<p>I got accepted to Emerson’s well-regarded Writing, Literature, & Publishing program (to my folks’ delight but against their “better wishes”). A lot of big names in the creative field are alumni: Denis Leary, Jay Leno, Steven Wright, Maria Menounos of Access Hollywood, and Max Mutchnick, creator of Will & Grace, for whom the college’s Mutchnick Campus Center is named and who donated the show’s set to his alma mater after the show went off the air, as a token of appreciation for the school that helped him become famous. :)</p>
<p>Emerson’s a rare bird in that the students who are accepted there don’t go to “learn” writing per se; they already have an innate talent, which they need to hone and cultivate by way of workshop-style classes and writers’ groups. Also, they gain experience and knowledge about the publishing world from working on student publications (such as Ploughshares and Gangsters in Concrete), and from networking with other students, faculty, and even alumni who appreciate the quality of talent that comes with the “Emerson name.” There’s an interesting article that my transfer advisor told me to find online from the Boston Globe, which highlights the tongue-in-cheek, unofficial clique of an “Emerson mafia” (not of the Corleone variety!), successful outlets such as Viacom and DreamWorks with alumni in executive positions, who actively recruit students from the college and guide/mentor them to job satisfaction and in many cases, financial success – sometimes fame.</p>
<p>But I do understand why a degree in Creative Writing (or even English) doesn’t necessarily equate to success/notoriety in the publishing world. In the back of my mind I was afraid that I’d be writing essentially “for the class” and not for my own aspirations; also, Emerson specifically has been “lauded” for its visibility on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, exactly the sites I’ve managed so far to successfully avoid (I did cave to signing up for a Facebook account but rarely used it and have since deleted it – not just deactivated, but completely cancelled, thank the Great Whoever). </p>
<p>I’m worried that at some point, I might have to take business or marketing courses or <em>gasp</em> public speaking (noooooo!), because the nature of the publishing world is placing more and more responsibilities on the author for self-promotion, and I won’t go for that, no can do (apologies to Hall & Oates). A lot of authors self-publish, and get lumped in with the chaff of 12-year-old anime fanfic writers who upload their PDF Pokemon crap to Amazon and complain when audiences don’t give them J.K. Rowling’s salary for writing the Great American Novel. If I want something published by Adobe or Micro$lop I’ll write an owner’s manual for Photoshop, and give co-author credit to the stupid paperclip that pops up every 10 seconds saying “It looks like you’re trying to write the Great American Novel and suffering an epic fail. Can I help?”</p>
<p>But if I want respect for writing quality fiction, there’s no way I’m going to allow my work to be stripped of all its humanity and soul down to a TV dinner-like Kindle format of meaningless ones and zeroes, and under no circumstances will I ever have a Twitbook page or blog or website. I have a Yahoo account from the Paleolithic Era that I rarely even check anymore; I don’t have any personal contacts who I’d have in my “circle” on such places, and nor do I believe the acquaintances I might have (I’m avoiding “friends” at all costs) would be the type who’d bother to waste valuable time interacting with the Blog Hive Mind who can’t read or write at above a fifth-grade level. In my opinion the vast majority of Tw@tbook/EmoSpace/BoobTube users are no smarter than a cheese grater, and I’d shudder to think of what they’re promoting in the market – and I bet they themselves shudder to find that their teachers, moms, and some 45-year-old D&D pervert from Craigslist are also in the running for the Great American Idiot award.</p>
<p>Even traditionally published writers nowadays have to get a Facebook page or at the very least, an author website, and contact bookstores, newspapers, TV networks, etc., themselves, and manage their own schedules, make public appearances, promote the s**t out of their work because right out of the fence, they’re not going to have the $$$ to hire a good PR firm that does this for them. Agents used to do these things, or at least help a decent amount; now they are almost exclusively a liaison to network with publishers, and the writer has no time to actually write because no one will read his/her work if they don’t know about it. (A lot of agents have blog sites too – how am I going to find an excuse for why I don’t read them?) Most writers are introverts by nature and many may even have a diagnosed anxiety syndrome that impedes their interaction or verbal communication skills (but they are damn near geniuses when it comes to printed words on a page). Geez, if they were just starting out today, Stephen King or J.D. Salinger would have to be a hybrid of Tony Robbins and Rickroll Astley, or else be a “starving artist” doomed to obscurity who lives out in the streets!</p>
<p>Gone are the days when a writer’s worth was determined by the quality of the story. Creativity, talent, compelling characters, a modern classic far from the texting crowd – wait, wait…I’ll bet there’s an App for that too. :(</p>
And thanks for helping me get the ball rolling on this thread! :)</p>
Have you thought about Georgetown for a degree in something related to international politics or affairs? It’s one of the schools I’m highly considering for transfer because my back-up careers right now are journalism and teaching. If I do end up getting a degree, it will probably be in American Studies or some other sociological field. </p>
That’s my exciting college plan once I figure out which college I want to go to. :P</p>
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Something which I have yet to do. (I’m working on it!) Right now, I’m just focusing on studying hard, since I’m not sure yet if I want to focus completely on Creative Writing for college. I do want to go to a college with a good creative writing program, though, in case I do decide on it. </p>