EDUCATION
Aspiring fiction writer Bonnie Etherington is in the midst of her first novel. The 22-year-old is one of five full-time Massey University Master of Creative Writing students.
Ms Etherington has always loved writing but says the one-year programme allows her to pursue it seriously. “I realised I wanted to write for as long as possible so decided to start the master of creative writing.”
Her novel has been “wanting to be written for a while”, and will be one-third complete when she finishes her master’s in February. Ms Etherington, who has a Bachelor of Arts honours degree, says it is inspired by a poem she wrote in her first year at Massey in 2008.
“It’s (novel) grown from there. I realised it wasn’t a poem, then I tried to write a short story, and realised it wasn’t a short story, and realised it was a novel.”
The programme comprises of about 25 per cent critical research work and 75 per cent creative writing, and for Ms Etherington that equates to 30,000 words of her novel. “It’s definitely full-on, it’s a lot to write in the time you’re given, but that’s good. I just love having the time to write,” she says.
“I know Massey does not have the big literary reputation that other universities have, but what it does have is a small, dedicated staff and they really give their students that attention you might not get at a bigger university.”
Ms Etherington hopes to finish the novel by the end of next year. She then plans to study for a PhD in the United States to pursue an academic career teaching tertiary level English, but says writing will always be a dominant part of her life.
The master’s is a selected entry programme for writers wanting to follow their creative instincts while engaging in relevant research.
Senior lecturer in creative writing Dr Thom Conroy says the programme is unique in providing supervision and support for critical writing alongside the primary creative element. “This dual emphasis makes the programme an ideal preparation for advanced study in addition to providing students with all the benefits of one-on-one mentoring in fiction writing, poetry and playwriting, creative non-fiction, and script-writing.”
Last month the five students met for a three-day creativity immersion experience, which included seminars on craft and form, work-shopping, readings and one-on-one meetings with key New Zealand publishers from Random House and Steele Roberts, where they pitched ideas, got writing advice and an insight into the publishing industry.
Enrolment for the Master of Creative Writing for 2013 closes October 31. For more information go to: http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/learning/departments/school-english-media-studies/postgrad/mcw.cfm
(Source)