A Writerly Education
Dec. 3rd, 2011 01:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deborahjrossFrequently asked questions from YA author ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
m_stiefvater:
1 - “Did you go to school for Creative Writing?”
2 - “Do you have to have a degree in writing to get published?”
3 - “Have you taken classes in writing?”
4 - “Will you be my mentor?”
My answers:
1. No. I have degrees in biology, psychology, and things I don't talk about.
2. I hope not. In my more cynical moods, I think a degree makes it harder to publish genre fiction, but what do I know?
3. No, unless you count freshman Humanities, where we had to turn in a paper every two weeks, not to mention reading 300 pages a week.
4. This is a hard one to answer graciously. Basically, thank you for the compliment, I don't do this but I'd be happy to recommend established writers who do and who are insightful and experienced. You should not expect to receive this kind of professional expertise for free, but to pay a reasonable amount based on the amount of time the two of you spend on your work.
Maggie adds, I reckon before I post this, I should emphasize that I have nothing against degrees in Creative Writing. If you think you need one to keep you motivated or to structure your education, go for it. But it’s not the way I learn. And I’d wager in some cases it can do more harm to an introverted creative person’s psyche than good. But the most important thing is: they’re pretty much invisible when it comes to getting your book published. Your education, however you manage it, is the process: the book is the result. Agents, editors, readers: they don’t care how you got there, just that you did.
m_stiefvater:1 - “Did you go to school for Creative Writing?”
2 - “Do you have to have a degree in writing to get published?”
3 - “Have you taken classes in writing?”
4 - “Will you be my mentor?”
My answers:
1. No. I have degrees in biology, psychology, and things I don't talk about.
2. I hope not. In my more cynical moods, I think a degree makes it harder to publish genre fiction, but what do I know?
3. No, unless you count freshman Humanities, where we had to turn in a paper every two weeks, not to mention reading 300 pages a week.
4. This is a hard one to answer graciously. Basically, thank you for the compliment, I don't do this but I'd be happy to recommend established writers who do and who are insightful and experienced. You should not expect to receive this kind of professional expertise for free, but to pay a reasonable amount based on the amount of time the two of you spend on your work.
Maggie adds, I reckon before I post this, I should emphasize that I have nothing against degrees in Creative Writing. If you think you need one to keep you motivated or to structure your education, go for it. But it’s not the way I learn. And I’d wager in some cases it can do more harm to an introverted creative person’s psyche than good. But the most important thing is: they’re pretty much invisible when it comes to getting your book published. Your education, however you manage it, is the process: the book is the result. Agents, editors, readers: they don’t care how you got there, just that you did.
