#writing degrees

[letswritesomenovels]

Hi @alchera!

This probably is a little subjective, but I think most writers will agree with me when I say that studying either English or Comparative Literature at their highest levels isn’t important to becoming a writer. 

English classes make you a better reader and being a better reader makes you a better writer, so they aren’t totally useless. However, once you’re able to identify things like themes, motifs, foreshadowing, etc. in books you read, and once you’ve seen examples of these things well executed in various novels--and I’m assuming you have these skills as a uni student--you kind of have all of the literary study you need as a writer. Now, you simply need to keep reading and keep in mind what good writing looks like to you. 

However, if you want to have a career as a writer, being able to analyse a literary text is only going to take you so far. A Creative Writing degree will be able to teach you things about craft that an English degree will never do. Workshopping especially is so beneficial to developing your writing. It’s the cornerstone of any Creative Writing degree. 

As I said in my writing group post, workshopping will provide you with four very important things:

Motivation. Having to produce work every week (or two) for workshops is a great way to train yourself to write on a consistent basis, to force yourself to find the time to write. 

Advice catered to you. If you’re not sure your dialogue is working or if your chapters are in the right order or if your protagonist seems well-rounded, a second opinion (or ten) is the best help. Your fellow workshoppers will see flaws in your writing that you can’t see on your own, they can help you through problems you can’t solve by yourself, and give you new and wonderful ideas for your story. (Also, they can point out strengths you never knew your writing had!)

Unpolished writing. The books you buy in stores have gone through countless rounds of edits. The errors that remain are usually issues of subjectivity. Amateur mistakes don’t exist in them. Reading work that’s still rough, and reflects your own mistakes back at you, can teach you more about writing than you can possibly imagine. For me, it is the most useful aspect of workshopping.

Other writers to talk to. Sometimes, it’s just nice to have people to talk to about writing. You can get book recommendations, share book recommendations. Talk to each other about writing processes. Vent about storylines that just aren’t coming together. Writing can be very lonely, but having other writers to talk to can make it less so. 

If you want to be a writer and are already considering MAs, I totally recommend looking into that creative writing program. 

I hope this helps!

Best,

Julia 

[emerysaks]

I hope you don't mind this ask, but I was hoping for some advice regarding a Master's degree in writing.

I feel like I could give a lengthy background for this, but basically a friend recommended the master's program she went through during one of our numerous discussions/rant sessions that we would have to create the specific queer content we wanted to see.

My major hang up is that I'm not really a hardcore writer. I've written a handful of fanfics, but I dont have any original ideas for a story. Since I doubt I will become a fullblown writer, I worry that I won't use the skills/knowledge and have just another piece of paper and probable debt.

But it also feels important to write these queer stories and get them out there. Especially in the cluster fuck of US politics right now :/ A younger me would have benefitted from queer stories growing up. And today, well what better way to say "I'm here and I'm queer. I won't let you erase me."

Hi! I don't mind, and I'm flattered that you asked me. Please understand I'm giving you my opinion and that it's based on my life experiences. Your mileage may vary.

My undergrad degree is a BA in Print Journalism. I have always loved writing and thought that would be a great career to pursue. During university, I worked as a news reporter, features reporter, entertainment reporter, and served as an entertainment editor for a few years. I loved writing for my university paper, and they paid me. I got a job at a local business journal as an assistant editor when I graduated. The pay was subpar, and I couldn't live off it. I ended up leaving that job and working as a retail store manager until I fell into supply chain procurement. 

I got lucky that I was pretty good at that job. My starting job paid more than double what I made as an assistant editor. Over the years, I've found my niche in IT procurement (I love tech). I enjoy analysis, negotiating contracts, solving problems for my clients, tight deadlines, etc. 

I am thankful for my undergrad degree in journalism because it has allowed me to communicate well in my current role. I'm able to talk to people with confidence. It even gave me a four-year stint as a communications project manager with my current company before I slid back into procurement.

Being able to write and communicate complements any job you take in life. However, unless you're planning on being a commercial or self-published writer, I don't know that a Master's in writing will be beneficial - especially for the cost involved. 

