Creative Writing at Uni? Hey. I'm 17 and have to start thinking about what I want to do after 6th form. I'm hoping to go to university but am not sure which course I want to take, though I'm definitely considering creative writing. I was just wondering if anyone knows anyone who currently, has or wants to do creative writing at uni, and if you think it'd be worth it? I'm not sure if writing is a skill you can develop or one you already have?? Because I know I don't have naturally amazing writing skills and am afraid I wouldn't cope at a higher level. Thanks, Evil xxx
I know some people who have taken a few classes in creative writing and are happy with what they learned, so it wouldn't hurt to take one class. It provides a great place to workshop with people more or less the same skill level as you, and you will also learn a few new things in the process. Plus, all the deadlines give you an extra incentive to write.
For your AA you'll need credits in English, Math, History and Science as well as other classes, so don't go thinking it'll be a walk in the park to attend Uni. (At least, that's how it is in America) Like others in this thread have said, taking a creative writing class or two might be pretty interesting, especially if you feel your skills aren't quite there yet. It's like this forum really, you'll get critiqued by a wide range of people, but as a bonus you'll get one person who does it for a living. The same exercises and skills you'll learn in class can be taught here though. I for one would offer up myself as a tutor to you, and I'm sure other members of the WF would do the same. My personal opinion is not to waste money on "creative writing" when writing a good essay in English is much more important in developing your skills as a serious writer. If you still want to write, and are driven, consider what it is you want to write about and study that. I studied medicine, so naturally I inject my knowledge of that into what I write. Before I went to school I was into computers, so I sought out every job that I could get to be published in that field. You won't make money working as a writer, you just won't, unless you're incredibly lucky and hard working. Even then, if the best happens and your novel sells 30,000 copies, you won't be able to live for long of the profit it generates for you. (Remember Agents get 10%, the publishing company takes a cut, and you'll be paying for the printing costs one way or another.) Journalism? Now that's a whole other subject. There was a great post a little earlier in the thread that I parroted. Simply: Study to become an expert in your field, if your field is Creative Writing, you won't be as useful as someone who say majored in History, minored in English and wrote his thesis on the Political Motivations and Ecclesiastical Traditions of Pre-Renaissance Literature. In short, it's absolutely silly to pay to be taught to write a good short story.
Sorry to ressurect a thread that was mostly finished, but I've been debating on either doing graduate work in an MFA program at San Diego State, which I would probably enjoy, but realize that it has no practical value, or one of two other programs that are actually useful in the real world. Reading through this thread and everyone's comments was helpful.
Treez, I'll point out that it does depend on what type of writing you want to do. With fiction, it doesn't seem to matter that much where you go. I personally go to UCSD, and in my limited experiences with the Lit department, it seems like the classes are perfectly OK. However, if you're thinking of something more along the lines of journalism, you'd be looking for a college with a good communications Communications degree. While the responses are generally right about the limitations of a degree in English or Creative Writing, to get a job in journalism (like magazine editor, etc) credentials probably would be required. No matter what major you pick, you'll still be doing a lot of writing in college, especially if you're a humanities major. I'm personally an archaeology major minoring in history, and we have all kinds of papers. They're not creative, but they do give you the opportunity to hone your skills as a writer. I'm not the best person to answer this question, but I just thought I'd throw that out there. Good luck with your college decision and remember, you have the potential to have a great experience at your community college and a horrible experience at Harvard/Oxford/Yale--it all depends on you.
