What you need to know before enrolling in a Masters for Creative Writing.
The truth is that here is a profound difference between taking a postgraduate writing degree to studying any other subject. Your teachers are creative writers themselves. Their teaching styles are very unique and finding the right match for your writing project is essential. Making you read the work of other brilliant authors is their way of inspiring you to write better.
But writing is highly subjective, you can improve your language and style, but beyond that the it is up to the reader and your teachers to decide if they like what you are offering. I wonder what Jorge Luis Borges would have been told, had he taken a creative writing course.
I read in an article that statistically only 10% of graduates actually end up being publish. The other 90% bought themselves a nice vanity degree. If that does not impose any financial and other hardship on you, enjoy! All hobbies are expensive and at least this one has the stamp of academic approval. In an age where a BA is merely considered an extension of high school, it might be helpful in your job search regardless of the field you have studied. If you are set on working in the industry of writing, it is a prerequisite. If you are hoping to become a full-time creative writer yourself, think very carefully and consider the following:
- Before applying to a university, check its ranking against its peers in that specific subject matter. It’s no good if the uni has other top-rated degrees if their creative writing is number 99 on the Guardian’s list. There are lots of polls on the internet, usually run by major newspapers. Check them out!
- Take a very close look at the posted profile of the academic staff actually delivering the service that you are buying. Try to find out who is teaching the writing genres that you are most interested in and read some of the stuff they have published. Do you like it? Can you relate to the author on a human level, do you enjoy the subject matter? Or is it the superior way in which they craft language that attracts you?
- Look behind the scenes. Some universities have a tendency to pepper their creative writing home pages with the photos of author superstar who once upon a time crossed their threshold as a guest lecturer. Do not assume that you will ever get near that person. They also feature testimonials of students, who made it. Read carefully! Did they publish their bestseller while taking the degree or was it a long time afterwards? Maybe those authors would have been successful no matter what. Do not fantasize about becoming one of their bestselling graduates. Keep playing the lottery, your odds are just as good.
- Clarify in your mind what you are trying to get out of the experience. Do you like being a student in a student environment? Do you already have a writing project in mind? If you just want to find out if writing is for you make sure you choose a course that has enough academics on staff to expose you to all writing genres, from short stories to screenwriting.
- Look at the financials. Universities charge different prices. You don’t always get what you pay for. Factor in living and travel costs. If you can study without having to move continents, maybe it makes sense to study at a uni that has some other drawbacks. Compare your options by looking at all countries. Where would you like to be published if you had a choice? Is your subject targeted at a certain audience?
If after those considerations you still want to take a masters in creative writing, go for it. The field is growing by the year, more choices are becoming available especially online courses, as more and more universities realize just how profitable the field is for them. And if you stand no chance of getting published traditionally, just self-publish. With the print-on-demand industry exploding and more and more internet platforms becoming available, the sky is your limit.
