Writing

College Search & Selection
1

I don’t go to a fancy prep school or anything like a lot of aspiring writers seem to, but I love to write. I have written mostly for fun so far. My latest work is just finishing the last edit of a novel. I submitted an excerpt of it to Youngarts but am not expecting much since it is so competitive. Plus, I am only a junior and not nearly as experienced as most people out there.

I would love to enter into more contests. If you have any recommendations, please let me know!

I am starting to look at colleges. I have a 31 ACT from when I took it as a sophomore and a 4,0 unweighted 4.2 weighted. I am first in my class and involved in dance, clarinet, etc. I am a pretty good student. I feel like I should go into a more realistic field but something keeps drawing me back to writing. It’s that one thing that entertains me, that keeps me inspired. i don’t know if I’m good enough and I also don’t know if how good I am now matters.

For college, is there writing conservatories that could help me become good enough? I live in North Dakota, but I am willing to go almost anywhere in the US if the school is right. Or is it better to go to a normal college and get a major in english? Creative writing? Should I minor in something?

I know how hard it is to become a writer. And everything and everyone seems to be telling me not to (even though I only tell few people of my dream). Something still draws me to it, though. Should I pursue it? And if so, how?

Thanks for any input!

2

Have you heard of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards?

3

Try Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. They have Novel category and if you get awarded, there is a chance you can publish your novel, which is huge.

Why don’t you try Iowa Young Writers, Workshop or Young Writers Workshop at Kenyon College for summer program. You will have a lot of information during the summer.

I know Kelly Writers House at University Pennsylvania recruits creative writers like athletes. If you are confident and get some awards, you can contact them.

4

You should probably choose a college under general criteria of importance to you. You should also “want” to go to college if that is the path you pursue. The academic experience at a good one will be rich in various subjects such as history, government, religious studies, classics and geosciences. This should appeal to you if you are to get the most out of a college experience. Your path to writing can then proceed from any major you choose, even if it is more of a career focused one.

That said, some colleges have particularly well developed programs for students who want to major or minor in creative writing or take creative writing courses as electives. You might like some discussed in these articles:

“The 10 Best American Colleges for Writers” / USA Today

Emory
Hamilton
Johns Hopkins
MIT
NYU
WUStL
Iowa
Columbia
Michigan
Colorado College

“The 10 Best Colleges for Creative Writers” / The Freelancer

Emory
Hamilton
JHU
MIT
NYU
Oberlin
Princeton
Sarah Lawrence
Sewanee
Yale

(I’d like to believe these selections were arrived at independently, but the identical ordering of the top five makes me think otherwise. However, the comments describing the programs do differ.)

5

Hi, I am a senior who is very into writing as well. I spent two summers up at Skidmore College for the NYS Summer Young Writers Institute and it was some of the best days of my life. I also submitted for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards which I think would be a really good idea for you. I am also a member of Figment.com which is run by the publishing company Random House. They hold contests all the time where you can win books and other things as prizes. My time on the website really made me into the writer I am today. As for colleges these are the ones I applied to for writing:
Hamilton: Major in Creative Writing
Colby: Major in Creative Writing
Emerson: Major in Writing, Literature and Publishing
Ithaca: Major in Writing
Champlain: Major in Professional Writing

Never give up on your dreams! I thought for a long time that I wouldn’t be able to make a living as a writer, but I am dedicated and I really do want to write a book and pursue a career in the writing and the publishing field.

6

Thank you all for the ideas! I have looked into the Scholastic Art and Writing awards and am planning to submit some work into it. I would definitely consider a summer program of some type as well. I looked it up and it seems like they have a good program at the University of Iowa. There is a lot of well known colleges I would love to go to, but they are all so expensive! I want to make sure I can pay off my debt, especially if I am going into a field as risky as writing. If a more prestigious college, would it help my writing enough to make it worth the price? Would i be able to pay off my debt? Thanks!

7

Highly doubt it. Minimize your debt as much as possible.

8

Generally speaking, highly regarded colleges are more likely to support their students with need or merit based scholarships. You should not think schools of this type are not for you until you have researched them individually. Loans may be a part of your financial package, but not necessarily a burdensome one. As long as you are willing to invest in your own education, a good college will usually help you create a plan with which you can do this wisely.

9

To add to the list above, Kenyon college is known to have a very strong writing program

10

You can also read through “The 25 Most Literary Colleges in America” (Flavowire), which includes some of those in post 3, plus others. The Freelancer article, I’ve realized, appears to be alphabetical, so in a meaningful sense it does not share the same top five as the USA Today article.

