Why no MFA?

Hi blog world! This is the premier post of Non MFA Writer. The title speaks for itself.

I was accepted to an MFA program in my big urban town and even had free tuition, but with a mortgage, daycare, and other bills to pay for, I couldn't leave my full-time job to pursue a degree that was really for my own gratification. When my husband finishes his technical degree in a few years, I have great hopes of getting into the Michener Center (three years to write with a STIPEND!), but until that hypothetical day occurs, I will be writing on Saturday mornings and occasional other stolen moments. This vocation is all about the writing and I fear that even if I had attended the MFA program, I would be doing a lot of time-consuming things that don't involve writing down the novels in my head. There would be literature classes and term papers (uh, excuse me? didn't I finish my last term paper ten years ago?), writing short stories I don't want to write and reading other people's short stories that I don't want to read. I don't have anything against short stories--I've written a few myself and may post them one day--but I don't really enjoy reading short stories in the same way I enjoy a novel....they're just not juicy enough.

Even as I type this short post, I've had to interrupt myself about fifty times in order to rescue my toddler from hurting himself or stop him from ripping pages out of books (already a fierce book critic!).

Whew! I just rescued him again. Time to go!