Members fuzzinator Posted February 2, 2007 Members Share Posted February 2, 2007 hmm, any novelists in here? It definately doesn't seem like journalism would be a good fit for me. Any book writers in here? There really isn't a formula. If you want an education to bolster your ambition, get an English degree or a Creative Writing degree. Alternatively, read voraciously and study narratives, style and form. And write all the time. Write, write, write, write. I know a guy who is getting a novel published. I think he got an English degree, read as much modern literature as he possibly could (that was his interest) and worked on a novel over 6 years, constantly editing, rewriting, revamping. Writing is 90% elbow grease and the desire to tell a good story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gorebuc Posted February 2, 2007 Members Share Posted February 2, 2007 hmm, any novelists in here? It definately doesn't seem like journalism would be a good fit for me. Any book writers in here?Just don't come to my school for CW. /start vent/ The instructor is an ex-construction supervisor who didn't get his education until his 50's. His classes are miserable. I have him for all of my American Lit classes as well...he assigned like 30 pages of writing for a sophomore level survey, while teaching me next to nothing. He just asks this largely rhetorical questions and discusses the "spirit of the age" when the works were written. And he despises critical theory I have to go to one of his classes tomorrow..../vent over/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members trlkvsky Posted February 2, 2007 Members Share Posted February 2, 2007 Just don't come to my school for CW. /start vent/ The instructor is an ex-construction supervisor who didn't get his education until his 50's. His classes are miserable. I have him for all of my American Lit classes as well...he assigned like 30 pages of writing for a sophomore level survey, while teaching me next to nothing. He just asks this largely rhetorical questions and discusses the "spirit of the age" when the works were written. And he despises critical theory I have to go to one of his classes tomorrow.... /vent over/ Let me guess... he's the dean's son-in-law, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 I have a Journalism degree. I don't think it would help you write fiction, though. Two totally different disciplines. You might want to look into Creative Writing programs, or an English degree. Both would certainly help you develop strong writing skills. I might want to try my hand at writing a novel some day, but so far, all of the writing I have done has been for technical magazines and books. I had exactly two creative writing classes in my life, and only the required English courses - and I "tested out" of as much of that as I could. I'm a engineer - not a "real" journalist. Actually, I referred to myself as a "producer by choice and inclination, an engineer by training, a musician by nature" in an interview once; today I would add "...and an accidental journalist". I really enjoy the writing that I do, but it's a secondary interest for me that pertains to my primary career. The most helpful thing for me has been having some great editors, a decent knowledge of and real love for the subject matter, and a desire to pass along what I've learned over the years. It certainly helps that I have read a lot and that I have a decent vocabulary. I think general integrity, an inquisitive mindset, a basic educational foundation and knowledge of the language and a love for writing can take you a long way. However, I don't discount the value of specialized training in journalism, and if I had planned on becoming a writer, I certainly would have considered that as a major. But honestly, the idea never occured to me, and I'm pretty happy (and consider myself quite fortunate) to be able to do it "on the side". BTW, magazines don't really pay all that well, unless you're writing for a REALLY big publication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fernmeister Posted February 2, 2007 Members Share Posted February 2, 2007 hmm, any novelists in here? It definately doesn't seem like journalism would be a good fit for me. Any book writers in here?Writing a novel is on my list. Last year I heard a guy speak who has written a stack of books and he was talking about how to write a novel in six months working one hour a day. It was pretty funny actually; now I know why havingan agent is so important and why everything he writes sucks!FWIW, I've published a few articles and reviews in academic journals and a handful of newspaper and magazine articles. A few years back I had an offer on a non-fiction book but had to pass due to a change in circumstances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Great Waldo Pepper Posted February 2, 2007 Members Share Posted February 2, 2007 I dunno much about journalism but one of my favorite political journalistic heroines Molly Ivans passed away today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tocs100 Posted February 2, 2007 Members Share Posted February 2, 2007 Some Journalism degrees start off with a couple of years of foundation, and then allow you to focus on a discipline, such as magazine writing.That's the kind of degree I would have taken if I had known better. My degree focused on news writing for newspapers. You didn't miss anything. In my Eng degree program, nobody in my mag-writing class could find a paying market reated to a sample assignment. I've since emailed works to half-a-dozen e-mags, to not be given even the courtesy of a rejection notice (*cough*--crooked {censored}in' cousin-lovin' cumsuckers).... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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