Hi, I'm new here and I'd love to get the opinion of some experienced writers on something I've been thinking about. I'm considering going back to Uni to do an english degree. I'm sure I'd enjoy it but I don't know if it's just wasting time when I could be writing or if it will actually make me a better writer. When you read biogs of writers it seems they've all done english degrees and/or MA's in creative writing etc so maybe it really helps. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Have you done an english degree and found it helpful to your writing?
Thanks,
M

Hello and welcome, Marianne
I did a kind of English degree way, way back - and yes, it helped my writing a lot: but in a rather abstract way. What it did do was give me a good critical base: I read a wide variety of fiction, plays and poetry which I'd never have done otherwise, and learned to look at them critically. And I felt encouraged to write, though there was much, much less of that than reading. In answer to your question, if it was me I'd choose a Creative Writing degree rather than an English one - and if I did one now, I'd do an M Phil. Emma Darwin did one and it sounds fabulous. You actually write and workshop your novel during the process, which would be invaluable, I think.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
Susiex

Hi Marianne, and welcome to WW.
Anything that encourages you to read and, as susie says, think critically about what you are reading and what makes it work as a piece of prose or poetry, is a good thing for a writer. If you already read lots, then it might be worth just signing up for one of the 32 week CW courses run by the Open University:
http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/a215/index.html
to see if it suits you. (I think they also do 12 week taster courses).
There are also weeks away, run by the Arvon Foundation:
http://www.arvonfoundation.org/p3.html
that will immerse you in writing, rather than spending a lot of money on a 3 year degree.


- NaomiM

Where is Emma anyway?

Marianne, welcome to WW. I didn’t do any writing/English/literature related study after school, and I SO wish I had. I do feel as if I'm flying by the seat of my pants with my writing – which probably goes some way to explaining why it still isn't published!

I've heard from several sources that Lancaster Uni do a very highly-regarded distance learning course in Creative Writing, which might be useful if you don’t want to go back to student digs.

Good luck!

Dee

I did Eng Lit as an undergrad, and then a few years ago went back to uni and did my MA in 20thC Eng Lit. Loved it both times and yes, I found it helped me as a writer in that I was much better equipped to "think through" what I was trying to do. It most definitely honed my critical faculties. Eng Lit courses include a lot of theory which isn't necessarily everyone's cup of tea, but fortunately it most definitely is mine. (Getting my MA also got me my current job as a lecturer, although not in Eng Lit or Creative Writing.)

I haven't done a Creative Writing degree, undergrad or postgrad. There are, however, a number of courses which include both Lit Studies and Creative Writing - certainly most undergrad Eng Lit degree programmes now include elective creative writing modules.

A good idea would be visit the web site for your nearest university and search their online prospectus to see if there's anything you fancy. You can do such course via distance learning, but the thing I enjoyed most about my course was the discussions with the other students and the tutors, so I wanted to do an 'in person' course. The drinks at the pub afterwards were pleasant too!

I'd say it depends what you want out of it. I read English language & literature as an undergraduate & it has helped me enormously in lots of ways.

It introduced me to all sorts of writing I wouldn't necessarily have encountered on my own and it definitely helped to refine my critical skills. Plus, I think it helps you to develop basic writing skills - on my course we were churning out essays on a weekly basis so had to be able to articulate ideas reasonably well. I enjoyed it enormously; plus, on a basic level it functioned as my first degree (although any degree would have done) in getting graduate-type jobs when I started work.

Having said all that, I wouldn't say it is in any way necessary for a writer to have gone through this type of experience. It can give you a degree of confidence, but I think it is more of a luxury than a necessity when it comes to your development as a writer.

I haven't done a creative writing course. I applied for one but ended up having a row with the course tutor about the course objectives and was turned down. I still think a lot of MAs are very woolly in their objectives. However, lots of people on this site have done them and therefore would be able to give you much more specific advice. As I said at the beginning - it depends on what you want to get out of it : improve your writing generally/ get published / learn about the publishing world / make contacts etc.

