Reflections on First Semester

I sent my last submission of the first semester of my MFA out on the weekend. What a great experience it has been so far. The main assignments were two craft annotations per month and 15-20 pages of new writing per month (revising a previous submission for this last month). Here's what I can say about the impact of the past few months on my writing, in no particular order.
1. My writing has improved but I am much more aware of how much I have to learn.
2. I've developed a real respect for feedback and have learned to value and even enjoy constructive criticism of my work.
3. My awareness of the craft has sharpened, particularly when I read other writers.
4. I learned that I can write new pages on a regular basis and be effective in my "day job" at the same time.
5. It's been amazing to become a part of a small but supportive writing community (the Mutual Inspiration Society -- you know who you are!).
6. I love writing more than ever, even when it's tough going.
7. I've not yet found the heart of the memoir, but it is coming and I am trusting the process.
8. I'm starting to catch glimpses of ways to combine skills that I already have in the career I am already in with a new direction that is more supportive of my creative writing.
9. There is nothing glamourous about the writing life (at least not at this stage).
10. One of the finest pearls of wisdom that my advisor got into my head was "reveal significant moments in the story for maximum impact." I used to tell way too much up front. Now I am learning to craft scenes so that I pace the release of information more effectively. That makes re-writing especially fun.

I am really excited about the January residency!