Someone (I can't find who...) wrote:
<< I doubt there's been any studies done on this, but I
wonder just how many published writers actually TOOK any creative
writing
classes or graduated in the "field." >>
Does it matter? If you enjoy the author, does it really matter whether
they have a PhD. in Restoration period literature or a GED from Generic,
New York? I think, no matter what, just about every author out there
will tell you they've gon through some form of a workshop, whether it
was in a university setting ot not.
Kirsten Corby responded to our mystery writer:
> <snip>...So, no, given my limited experince I would not go the
> university creative
> writing program course. It's a red herring in my opinion.
A true creative writing program is going to allow a student to write
what he or she wishes to write. Yes, I went to an urban, midwestern
university (Wayne State University). No, we don't have an MFA. We've
got some grand writers here, but no one who's "big," and, no, none of
them have written science fiction.
Does that matter? The aim of a true creative writing program (of any
educational program at that) is *not* to get a degree. If the entire
idea behind college or grad school is a degree then go sit down and have
a deep, serious think. The aim of a true creative writing program is to
get the student to write and to think about how writing is constructed.
If you fail every class, but come out of the experience a better writer,
then it was well worth the time.
Do I appreciate the time I spent throughout both my BA and MA in
workshops? Yes. Is it for eveyone? No. However, if it wasn't for
those other, dreary postmodernistic students (I wasn't crazy about their
stuff, either, but to each his own) and the arsty profs (a few were, but
nowhere near all), I wouldn't be able to stand back from my own work and
judge for myself whether it works as writing, not as fantasy or science
fiction. So, in my opinion, a university writing program is good for an
author who wants a diverse literary background...
- Geoffrey
-- "Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so." - Ford Prefect
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu May 25 2000 - 19:07:34 PDT