I’m trying to decide how to pursue a career as a novelist.

nick.anderson.

I’m trying to decide how to pursue a career as a novelist.

I want to write books for a living, but I feel like I’m missing some crucial theory/development. I’m very creative, I’ve won some writing contents and in general am a talented writer, but it took me a while to realize that this is what I wanted to do, so in the meantime I got a degree in web design at a technical school, and missed out on alot of the basic composition I could of gotten at a regular university.

I’m 22, have a BA, and have no real attachments where I am (but not alot of money either), so once I save some money up I have no problem moving anywhere to get a quality education. The real question is, how should I go about it?

My first thought was to get an MFA in Creative Writing, but not only are these tough to get into (especially for some one with an art degree and no published work?), I hear alot of them are just to stroke one’s ego, practice being pretentious, an easy way for established writers to get teaching jobs, or that they produce superficial genre writers that too closely mimic their mentors. Naturually, I don’t need any of that. I just want to WRITE! I have a pretty decent body of work that shows promise, but like I said, its missing some key components. I could always “start from scratch” and get another BA in creative writing, but that seems a little repetitive. I don’t know much about the whole credit system, or how to maximize my time at a university since I went to this crazy art school (*｡_｡)

So has anyone else out there asked the same questions? Gotten an MFA and can provide some insight? I know practically nothing about the whole setup, so any help would be awesome. Thanks immensely!

This open post was written 2 months ago | V/U/S: 91, 8, 5 | Edit Post | Leave a reply | Report Post

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ashleydoo #
An Unknown Location | 2 months ago (4 minutes after post)

No knowledge is bad knowledge, hun, and several authors these days became famous without fancy writing degrees. Just do what works best for you and if it’s meant to be, it’ll come to you. XD Haha, I sound like a douche.

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partlythere 2 #
An Unknown Location | 2 months ago (9 minutes after post)

im the same as you :) except i write in advertising now.

I think of it like this: most of my favourite authors didn’t have anything to write about until at least their late 20s. You can only really write something good when you have the experience to think of good stories. I’m only 23 and I’m trying to figure out what to write about.

Tom waits played piano in a tacky bar for most of his career
haruki murakami didn’t start writing til he was 29.

most famous writers/musicians/artists never recieved any formal education.

Help me with: I just want to do a bit of a rant here everyone!

nick.anderson. 1 #
An Unknown Location | 2 months ago (9 minutes after post)

Haha thank you ashleydoo, no you don’t sound like a douche. I hear that one alot actually, and though I know I *need* a degree to be a good writer, I’d really like alot more practice and instruction. Next semester I’m going to try auditing some classes at some colleges around me to see if I can get a better feel for things . . . I also tried to start a writing critique circle here (Denver), but not a great response on that. So yeah, I’m trying to consider some free options first :)

nick.anderson. 1 #
An Unknown Location | 2 months ago (21 minutes after post)

Another good point partlythere. I don’t think Frank McCourt wrote Angela’s Ashes until he was over 50, and it was his first novel . . . I have grappled with the idea of “what do I have to write about”, maybe I should just relax a bit. However, I’m not super pyched about what I’m doing right now, so I like the idea of pursuing my dream instead of working in an office :) Still, I guess that’s not a great approach either, since I’ll probably need a 9 to 5 well into even a successful writing career . . . maybe I need to think a little bit LONGER term (O_O；)

partlythere 2 #
An Unknown Location | 2 months ago (29 minutes after post)

you really do need a 9-5, even when you are a published author. im extremely lucky in that i am paid for my writing (even tho it’s advertising).

All you can do is write as much as possible, and share it with as many people as posisble. Join a writers group, or volunteer in one.

in the end, unless you self-publish (which is something you should probably look into if you havent already) you can’t make a publisher pick you up!! all you can do is keep trying :) hope this helps

Help me with: I just want to do a bit of a rant here everyone!

scjarv 0 #
An Unknown Location | 2 months ago (32 minutes after post)

I am not a published writer, so take this for whatever it may be worth:
1. Read a lot–critically. Notice what works and what does not.
2. Write a lot. Critically read what you’ve written, and re-write it, as necessary, keeping what worked and what did not.
Good luck.

nick.anderson. 1 #
An Unknown Location | 2 months ago (42 minutes after post)

Thanks everyone. partlythere, I’m following that strategy so far, and i guess its been productive :) I have a minor poetry collection that I bind and print myself (putting that art degree to good use). In general I’ve heard that self-publishing, though remarkably satisfying, is looked down upon by publishers because it makes you look impatient. I’ll hold out on the bigger pieces for a real book deal, but the stuff like poetry and minor stories I don’t mind distributing to my friends in a slightly amped-up package.
scjarv, that’s also a part of my strategy. I know good readers make good writers, and that I could probably learn everything I need from other authors work.
In general I’m hearing that I should stick it out and develop my work after hours instead of worrying about a formal education. Its definitely made an impression on me, thanks everyone for your input!

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