mny

I'm trying to decide which writing camps might be of interest to me. Of the following, if you attended, what were your experiences at these camps, how was the instruction, etc. Which would you recommend? I am leaning towards Iowa or Interlochen at the moment, but I'd apprecaite any information.

-Iowa Young Writers Studio
-Interlochen
-Innerspark
-Juniper
-Kenyon
-Carelton

HeavenlyJane

You know that if you are serious about attending a writing program that you need to apply to all of these at the same time. If you are lucky to get into more than 1, then you can start analyzing which is the best for you. They are all highly competetive because there are more young writers than there are spots in these programs.

Good luck.

glassesarechic

PM me about Interlochen...I feel like I've talked peoples' ears off about it on this forum, but basically, pick a generic flattering adjective and it's true a thousand times over.

mflevity

Keep in mind, though, that the programs you've listed are very different. Interlochen and Iowa focus on creative writing, while CARLETON (please spell it correctly on your app! ) is a prep course in college academic writing.

What sorts of writing are you interested in? Glassesarechic and I could talk your ear off about Interlochen.

mny

I'm interested in going for creative writing; I'd like to improve my short story/novel prose skills, but I'm interested also in learning how to write poetry, as well as improve on creative non fiction. If I had to pick one to specialize, I'd have to say short story/novel, fiction prose.

mflevity

Interlochen and Iowa would definitely be a better match for your interests, then. At Interlochen, you specialize in two of the three areas (poetry, fiction, and playwriting). As I remember, a lot of the exercises you do in class would be beneficial for creative nonfiction as well.

Good luck! I'm sure you'll enjoy whatever you choose.

mny

Ah okay, is it necessary to apply to a bunch of writing programs at once like HeavenlyJane says? It seems a bit excessive to me.

mflevity

No, I don't think so. You might apply to two or so, but no more than that--especially if they have application fees. I know the kids in my Interlochen classes definitely didn't apply to that many--in fact, few applied more than one place.

If worst comes to worst and you don't get accepted anywhere, you can always spend the summer taking college courses in creative writing and/or submitting your work to contests and publications.

EDIT: Ah, I see where HeavenlyJane is coming from. It looks like her daughter had a hard time with writing camp applications last summer. The thing about all the writing programs out there is that very few publish those lovely acceptance rates that everybody is dying to know. My advice would be to put together your portfolio using pieces that you love and that are unique. Don't write what you think the people reading your work will want to hear (i.e., very tragic stories to show your "serious side" or those poems with a bunch of random words to show your "deep side"...it's all happened ). At the same time, all artistic stuff is going to be subjective. After a certain point, you've just got to hold your thumbs.

If you do decide to apply to Interlochen and want advice on the portfolio, PM me or glassesarechic. We would be happy to help.

glassesarechic

Definitely don't try and change your style for the application. And I think the application rate for Interlochen, and probably most programs, is fairly high. Don't worry about getting accepted--just send your best stuff in and wait.

Tres Elefantes

If you are interested in creative writing and want to attend one (or more) selective camps this summer, I would just apply to Iowa, Interlochen, and Kenyon (Carleton's academic-type writing). You probably don't just want to apply to just one, but you don't need to apply to lots of them. I would also suggest the UVA program, which is also excellent.