<p>I mean, must an EC be varsity athletics, volunteering several hundred hours, or being president of some club? I've spent the last three years teaching myself guitar. I wrote five full length screenplays while in middle school (a loser, i know) and am currently working on a novel. Does it really matter what the EC is as long as you have a passion for it and have devoted much of your free time to it?</p>
<p>Well, I've often heard that hobbies count as ECs, so creative writing certainly counts under that standard. But to me, I'm wondering how colleges are going to take an extracurricular activity seriously without some sort of substantiation. (btw, I've only wondered about it 'cause I'm in the same boat: I write poetry and music)</p>
<p>My conclusion is that you should def. put it on the app if you spend your time on it, but try to talk about it beyond saying "I spend 10 hrs a week writing," or something like that. I think anything with any academic or professional connection "counts" as an EC, but something that you do entirely on your own--that is, not in any sort of group or competition--is most effective if you substantiate it with the essay, that one section of the Common App, an award, or (probably least preferable) a sample.</p>
<p>But really, the college app is just a way to communicate to a group of people. If you have passion for something, you can find a way to make it shine through on your app, and then it'll definitely count.</p>