Mackenzie Bitz
Mackenzie Bitz is a teacher and writer of fiction and fantasy. While studying in the MFA program at Mississippi University for Women, she taught virtual workshops over sensory information in stories, the rhythm and motion of sentence structure, and the vastness of magic in the fantasy genre. She has attended numerous conferences, including Arizona State University and the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, and workshops covering dialogue, characterization, plotting, and perspective with Carol Levin.
Under the direction of Dr. Brandy Wilson, she completed her thesis, Relics of Sacred Fire, a short story collection of Greek mythological retellings which focuses on the emotional dynamics between love, family, and friendship within divinity.
Aside from writing, Mackenzie is also an opera singer, having received her bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Texas State University in 2018. She is currently working on a new fantasy novel.
Recommended Books for Aspiring Writers (Fiction):
Recommended Books for Aspiring Writers (Fantasy):
Writing Excerpt, “An Unwritten Song of Flight” from Relics of Sacred Fire
The cliff becomes a girl.
One moment there is only the slick slab of stone, long and narrow, fit for the roof of a cave, and then tiny rocks sprout to limbs. Fingers form outward, arms yawn upward, legs fling dust from the compressed rocks, and the girl of stone rises and stretches toward the sky until the small buds she had sheltered in the cracks of her skull open to chrysanthemum and short strands of leaves.
The oread flexes her toes to the ground. Her feet thump rhythmically, stone hitting stone, as she runs to the listening forest, for the trees have curious branches and roots that speak all the way down to Father Cithaeron’s slumbering ear. The leaves swish in her hair, the rocks of her limbs clatter and grind, and she cannot help but laugh, the sound like pebbles dancing across stones until they catch a breeze and fly. And flying is precisely what she wants to do now, but she has never flown. She knows not the beat of scattered wings and the distances she could travel, but she has seen the world from her dreams. What magnificence, what beauty. It had never been close enough to taste.
As the ridges deepen and slice through rows of sleeping trees, the oread shouts.
“Sisters! Awake, sisters!”
The other oreads obey, stretching their stone limbs to the sky, and then they laugh and dance in the pond, greeting her with shouts that will never be as loud. “Hello, Echo! Hello!”
Testimonials from Aspiring Writers and Students:
“Mackenzie is so fun and animated while teaching. I love how engaging and clear she is with her points.”
“I’m looking at writing in a different way now. I enjoyed the musical approach to sentence structure.”
Teaching Philosophy:
An ideal learning environment is one where everyone can speak their mind without being afraid or nervous—where no one is afraid to put themselves out there and learn. Open-mindedness is key. Students will help each other grow and flourish through challenging questions and notable feedback, being specific in what they enjoyed and what they feel needs improvement. Language is a form of communication, and in stories, it is what unites us.
My goal as your instructor is to ensure that you walk away feeling more grounded in the genre, craft, or coursework. If you don’t know something, ask or let’s research it together. Writing is meant to be an exploration of oneself and the possibilities of creativity. There is power in being creative. In the words of Julia Cameron: “Serious work is serious play.” So let’s play.
Under the direction of Dr. Brandy Wilson, she completed her thesis, Relics of Sacred Fire, a short story collection of Greek mythological retellings which focuses on the emotional dynamics between love, family, and friendship within divinity.
Aside from writing, Mackenzie is also an opera singer, having received her bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Texas State University in 2018. She is currently working on a new fantasy novel.
Recommended Books for Aspiring Writers (Fiction):
- Writing Fiction by Gotham Writers’ Workshop
- Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
- Circe by Madeline Miller
- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
- The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Recommended Books for Aspiring Writers (Fantasy):
- Fantasy Fiction Formula by Debbie Chester
- Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
- Dragondoom by Dennis McKiernan
- Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
- Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Writing Excerpt, “An Unwritten Song of Flight” from Relics of Sacred Fire
The cliff becomes a girl.
One moment there is only the slick slab of stone, long and narrow, fit for the roof of a cave, and then tiny rocks sprout to limbs. Fingers form outward, arms yawn upward, legs fling dust from the compressed rocks, and the girl of stone rises and stretches toward the sky until the small buds she had sheltered in the cracks of her skull open to chrysanthemum and short strands of leaves.
The oread flexes her toes to the ground. Her feet thump rhythmically, stone hitting stone, as she runs to the listening forest, for the trees have curious branches and roots that speak all the way down to Father Cithaeron’s slumbering ear. The leaves swish in her hair, the rocks of her limbs clatter and grind, and she cannot help but laugh, the sound like pebbles dancing across stones until they catch a breeze and fly. And flying is precisely what she wants to do now, but she has never flown. She knows not the beat of scattered wings and the distances she could travel, but she has seen the world from her dreams. What magnificence, what beauty. It had never been close enough to taste.
As the ridges deepen and slice through rows of sleeping trees, the oread shouts.
“Sisters! Awake, sisters!”
The other oreads obey, stretching their stone limbs to the sky, and then they laugh and dance in the pond, greeting her with shouts that will never be as loud. “Hello, Echo! Hello!”
Testimonials from Aspiring Writers and Students:
“Mackenzie is so fun and animated while teaching. I love how engaging and clear she is with her points.”
“I’m looking at writing in a different way now. I enjoyed the musical approach to sentence structure.”
Teaching Philosophy:
An ideal learning environment is one where everyone can speak their mind without being afraid or nervous—where no one is afraid to put themselves out there and learn. Open-mindedness is key. Students will help each other grow and flourish through challenging questions and notable feedback, being specific in what they enjoyed and what they feel needs improvement. Language is a form of communication, and in stories, it is what unites us.
My goal as your instructor is to ensure that you walk away feeling more grounded in the genre, craft, or coursework. If you don’t know something, ask or let’s research it together. Writing is meant to be an exploration of oneself and the possibilities of creativity. There is power in being creative. In the words of Julia Cameron: “Serious work is serious play.” So let’s play.