Last winter, before I began the MFA program, I started re-reading the Wizard of Yurt books, an obscure fantasy series by C. Dale Brittain.  I used to enjoy them very much.  They started coming out when I was in college, and I bought them new as they came out, reading them immediately.  I loved the characters, the story, and especially the magic.

I picked them up again over the summer, to continue where I’d left off, and discovered that I really didn’t like the dialogue.  It felt forced to me, fake and plot-serving in some places, overt and too direct in others.  I think I had a few other craft issues, but that’s the one that most stands out to me at the moment.

I thought about this as I looked up at my bookshelves last night: a bizarre mish-mash of books I’ve yet to read alongside books I know well enough to quote casually.

I stared closely at the veterans on my shelf.  How many of them would I still love when I next read them?

I’ve learned so much about craft and storytelling over the last ten months, and I’ve refined my own writing in so many ways.  How far has my perspective shifted?  Am I hyperaware of craft right now as a consequence of my studies, or has it twisted the way I will read for the rest of my life?

I think this must be mid-semester paranoia.  I know that I read books and liked them over the summertime, not that I could tell you what they are off the top of my head, but that’s just because my mind is fixated on getting my next semester’s registration done today.  I know that I’m enjoying the novels I’m reading in my fantasy class, even when I have occasional issues with them.

I worry a bit about my much-beloved books, but I imagine I’ll still enjoy them, even the ones that might not measure up to my view of craft.  At least, I hope I’ll still enjoy them.  The Wizard of Yurt books, for example, are still fun stories with good worldbuilding elements, even if their craft seems weak to me.

Conversely, I wonder now about books I’ve read in the past and didn’t like.  I’m curious if I would now find a different appreciation for them.

I’ve compared writers to magicians before, so please forgive me if I continue the analogy.  If you’re considering going for an MFA, be warned that once you’ve been backstage learning the tricks, you’ll never look at magic the same way.  Even if you enjoy the show, you’ll still be watching a different performance than the rest of the audience.

Liked it? Take a second to support Stefon on Patreon!