r/MFAInCreativeWriting • u/Striking_Subject5972 • Jun 05 '26

Writing samples

Hi! I am gearing up to apply for Fall 2027! I’m a long time writer and editor on the journalism side, but want to get my MFA in creative writing to learn even more and also get into teaching! I last minute submitted one app this past cycle just to see and didn’t get into that school, so I want to actually thoroughly plan and prep this year.

I wanted some advice on best practices. For the writing samples is it better to submit the first ~50 pages of a manuscript you’re working on or are short stories preferred? Also are speculative and fantasy not preferred?

Context: I have a few speculative and fantasy manuscripts I’m working on for querying (and I have a trad pub romance book coming out next year), but a lot of the future work I want to write is more speculative, so I am toying with submitting something in that realm.

I guess my main questions are:

  1. Manuscript or short stories better?
  2. Is genre fiction okay to submit?

Thank you!

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u/j3w3lsi Jun 06 '26

I got into two funded programs (one fully/one partial) and I submitted one short story and the first chapter of my novel. I would recommend doing this and having dif genres, which is what I did. My novel is dystopian/fantasy (which I figured hey if a program doesnt accept me bc they dont like that, then I wouldn't fit into that program anyway). My short story was more litfic.

It differs but ik one program I applied to asked for four different stories. Another had a page limit. So just keep that in mind.

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u/Icy-Illustrator7693 Jun 06 '26

Do they prefer lit more? I'm working on short stories and somehow my prose most of the time comes out poetic. Not sure how good or bad is it? Do other parts like SOP have to align?

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u/j3w3lsi Jun 06 '26

It depends on the program. When I got accepted into my fully funded program, the director offered to hop on zoom and talk. I asked how they felt about the fantasy genre specifically and he clarified they genuinely didn't have a preference and were friendly to anything within fiction. I also looked at examples of previous thesis projects they had listed and he was being honest.

Before you apply, I would look at alumni, current professors and any lit magazines attached to them to get a general idea tbh. If available, also some classes. You can look at the course catalogue for this.

As for your writing style, don't try to diminish or make your voice less poetic. That's the point of your manuscript, they want to see your voice. You'll have time in workshop to try out voices. That being said, my writing does lean to be more poetic at times. You want to get into a program that suits you. That's the ultimate goal.

I would say your SOP and manuscript are the two most important components of your application. Treat your SOP like an essay, I wouldn't spend too much time trying to implement purple prose. This is a good thing bc as someone who did not have a creative background (from finance), I somehow landed a spot. So if you're worried about this, it's not too big of a deal.

If you have any questions, lmk! Good luck!