Lots of luck,

Saturday

Thanks for the advice, guys. I don't really know what I'm expecting from a degree. I already have a degree in social sciences and it gave me the distinct impression that the point of an undergraduate degree these days is just to teach you to churn out essays.
Literary theory sounds difficult and I have tried to read some on my own but haven't got very far. Do you think it's useful for a writer?
I think I'd be completely intimidated by the idea of a masters in creative writing. The only real writer I've met thinks creative writing can't be taught at all, which I agree with to a certain extent but not completely. And they're such a new thing but suddenly they're everywhere. They're like Marmite; people either love them or hate them.
I suppose an english degree would give me a better chance of getting a job in a field I enjoy anyway. Besides, the job I'm in isn't exactly demanding and I can feel my brain cells petrifying at an alarming rate. Studying might just save a few.
Sorry if this sounds confused but that's the state my head's in over this! I wonder if it would be less complicated if education wasn't so expensive...
M

Excellent advice already from everyone else, so I'll just say hi, marianne, and welcome.

Rosy

I did an English degree and think it was the worst thing I could've done as a writer. It taught me to analyse and deconstruct rather than feel and create. Intuition died. I was taught to respect only one kind of writing rather than love the breadth of writing and storytelling. I think it set me back years.

To learn to write, I think you'd be far better reading as widely as possible, every kind of book - remaining a reader, because it's readers we write for, and aiming as a writer to accomplish what pleases you as a reader - and if you'd like instruction, taking a creative writing course. Alternatively, you could just learn by trial and error, good how-to books and hungrily consuming sage advice wherever you can.

Andrea

Hi
I'd love to take a degree course- but can't as I work full time and unfortunately can't squeeze it into my schedule - so as a compromise I recently completed a 12 week online creative writing course with the UEA. I think it costs around £100-150 (although don't quote me on that!). You are set creative briefs to work to every few weeks. There are dealines but it's quite flexible. There's a similar forum to this, where you can discuss your work with other members on the course and you have an individual tutor who marks your submissions. It was very much aimed at beginners but might give you an idea if you would enjoy it before forking out for a longer course.
Good luck, and if you find any exciting courses let me know!
vic

I must say, this seems a really great site. Everyone's very friendly. I've been surprised at the number of hits this has gotten. I always assumed no one ever looked at forums. My husband was also super impressed at the standard of written communication. He's used to forums for computer geeks with appalling grammar.

Anyway, I still can't make up my mind what to do about the degree, but you might have talked me into joining this site. :-)

M

Oh, join us do!
I joined last September and now I don't know what I'd do without it. The Forums here are usually incredibly active (especially us in Women's Fiction).
Susiex

You can do a BA English literature combined with Creative writing nowadays and that might be a good compromise. You would then have a more flexible qualification - a straight Creative Writing BA is harder to turn to other purposes, should you want to.
I would above all, recommend reading and analysing books you enjoy, to see what makes them work, and simultaneously writing as much as possible.

Hello, Marianne and welcome, belatedly, to WW. (Dee, I've been marooned on the Scilly Isles. Internet access on a coin-meter in the Tourist Information Office doesn't really do it for keeping up with WW...)

Not much to add to what everyone's said already. I think writing can't be taught in the sense that you can't make a writer out of someone who isn't one by nature, but what a CW course can do is fast-track you to being a better writer, than you could do on your own, and give you space and time to experiment and explore, to try things that might not work, and find your own voice and confidence. I did the MPhil at Glamorgan, but I don't have an English degree, which certainly hasn't been a drawback (except that I'm rather missing on the big 19th century novels, but I think I'll live)

The OU, or Arvon, or all sorts of other things that have been mentioned would be worth a look. There are loads of courses around, but a BA is a long haul. You might want to think about, say, a level or two of OU, and then see how a Masters looked - I don't think you'd find it at all daunting then, though it's worth thinking hard about what shape and structure of course suit you: some are very structured, designed to introduce you to a bit of everything, others are much more designed around supporting your own big project. There are quite a lot of WWers who've done one.

Emma