Many aspiring writers wonder if they should get an undergraduate degree or MFA in creative writing. I might not be the best person to answer this question because I don’t exactly have the benefit of both perspectives. If I could go back to university now, today at this age, I would study creative writing, but not because I need to in order to be a writer, but because the subject interests me so much. I would love nothing better than to study other writers and the craft, and to benefit from the intense workshop experience of sharing one’s writing with other students. But it’s possible to do both of these things without doing an undergrad or MFA in creative writing. There are countless writing groups and workshop classes online or in person (depending on where you live) and libraries and bookstores exist to find the novels/short stories you want to read. However, one thing missing from a “do it yourself” approach, something a university program offers, is the structure and discipline. For some, this is needed to force them to actually sit down and get to work. (How to create a sustainable writing practice – that’s a whole other post!)
What I can tell you is what my experience has been. It wasn’t until I reached my thirties that I got serious about my writing. It had always been there, this vague notion of wanting to write, somewhere in the back of my mind, but I didn’t know how to go about it. It turns out that the way to go about it is to just do it! Find moments here and there, whether it is during lunch breaks, evenings or weekends (or in my case during my daughter’s naptime back in my early days of writing; now it’s when she’s at school) to sit down and write. Use other moments, when you’re walking from A to B or doing the dishes, to think about your writing. And finally, read, read, read the writers you admire (and even those you don’t; if others deem them good, see what all the fuss is about). In the end though, it’s by writing that you become a writer.
The other thing I did was join a local writing association (in my case, the Quebec Writers Federation) and sign up for all sorts of workshops. I loved getting together with other keen learners and benefiting from the experience and wisdom of the instructors. These were amazing opportunities to ask questions and share my work with others, beyond my family, for the first time. It was scary but it was a great experience that was overwhelmingly positive (and I’m not talking about the feedback I received, because it wasn’t all positive, but in the way it was delivered, respectfully and constructively!). I also submitted my work to many (at last count over 120) magazines, online journals and competitions. Now, you have to have a thick skin if you embark on this adventure (unless you happen to be unusually gifted!) because most of the responses I received were rejections. That is tough. Really tough. But it’s all part of the process. Because in there were a few successes, whether it was being shortlisted or long-listed or being accepted for publication. And there were also a couple of “although we won’t be publishing your story, we are writing you this personal note to tell you we really liked your story for reasons a, b, and c, and we hope you find a place for it.” While disappointing, those notes were also little sparks of encouragement. And I really appreciated that they’d taken the time to write to me. A few nice words can go a long way.
Now back to the original question, what about studying creative writing at university… While I didn’t do a creative writing undergrad or MFA, one thing I did do was the Graduate Certificate Program in Creative Writing at Humber College in Toronto (online). This was after about ten years of writing on my own. Should I have done it sooner? From my point of view, no. I needed more experience with writing because it’s not a teaching program. It’s a writing program. The way it worked was that each student was assigned to an experienced writer (many award-winning). My mentor was Dennis Bock, the acclaimed author of “Going Home Again” and many other books. It was a pleasure to work with him and over the course of eight months, I benefitted immensely from his insights, as I sent him pages from a manuscript in progress, in this case from the second draft of a novel I was working on, and he sent back his notes and suggestions for improvements. And that was it. There were no classes, no workshops with other students, no readings to study. It’s a very specific format that’s not for everyone but it was exactly what I needed at that stage of writing my manuscript (which as of right now is in its ninth draft – more on the novel writing process in another post!).
So, I’ve told you a bit about my experience. Other writers will have other suggestions. You have to find what works for you at your stage of life, whether you’re working full time, are a new parent, recently retired or just embarking on adulthood. There are so many resources available to you, many of them free or relatively inexpensive, so do your research and join a writing group or attend a workshop. But most of all, just write!