If at all possible, we encourage every early-to-mid-career writer to attend a residency or two. Yes, researching and applying takes time, and yes, arranging time away may not be easy, but it’s worth it. There’s nothing like a break from life’s distractions, especially in a serene location, among your fellow creatives, close to nature, to revitalize a faltering practice, jumpstart an ambitious new project, or give you the boost you need to meet a looming deadline.
We speak from experience. Our brief time at MacDowell still ranks among the most productive periods of our literary partnership.
To make your journey smoother, we’ve put together some basic guidelines for writers seeking residencies.
Don’t Just Apply for Everything: Prioritize the Writers' Residencies that Are Right for You
Not all residencies are created equal. Some are fully funded, while other are marked up like high-end resorts. Some will take you for no more than two weeks, while others may accept you for a month or more. Some take only one or two writers at a time, while others simultaneously accommodate dozens of artists working in different disciplines. Consider the cost, location, timeline, and other factors before deciding whether to apply.
Use Logic and Cognitive Empathy, Not Emotions
When drafting your application, don’t just think about yourself. Remember that whoever reads the application has needs, problems, expectations, and desires, too. Before putting together your application, read everything on the residency’s website carefully in order to gauge the administrators’ priorities. Then craft an application that responds to those priorities. If you can’t do this without distorting who you are and what you strive to do with your artistic practice, then you probably shouldn’t apply for this particular residency.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
It’s never a good idea to throw together an application at the last minute. You’ll almost certainly do a shoddy job, and the people who read the application may remember that the next time you apply for that residency, or for any other opportunity that they happen to be judging, even if your subsequent applications are much stronger. Don’t underestimate the power of first impressions. Instead, manage your time: conduct research carefully and methodically, strategically prioritize a few residencies with deadlines weeks or months away, and put time into each application. If you stumble on a highly appealing opportunity whose deadline happens to be in six hours, you may be tempted to throw together an application, but remember, there’s always next time.
Read Their Words as Carefully as You Hope They’ll Read Yours
Most residencies require some combination of short essays: artist statements, statements of intent, project descriptions, etc. Those are your opportunity to speak directly to the people assessing your application, so before drafting them, read the prompts carefully.
Remember that most residencies tend to be highly competitive. When the selection committee members read your application, they won’t be looking for reasons to accept you. If you fail to address everything they’ve brought up in the prompts, you’re inviting them to decline your application by demonstrating that you’re inattentive, that you don’t respect their time, and that you haven’t read their words as carefully as you hope they will read yours.
At the same time, be careful not to overcorrect, even—especially—if the fields don’t have character limits. Avoid longwinded responses that elaborate excessively on each and every detail in the prompt. That also signals a degree of contempt for the selection committee, who will be reading a lot of applications and want you to cut to the chase.
Ideally, strike a balance: signal that you’ve thoroughly read and understood the administrators’ words by responding to them as you would in conversation, politely acknowledging each of their points, giving more weight to the more important ones, and wrapping up concisely so as not to waste anyone’s time.
Know Your Strengths, Shore Up Your Weaknesses
Confidence is an asset, but overconfidence leads the best writers astray. No one writes a perfect anything on the first try. Everyone makes typos. Everyone grasps about for elegant phrases now and then and only comes up with a cumbersome jumble of words. That’s why we revise. Again, this goes back to crafting your application slowly and carefully. Read the prompts, digest them for a while, then write your first draft. Set that aside. Digest it for a while. Return to it with fresh eyes. Ask for feedback from a friend, mentor, or professional editor. Never assume that what you churned out on the first try is your best work. Never submit that version of the application. Take the time to review and revise so that you can put your best foot forward. That’s how you build a reputation for excellence in the literary community—and as valuable as residencies are, that reputation for excellence is many times more precious still.
If you have questions about applying for residencies, or if you’d like us to address another topic in a subsequent post, head to our contact form and drop us a line.
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