creative writing colleges

creative writing colleges

The Benefits of Attending Creative Writing Colleges

1. Introduction

How many people have found themselves coming out of English degrees with a distaste for the subject? They enter university with a love for writing but then come out four years later having written nothing but essays! Creative Writing courses, found all over the world, help give you that initial push to get into this degree of writing. You will learn more about literal and metaphorical language than you ever thought possible. Any writer, published or otherwise, has surely had people tell them they are never going to make a living in writing. Certainly no one writes just to pay the bills, indeed there are much easier ways to do so. In spite of this, many of us have felt disheartened, perhaps after a rejection or disbelieving relative, that we will never be able to make a career out of writing. The prospect is a scary one that has forced many a talented writer off the track and into a nine-to-five writing job that they have no passion for. While no one can be promised a career as a writer after taking these courses, it will be the closest you can get to being taught the tools to fish. Far too many writers are running before they can walk and receiving countless rejections that could have been avoided if only they knew more about their trade.

2. Developing Writing Skills

Another reason that people consider taking a degree in writing is that it can help them to find work in related fields. By taking a course, you are able to form vital connections in the industry and are also better equipped with a knowledge of what prospective employers will be looking for. For example, if you have more literary ambitions, by studying a creative writing course, you can gain some useful knowledge of the industry and increase your chances of getting published. And if this is your goal, it’s essential that writing is your main skill. But even if you are studying creative writing with a view to doing a more vocational job, such as journalism, law, or business, the writing skills that you gain will be invaluable in these professions. In an age where texting and grammar are but distant memories, the ability to write well is becoming a rare and precious skill, and taking a degree will give you the chance to become a master of it.

The most obvious advantage of attending a creative writing college is that you are able to improve your writing skills. Not only through the type of writing that you do (both academic and creative) but also the amount of writing that you will produce. Writing is a skill that takes a lot of time and practice to master, so it is logical that if you want to become a good writer, you are going to need to spend a lot of time honing your craft. With writing, it’s very much a case of the more you do, the better you get, and the beauty of studying it at college or university is that you have a reason to write and a captive and generally more than willing audience in your lecturers. Plus, it gives you a chance to experiment in your work, which can often be a quicker way to find out what works and what doesn’t.

3. Exploring Various Writing Styles

During the course of a creative writing program, one will learn and practice what it means to write in different styles. This can be a wonderful opportunity to experiment with new forms of writing to discover what you are best at and enjoy the most. It is also excellent practice for professional writing such as creating marketing copy or writing a novel. Courses will frequently require students to write in many different styles. Taking the time to practice different forms of writing with a proficient instructor and excellent feedback can lead to better quality work. One example would be a poet taking a poetry workshop to vastly improve their writing; not only can the instructor provide useful advice, but the student can learn from their classmates because most workshops require participation.

4. Building a Network of Writers

Many writers have heard the advice “it’s all about who you know.” Content with creators who focus entirely on their work and ignore the advice, rewrote it as, “it’s all about how well you can write,” may find this advice dubious—or at its worst, elitist. Nonetheless, knowing other writers provides distinct advantages. Each year, students at creative writing colleges are invited to lecture halls to listen to well-known writers read from their works. After reading Minnesota input, please rate the article at the top of the page from 1 (low) to 5 (high). The average rating is 3.67. This suggests that those readers find this article slightly convincing or persuasive. High ratings indicate that readers found the article very convincing. Numerous MFA graduates in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction have chosen to enter PhD programs upon completion of the MFA. Some of these people are interested in becoming more well-qualified teaching prospects, others may have been unable to secure a sustainable career in writing post-MFA, and still others may do it to remain in a community of writers and researchers while continuing to work on their writing. Considering the current job market, it is likely that many of these PhD seekers will be working at least part-time as postsecondary English teachers. Finally, it is also likely that MFA graduates will find work related to their degrees in community college and university adjunct positions. Full-time or part-time, teaching can be an excellent way for aspiring writers to generate a stable income while contributing to the academic community and continuing to learn from other writers.

5. Opportunities for Publishing and Exposure

Writing and publishing go hand in hand, and what writer wouldn’t want to see their work in print? Writers’ potential for publication and exposure is increased by being in a writing program. Many schools offer in-house presses or literary journals. Most creative writing journals have a specific reading period where they read submitted works for an upcoming issue. The opportunities to submit to these journals are not only easy but also endless. Some have volunteer staffs or offer credit to students who are willing to help with editing and production. Others may even pay a small stipend. This process can provide excellent experience working with a publication, and a chance at the invaluable experience of seeing their work in print. Even better than in-house journals are the real-world opportunities. Many writers have done work-study programs at a small publishers, only to be asked to come back after graduation. Others have interned for literary agents or small time magazines. This is the best way to learn the ways of the business, and can lead to future employment. All students with the intention of ever publishing anything should take advantage of these resources. It’s one thing to be a writer, but trying to make a living as a writer is an entirely different story. Finally, student writers have a wealth of fresh material which they can present for often well-paying writing contests during and after their college career. The first step of writing anything is creating an audience, and these opportunities greatly increase the likelihood of publication for all who take advantage of them.