creative writing internships

creative writing internships

The Benefits of Creative Writing Internships

1. Introduction

It seems counterintuitive that students should spend time in the workplace as a part of an educational program. In a perfect world, students could attain the skills necessary to excel in their chosen careers solely through course lectures and readings. However, it is no secret that we do not live in a perfect world, and that the current job market is extremely competitive. Obtaining a line-level job in a student’s chosen career field soon after graduation now requires practical experience and technical skills, rather than just a certificate of completion from a four-year college or university. A recent study on the preparation for employment through higher education showed that potential employers believe that the ways in which college students learn should place more emphasis on developing key skills and a greater ability to apply knowledge through real-world settings. Because the learning is more of practical knowledge, it is also lasting and helpful preparation for the world of work (Kuh et al., 2006). This is a description of internship at its core. An internship is an opportunity for a student to gain practical career experience in a field of interest. Searles’s English Internship Module has the explicit goal of getting students into arts-related jobs, and all other student workers have the implicit goal of getting a better job in those areas.

The sections in this essay are from “The Benefits of Creative Writing Internships” and discuss how to incorporate them in an English Studies program. In each section, there are suggestions for how to manage and organize an internship for the benefit of students and faculty. The sections are based on the author’s success managing the English Studies internship program and witnessing the positive effects on students and learning. Section two discusses the steps to creating a successful internship and is based on how success is defined in the program discussed in this essay. In section three, specific models of internships are discussed based on the various tracks in the English Studies program and the skills that the students in different tracks are trying to gain. Section four deals with getting the most mileage out of internships for students and the program, including keeping the internship on target, and learning from feedback. Section five deals with assessment and reward, and includes a sample self-assessment/reflection assignment.

2. Enhancing Writing Skills

Here, the author provides evidence of her development as a writer in the form of her belief that she “became good at story writing in English” and through examples of her attempt to use “intelligent sounding words” such as “devastated” and “disappointed” to add depth to her stories. These examples serve to illustrate her belief that the skills she learned through her education were extremely beneficial. The author also discusses the process through which she was instructed to write and rewrite poems, summarizing and expanding upon a short passage and the resultant effect of this task: a poem that “sounded good” and the development of her editing skills. Ideas expressed in this paragraph are greatly elaborated upon in a discussion of the editing process and detailed comments from a teacher clarifying what constituted a good poem. These comments and her teacher’s use of a thesaurus are used to explain her realization of how much a poem could be improved. During her teaching sessions with a five-year-old boy, the author taught the student to improve his writing by using a speech bubble to write words spoken by the characters.

3. Gaining Professional Experience

In creative writing internships, the intern has professional practice in the field of writing. Generally, the intern gets on-the-job experience in writing and editing. For example, the intern may do a lot of writing for the web. This could be anything from composing original content to updating a company site. This helps the intern build a portfolio of writing samples. Also, the intern could be writing for electronic newsletters. He/she could also delve into technical writing. This kind of writing usually involves providing written content for a company product. An internship will give the intern guided training in industry. This is something extremely beneficial because it is very hard to get into certain industries without specific training. Also, the experience gained during internships can be a competitive advantage in the job market. It is often the experience that makes one candidate more desirable than another. The intern will have the opportunity to observe and participate in the professional routine of staff writers. This includes research and brainstorming, writing, and editing. The best way to learn anything is by actually doing it, and internships are great for that. Staff writers are valuable resources in providing constructive criticism about the intern’s writing. With professional mentoring, the intern will learn how to write more effectively. Finally, an internship may open the doors to full-time employment. This is very common because companies would rather hire someone they are already familiar with. This is an excellent opportunity for the intern, provided that the internship experience was positive.

4. Building a Network in the Industry

While in an internship, it’s also good to keep taking an English class part-time or do some volunteer teaching just to stay in the academic loop. Many professionals teach adult education classes and community colleges. Professors frequently share knowledge about potential part-time jobs available. This is a good time to consider cultivating a new profession, whether becoming an adjunct teacher or looking into educational publishing.

When you first start thinking about internships, talk to your professors. Many of them are established authors, poets, and playwrights and could give you excellent direction towards what type of internships would best suit your career goals. Professors with connections to different organizations can even recommend you as an intern.

Internships in creative writing provide the opportunity to develop your network and meet professionals within the field. Most people get their first job through someone they know and having the opportunity to meet established writers and editors provides contacts that can lead to future work. The networking that you can achieve during an internship is probably its greatest asset.

5. Opening Doors to Future Opportunities

– Students will gain important job skills. – Internship experience significantly improves a student’s chances of obtaining a full-time job after graduation. With more employers developing their own internship programs, the pool of students obtaining internships has increased, leading to a more competitive job market. This means that employers are looking for students who have the extra edge through internships. It was found that, “Employers offered full-time jobs to 70 percent of their interns; this is a substantially higher rate than the 36 percent job offer rate for students with no internship experience” (Zimmerman and Delle Donne, quoted in Intern Bridge). By the simple fact of offer rates (to do with students with an internship and those without), students need to realize how important internships are as a part of their college experience. With fewer and fewer job opportunities available for graduates, it is essential for students to have the competitive edge. Also, internships are a testing period for students. They are able to utilize their skills and knowledge in the workplace and develop new skills and knowledge along the way. Through this testing period, students are put to the test in figuring out if this is the right career for them. This is the time for students to start building their careers, and the skills and knowledge gained through an internship will strongly influence the career path for students and the industry in which they choose to work. According to NACE’s 2008 Experiential Education Survey, an internship can greatly influence the skills and qualities that are looked for by employers. This is shown in the table below. With career building being the primary focus of college students, it is important that they realize the influence of an internship. The skills developed through internships will greatly transfer to the job market and give students the abilities to secure a job in their desired field.