Ethan Swick

Last Thursday, I received all the rights and responsibilities of a full-blown graduate of an MFA program. One could say that I have been given the rank of master.

It felt good, though it didn’t really set in until the next day when I realized that I would now have no assignments, no writing packets or critical essays, no schooling left to complete. I have no future meetings set up with faculty members, no writing or reading goals for the semester, and probably the most sad thing of all, no residency to look forward to in the following semester. I’m done, I’m finished here.

Today is the first Monday after having graduated. I’m apparently in the real world now, though it doesn’t entirely feel like it. I’ve got to keep writing. I’ve got to have a goal to meet, otherwise I won’t get anything done.

My goal is to have a first draft of a new novel written by the end of the year. New goal, I’m setting it right now. That will at least give me the rest of July and all of August and September to plan it. My secondary goal is to write more flash fiction stories each month. I’ve been keeping up with Havok Publishing for the past couple of months, and so far I’ve got 2 stories coming down the pipe on their platform. Flash fiction is fun, and I think I can easily keep a goal to write more stories for them.

As I think of other goals to add, I’ll be sure to update you here. To everyone that believed in me through this program, you have my thanks. There is so much look forward to now that I am on my own.

I have been pushed from the nest by my faculty mentors. Now is the time to fly or flounder.