Do writers actually need one or is it a good check mark to have? I realize they need to learn how to write and college gives them ample opportunity to practice " across the curriculum ". If I am against getting a specific degree it is the associates degree; what purpose dose it serve? If any it's on to the BA/BS. Dave KC7WGB
writers qualifications? I guess it depends on the field of writing. The typical detective novel or romance novel? I don't see a need for much college. On the other hand it may be a selling point for a writer of a detective novel to have a criminological qualification. Mark Furman seemed to get on alot of shows to hock his novel based on his background. I think people who are "technical" writers really need some background. I am watching a grant writer with a MEd trying to write a scientific research grant for a surgery lab. Very tough sledding. She will spend a long time figuring out what she is writing about. Even just following the numbers is hard. If she can learn enough quickly, she will be in demand. But it would have been much easier for her if she had a bs in biology or a related field. I have watched a local VT writer, Joe Citro, over the years. He does have a college degree. But he likes to inject local elements into his books. He wrote one involving the celtic stone cellars in New England and VT. He wrote one using Champ as a vehicle. He really does quite alot of research on the topics. Even though he writes fiction. I don't know how he would have the background to do his style of writing without a college degree. Just some ramblings. All the best!
I agree with Irat; it really does depend on what type of writing you want to do and the background you already have. If you want to write fiction, you don't necessarily need college. If you are writing as an 'authority' in any field, you will need the necessary credentials in order to be taken seriously enough to be published. For technical writing in IT, science, or medical fields, it's hard to see how you could get by without it. But for the actual writing itself, college doesn't teach that. You could get valuable practical experience simply by researching and writing articles, then submitting to magazines and local newspapers. I believe that education is valuable in and of itself, but I don't think there's any magic 'key' that a college can offer that opens the door to a career as a writer. So siddown and start writing! Melissa
YES One would think that a writer would need to spell correctly, use correct grammar and be able to form a proper sentence. Those dangling participles will get you every time.
AN Example... What kinds of writers need degrees? An old friend, a woman-friend I once dated, provides an answer. She was in J-School, with parents both university profs (law and history), when I met her. She thought the training at a middle-level J-School (Colorado) was rather simple. And unecessary for many. But for herself, she thought that women were least likely to develop the skills of judicously applied assertiveness on-the-job; men, in contrast, more likely to do so through experience. Hence, the benefit to her of the MA in Journalism was to hone skills. The degree itself was just apple polishing for others. Beyond this, the primary benefit was to learn what kind of journalism she wanted to do and what the market was like--newspapers disappearing? NO. Magazines growing? YES: pass go... She went on to work at a magaine she now edits, _New Mobility_.
writers education I guess it depends on who they are writing for . I was a music reviewer and didnt need a degree. If I was a medical writer I would probably need to have some kind of formal degree just to be taken seriously by the readers.
Great question, David. I love to write, and I used to get intimidated by the idea that one needed a degree in order to write. Ah, but one really needs is to . . . learn to write! And as the others have suggested, it's a pretty good idea to know a little something about what you wish to write. For me, a few ideas fell into place to bring some security into my head in order to believe I could write without a degree: 1. Learn something about grammar, composition and vocabulary (particularly in the field in which you wish to write. 2. Research the field in which you wish to write. 3. Write, write and re-write. Seldom do even the great writers ever get it written down perfect the first time. (THAT was a great relief to learn!) Of course one could go do some college to learn some of these things--education of some sort is absolute; you wouldn't be able to read this if you weren't educated enough to do at least that much--but you don't have to have a degree. I want to write about relationship-theology; I have knowledge of the subject, I'm bettering my education daily in both this field and in grammar and compostion, and I'll write, write and re-write and love every minute of it . . . I hope! I found a great, great web site for learning both grammar and some composition: A Guide to Grammar (http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/). This is a GREAT web site, and it's free. Just great stuff! Others may be able to throw in some other sites. For the writing of it all, Starkman
write, write, write Starkman makes excellent points! Write, write, write,write and then write some more. If you don't like writing, don't be a writer! All the best!