I got my MBA two years ago, and it was not cheap. Also, I made a point to get an MBA for my graduate degree because I wanted something that was both applicable in my day-to-day work and made me more marketable within my organization and on the outside (if I ever want to leave).

I can't tell you if a Master's in writing is right for you. But from what you're telling me, you don't want to be the next Lee Winter. Maybe look around at some other degrees that interest you and consider how those will result in a good financial ROI for your future endeavors versus a degree in writing. Then, do what makes the most sense - financially and career-wise - and do what will ultimately make you happy without starving.

But remember this, too: You don't have to have a degree to be a writer. If you think about writing when you wake up, when you're working, when you're chilling, when you're sleeping - you're a writer. If you're passionate about telling queer stories, write them! If you want your stories to address what's happening in modern politics/society, do so. You don't need a degree to do that.

Read books about writing, do workshops, join a writers' group, talk to authors... you can also learn that way. Gail Carriger - a lovely author who has written some queer stories - has a good book about writing, and I believe she's working on another one about writing and self-publishing. 

Main takeaway - you can be a writer without a degree. Will the things you learn from the degree help you? Of course. But, I think my dear beta reader/editor, @likea-black-widow-baby, would be the first to tell you that I, even with a degree, am a most sloppy writer. I depend on them to bloody up my work and make it better before I put it out in the universe.

Ultimately, you must do what you think will bring you happiness and success while realizing your financial boundaries. If that's a masters in writing, excellent. If not, that's okay, too. You're going to write regardless, yes? :)

I hope some of this has helped! Best of luck to you with your decision! 

[smallerdebtbuyero]

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[melissaholden94]

Response Post: Am I Qualified To Be A Creative?

Response Post: Am I Qualified To Be A Creative?

Actor, writer and YouTuber Carrie Hope Fletcher recently released a video called “Am I Qualified To Be A Creative?” (Link below)

And here is my response: 

I’m with you Carrie. And I am one of those people with a piece of paper. And you’re right – I only got that piece of paper to prove to others that I was allowed to be a writer.

An…

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[detective-rowan]

JUST MY OPINION FOR THOSE LOOKING INTO GETTING A DEGREE FOR WRITING: Get something outside of english for your minor.  It would be easy, however it does not help in the long run.  Your main characters will not always be writers like yourself.  Spread your knowledge.  Find something fun that you might eventually wanna involve in your writing.  Crickey even a minor in psychology or philosophy (depending on your school) would be useful in making more intriguing character concepts. Just a suggestion

[thewritershelpers]

Is it worth it to get a BA in creative writing?

Honestly, and I’m going to get real here with my opinion, what matters most is if it’s worth it to you.

It’s getting to the point, particularly in the US, where what your degree is doesn’t matter as much so long as you have one, and having an advance degree matters even more, at least when it comes to resume culling for a lot of companies (which is not at all a reason for people to run out and get MFAs and MBAs and the like because having more education, and more debt, does in no way necessarily prepare you for a particular job, unless it’s super specific, like library sciences, but I digress). Do hiring folks want something in a particular field of study that relates to their job posting? Of course. But there’s a range of degrees that can cover a lot of job offerings, particularly degrees in communications and the arts. 

As far as your degree is concerned, ask yourself what you want to do with your degree. What do you want your career to be? What are you passionate about studying? Go with that, and keep your possibilities for the future open. Your degree is going to hold more value for you than for employers, so choose a field of study that matters to you.

Hope this helps!

- O

[peruses]

Are MFA programs ruining American fiction? (meta, writing)

http://www.salon.com/books/writing/index.html?story=/books/laura_miller/2011/05/17/mfa_programs

It's true that MFA programs have produced far more competent mediocrities than shining stars, but that's also true of every other literary ecosystem. Shining stars are by definition exceptional. (This is what Batuman means when she describes literature as "elitist.") Yes, MFA grads with nothing to say are now able to say it more skillfully, but authors were pretty good at being boring before university writing programs came along and would surely go on being boring if every MFA program were wiped off the face of the earth. The programs don't make them dull, even if they also can't make them interesting.