 3 years and I figured why not the DIY MFA book. Omg this book made me reconsider (almost) not even needing an MFA. It offers so much insight and helpful tips. I often find myself quoting it to my writer friends, and I have even recommended it to my writer friends who will not be pursuing traditional MFAs. Even though I am in a program, I will definitely be following the tips in this book and the DIYMFA website to help build me on my writer and publishing journey. I am truly thankful for the random day I had a non-writing field friend (ironically) recommend this book to me. Who woulda' thunk it? Please write more!!!

DiyMFA covers much of what Gabriela teaches in her online course, DiyMfa 101. The course is fabulous, and I went through it several times. It was a game changer for me. Although not as comprehensive, this book is a great distillation of the basics that she covers in the course. It's also a go-to reference for beginners and seasoned writers alike. Gabriela does everything professionally, and well. She's one sharp cookie. Check it out. :)