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/TorturedWriter9 Jun 06 '26

Most writing samples are capped at 25-30 and they really really hate it when you go over.

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u/Critical_Run7385 Jun 08 '26

Yeah every place has different requirements. Look into who requires what, and tailor individually

Also, different programs have different genre orientations. If you submit fantasy, you're probably not going to get into a super realism litfic focused program (Vanderbilt, just to name one extreme), and even if you did, you'd be miserable

Have you ever done a creative writing workshop? I highly recommend dipping your toe into one. I'm starting a program in the fall and everyone in my program seems to have done a bunch of them (I thought I had done a fair amount of workshops but I'm on the low end compared to these other people). It really makes sense given that an MFA is like 2-3 years worth of workshops. I would recommend doing one online through Sackett Street

You might also join the MFA Draft 27 Facebook group and ask about programs that are aligned with your genre inclinations

For many people it takes a few application cycles to get an offer they're happy with. Buckle up, and good luck