Program-Specific Requirements

In addition to the University's requirements for admission to graduate school, applicants to the Writing Popular Fiction program must provide a:

• Writing sample of fiction that must be 10 double-spaced pages. It should be no longer, though it can be part of larger work and not complete in itself. If you do select a part of a longer work, we strongly recommend that you give the beginning of the work, the first ten pages, and not a selection from later in the manuscript. This material will be reviewed for its author's overall potential as a writer of popular fiction - specifically such criteria as story sense, character development, realistic dialogue, plot development, originality, basic grammar and mechanics, and overall interest for the reader.

• Personal statement answering the following questions. Give no more than a paragraph for each. Be aware that if you are accepted into the program you will be asked to share this document with your advisor.
  • Summarize your experience writing.
  • Describe the nature of your intended novel-length project and identify its genre.
  • What background do you have in your chosen genre?
  • The program demands a large amount of self-discipline and productive work habits (length requirements, deadlines, much reading and writing). How do you plan to handle this load?
  • Are there any other factors (past experience, specialized knowledge) that would affect your chance of being successful in genre writing?