by Writing Workshops Staff
An hour ago
Emmy-award-winning author Ben Tanzer teaches Introducing the Power of Hope to Our Writing Process, a two-hour Zoom seminar at WritingWorkshops.com on Thursday, April 30th, 2026. In the essay below, he shares the thinking behind it.
"Wishing is not a Strategy," or if you prefer, thoughts on Hope, Diligence & Everything in between.
I was in class the other night, and a professor called me a "diligent" writer.
Before I continue, let's note that, yes, I'm a student again. I'm pursuing a very part-time Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA). I'm not sure I'll ever finish this degree, though if I do I hope it will lead to some interesting teaching and training opportunities down the road.
Opportunities, such as faculty positions, I do not qualify for now.
In this way, I'm playing the long game. I'm also actively seeking to ensure there is a long game and I'm doing everything I can to identify and pursue the action steps necessary along the way to be in a position to ensure that happens---or at least I'm thinking strategically about what I need to do in case I find myself in a position to pursue something I want when I want it.
I'm sure this doesn't sound very sexy or romantic.
You want to write, I want to write, we all want to write, and want to be published too. We want to lead lives as writers and what does this have to do with any of that?
Hear me out.
I wanted to enroll in a MFA program for years. Decades really. When I last attended graduate school, I was pursuing a degree and a career in social work. I got that degree and I got that career, and I feel blessed that I did.
Which is to say, I came up with a plan, I pursued it, and despite the opportunities that have not emerged, and the failures, and firings, that happened along the way, I have a fulfilling career, doing impactful work, and I've succeeded more often than not.
What I haven't done is wished for these things to happen, I've made them happen, and to quote Dr. Chan Hellmann, who I'll return to in a moment, I've had to make them happen, as do you, because "Wishing is not a strategy."
"Being diligent, treating writing like work, scheduling it, setting goals, never approaching it as precious or expendable... has allowed me to write and has opened doors to being published even when those other things were going on."
I share this not because I want to flex, though if doing so encourages you to enroll in my Writing Workshops workshop "Introducing the Power of Hope to Our Writing Process," then I'm happy to flex. No, I'm sharing this because I wanted to enroll in an MFA program from almost the moment I finished my graduate studies in social work.
I'd never written a sentence until after that program, and when I started writing a year to two later, all I wanted was to go back to school for an MFA, a degree I'd never heard of until I started writing, which was after my other Masters, and now here we are. The thing is, there was my career, ambition, children, not enough time, my personal writing practice, which I'll return to that in a moment as well, and the cost of enrolling in a program, all of which felt daunting, and I began to wish that some way to work it out would just find me.
This lasted for the next 25 years, and reader, nothing found me and it didn't work out.
Until now.
My children got older, I had a little more time, and I learned that if I could obtain a teaching role at the university where the MFA program I wanted to attend was being offered, after two semesters I could be a student there as well at a substantially reduced rate.
After that I had a plan, and now several semesters later, I'm a student again.
So, does it matter that a teacher referred to me as diligent the other night?
It does, in that being diligent, treating writing like work, scheduling it, setting goals, never approaching it as precious or expendable, meeting other writers, and publishers, attending events, festivals, and conferences, pitching workshops and panels, seeking feedback, and taking care of myself, all while still parenting, nurturing my career and getting the bills paid, has allowed me to write and has opened doors to being published even when those other things were going on.
It took time, and unlike the MFA, when it came to writing itself, and becoming a writer, I never wished it would somehow work, I just got to work.
I do want to be careful here, because first, I want to check my privilege. I know how lucky I've been. I also don't want to be ableist; we can't all write every day or attend festivals for any number of reasons. However, my approach to being a writer, a published writer, how's that for a flex, may work for you, and in that way my pursuit of an MFA is no different than my efforts to become a published writer.
The thing is, I had a model in my head for how I wanted to achieve these things before I even knew there was a framework and science behind how I was approaching my writing life, which also now includes my new life as a student. Then I attended a workshop on the Power of Hope by Dr. Hellmann and I realized I could wrap his framework around my thinking, or maybe I could wrap my thinking around his framework, either way, after I attended that workshop, I realized I now have a concrete way to help you get into the proper headspace to create, seek ways to publish your work and pursue the writing life.
So, am I promising you will be a published author after you take this workshop?
No, that would be irresponsible of me to do so.
However, will you have a framework and action steps for pursuing that which you hope might happen for you as a writer?
You will.
So, will you join us for "Introducing the Power of Hope to Our Writing Process?"
Cool.
Ben's two-hour seminar on April 30th gives you a concrete framework, personal action steps, and a hope-centered strategy for your writing life. All levels welcome.
Save Your Seat in the Power of Hope Seminar →WritingWorkshops.com is an independent, artist-run creative writing school and the official education partner of Electric Literature. Since 2016, we've helped writers strengthen their voice, develop a greater understanding of craft, and forge a path to publication.
