Throughout my life, I’ve pursued endurance sports with a focus on the Olympic distance triathlon–the third leg of which is a 10k run. Other sports such as swimming and cycling are often seen as more strenuous and impressive than running. Everyone knows how to run, right? You just put one foot in front of the other! But as it turns out, there are a lot of aspects involved in running.

Do you pronate or supinate? Do you heel strike or midsole strike? What’s the best way to swing your arms? What’s your cadence? How do you change any of these variables without hurting yourself?

Now, what does all this have to do with writing? People often approach writing with the mindset of well I can read, so of course I can write. All I have to do is put words together to make a sentence and then put sentences together to form a paragraph. While this may be true in the most literal sense, writing is a skill and craft that demands practice and the help from others if we truly want to be better writers.

The questions then become, how can I improve my writing for free and how much money should I spend to focus on my writing? To answer that, you must first ask yourself three self-reflective questions.

Question 1: Where are you in your writing journey?

Continuing with our running analogy…are you just now getting off the couch or have you been adhering to a regular routine? Have you been practicing daily, several days a week, or once a week or so?

If you’re a beginner, focus on structure and tradition. If you’re trying out poetry, Google search for famous poems that have withstood the test of time and determine how and why they continue to make an impact. There are numerous free resources out there for you to discover.

If you’re not sure where you are in your writing journey, meet up with other writers to share your work and receive constructive feedback. 

Do not forget to read as you learn how to write. There are several books out there that are highly regarded among writers such as Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing You’ll Ever Need by Jessica Brody and The Art of the Poetic Line by James Longenbach. Personally, I’ve learned a lot from The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within by Stephen Fry.

While it’s important to read books about craft, you should also continue to read for pleasure and pay close attention to how different writers structure their sentences and storytelling.

Question 2: Is writing a passion or a pastime?

Are you happy running local 5k charity races and beating your personal records or do you wish to compete at a national or even international level? Do you follow the results from all the big races and know the names of the usual top finishers? 

These aren’t necessarily yes or no questions, but will put you in the mindset of accurately weighing how you feel and approach a skill like running or writing.

If you’ve done a fair amount of writing and are curious about what a writing-intensive life might look like, applying and taking paid courses or programs may be a worthy investment. This doesn’t automatically mean the $50,000 MFA program as there are a plethora of options to choose from.

You can look to your local college or university for continuing studies programs with writing classes. Universities like Stanford or Berkeley offer prestigious programs you can apply to that cost $700 to $1000 a course.

Smaller institutions that focus solely on writing also offer wonderful opportunities. The Writing Salon and SF Creative Writing Institute are examples of such programs in the San Francisco Bay Area. With programs such as these, you can pick and choose your instructor. Costs will vary broadly as the class can vary from a single day class to a 6-8 week course. Longer courses typically cost around $400.

Or look into writing retreats such as the one from River Heron Review, a focused long weekend getaway to hone your writing skills away from everyday distractions.

Question 3: How quickly do you want to get to your goal?

Having people to run with and a coach to guide you with custom training and injury prevention strategies will improve your running skills much faster than if you were practicing completely alone.

Investing time and money into a given skill or craft can get you farther ahead; you just need to ensure you go about it the smart way. The more money you spend doesn’t mean the better your running or writing will be. Consider how much you can afford and what you want to get out of different classes or programs. Look to part time programs and low residency options before considering a traditional MFA program.

Make sure you spend time researching these programs. Attend the AWP conference where representatives from the top writing programs hold panels and answer questions from writers like you.

If you’re not sure whether an MFA program is right for you due the time and money this often requires, check out PocketMFA, a far more comprehensive curriculum than a single writing course without the price tag and rigid structure of a several-year program.

PocketMFA is a 12-week writing program that will allow you to workshop your work with a peer group alongside direct instruction and 1:1 meetings with a published author as your writing mentor. Being a PocketMFA student or alumnus gives you lifetime access to your cohort and the larger PocketMFA writing community once your 12-week program is complete. Better yet, you can access it remotely at a fraction of the cost ($3297) as opposed to committing to a full blown MFA program.

Wherever you land, keep running!

As you can see, there are a ton of options at your disposal.

While it can be overwhelming to research and decide which program is right for you, determining the kind of experience you’re looking for and how much time and money you want to spend will narrow down your list and give you a better sense of the unique roadmap you’re on.

The life of the athlete and the writer is a journey. Even if you aren’t actively enrolled in a program, taking the next step, one after the other, is crucial to getting to where you want to be eventually.