Should i study creative writing

Claire G. Coleman, author of Terra Nullius and forthcoming novel The Old Lie , wrote her first book while travelling around Australia in a caravan.

She is completely self-taught and, like Renee, found her biggest obstacle to be confidence. I read extensively both within and outside of my preferred genres. I learned good writing from reading good writing. Nobody can know if they are a talented writer or not until they write something. Being a writer means making mistakes, learning from others in the field and a whole lot of hard work.

The only prerequisite is believing that your perspective and your words are valuable. Want more writing tips and tricks? Join us on April 10 to learn from Alice Grundy Seizure, Brio Books on all things finding a publisher at our short online course. Molly McLaughlin is a freelance travel and culture writer currently based in Mexico City. You can find her on social media at mollysgmcl. Irene Bell explores how you can find inspiration from Agatha Christie, the world's bestselling author.

Joel Burrows explores the world of MasterClass writing lectures. Music journalist Sharona Lin on how to conduct an interview like it's your thousandth. The very first interview I ever landed was with Silversun Skip to main content. Search Search form Search. Create new account Request new password. Should I Study Creative Writing? After all, most of us enjoy spending our free time reading or watching our favourite films and TV shows.

On a Creative Writing course, these activities suddenly become relevant to your education. In the earlier stages of a Creative Writing degree, the focus is on developing a solid base of skills utilised in all genres. One of these key skills will be the ability to critique the work of others and yourself constructively. Towards the end of your degree, you'll usually have the opportunity to take more specialist modules that help you to hone your craft in the medium of your choice.

Read our five reasons to study Creative Writing for more information on why you might choose to study this subject area. The following is a list of possible career paths — some obvious, some less so — for a Creative Writing graduate:.

In the infographic below, the first table shows what graduates of Creative Writing have gone on to do in the months after their graduation. Accelerated Pathways offers custom degree plans that allow students to achieve their degree and save money. Reach out to our student counselors to get more specialized degree guidance and information about our programs. Thanks to the internet, the demand for freelance writers has grown. This is a great opportunity for the entrepreneurial-minded writer.

You can also browse job opportunities on their websites on your own and send your resume. Check job boards like Indeed or LinkedIn. You can often find someone looking for a writer, editor, or expert communicator for various reasons. I love writing short stories and poems.

Some of my best college memories are writing stories for my peers to review or talking to my writing professor about how to be a better writer over burgers. The skills I learned by taking writing courses are skills that I cherish even years after graduation. However, looking back, I wish I had learned more skills than just creative writing. A lot of other skills and knowledge are necessary as well. For example, I wish I had learned more about marketing and branding.

This may have opened up opportunities for me in marketing and communications. For instance, when I interned for a branding agency, I had no idea what Search Engine Optimization SEO was or what the difference was between user experience and user interface. Were these pertinent to my role there? Not really, but my co-workers talked about them a lot, and I often felt lost.

Writing is great but learn other things too. Before I landed my job at Pearson, I worked as a front desk agent at a hotel, as a receiving assistant manager in a grocery store, and had a temporary job for a standardized testing service. While none of these by any means are dream jobs, I learned valuable skills in customer service, administration, management, and communication. These odd jobs can be good ways to learn other skills that can give you a leg up in the race for employment, and while learning new skills or improving them, these various jobs can also help give you a boost in creativity based on your everyday interactions or duties.

Minors are another great way to get some perspective in other fields. On average, a minor takes up approximately credits and usually helps fill up elective space in your degree. Some minors I would recommend to someone majoring in creative writing are education, business specifically marketing, if available , journalism, and communications.

This will help you learn more, and give you more to write about!