11

Any mention of top programs for writing should include Bard College which has an amazing faculty - all available for undergrad study, which may not always be the case at schools with great graduate programs like Iowa, Johns Hopkins, Penn etc.

12

@annamatisse

I am a full time fiction writer.

If your writing aspirations involve something like journalism, tech / science writing, etc. then much of what I am about to say may have limited value. However…

  1. Unless you have some other means of financial support, you must have a backup plan. Typically this involves a day job / career, often in some other field, that pays the bills. You will do most of your writing before / after work, on your lunch hour, on weekends, etc.

  2. If you are interested in writing genre fiction (mysteries, romances, thrillers, sci fi, fantasy, etc.), a college writing major most likely isn’t the best preparation for a future writing career. Books, workshops and conferences aimed at your preferred genre will give you much more relevant training, and will cost less and take less time than a college degree. (But see #1 because a degree may be instrumental to your backup plan.)

  3. If you are interested in writing literary fiction, then yes, an academic writing program is probably the way to go.

  4. No matter what you want to write, success in writing is about perseverance and mileage. Write often. Write a lot. If you start writing something, finish it. In the early stages, finishing something and then moving on to the next thing will improve your skills better and faster than writing the first part of something and endlessly editing / revising it.

  5. If your goal is to make a living writing, genre fiction has a much higher chance of success than literary fiction. If lit fic is your thing, consider getting an MFA because then you can get a job as writing faculty, which will be your day job while you write.

13

@DiotimaDM thank you so much. I am interested in genre fiction. I would love to make a living writing, but I know how hard this is. It means a lot for a writer to tell me a day job is the way to go and pursue writing on the side. Also, it is good to know that a college major in writing isn’t necessary to have success in the field. This way, I can get a different major to suit my “day job” and try to improve my writing along the way. Thanks!

14

@annamatisse

For genre fiction, it’s vital that you read as much as possible in your target genre. While most aspiring writers do this naturally, occasionally someone wants to write in a genre they don’t read. Reading in your target genre helps you absorb the feel and flow of the work. Each genre has a native vocabulary, subtle patterns in plot, scene, characters, structure and language that you’ll learn by osmosis while reading.

Financial success in genre fiction requires quality and speed. Once your writing skill has reached a certain level, consistent output is what will earn you a living, and by consistent output, I mean two to four novels a year.

While it is technically possible to make a living writing in the traditional way, with an agent who sells your work to a traditional publisher (e.g. Harper Collins), it is much easier to make a living if you write as an indie or hybrid writer.

In my immediate circle of writer friends, two are indies, and they both make six figures annually. It took them a couple of years to get there, hence the need for ye olde day jobbe. The other four are some combo of hybrid and traditional, and they aren’t making a living (yet) from their writing. Of those four, I would say that the best two are just as good as the ones making six figures, maybe even better, but they’re newer in the field and they haven’t nailed the consistent production thing yet.

If you tell me what your genre is, I can direct you to some additional resources. Regardless of genre, though, check out kboards.com. Lots of indies hang out there, and you’ll learn a lot just by lurking and reading bunches of threads.

15

Also, none of those six have a degree in English or Creative Writing. Their degrees are in day job things - sociology, programming, accounting, engineering, one is a school psychologist, etc.

If you’re looking for college classes that will support your writing, look for stuff that will teach you about humans, human societies and what makes them tick. Look for intro and lower level classes in anthropology, sociology, psychology, religious studies, history, etc. As a bonus, these types of classes often fulfill breadth / general ed. requirements, too.

I’m not saying that you should never set foot in the English department, just that you don’t need a degree, or even a minor, in Creative Writing to be a successful writer.

16

@DiotimaDM I write mostly fantasy novels. Right now I am writing a pre-dystopian novel of sorts. I have read A LOT of fantasy and dystopian novels, and I would like to think I understand their basic structure. I know they are both very popular fields right now, which would make it a bit harder to get published. Working as an indie or hybrid writer could be a possibility, although I am more interested in writing than promoting my work. It seems almost impossible in today’s world to find a publisher through normal means from what I have heard, though, so trying to self-publish could be key.

17

Hi, Anna,

Promotion doesn’t eat a lot of your time, and by that I mean almost none. If you’re an indie, you’ll spend the vast majority of your time writing, then revising and polishing, which is exactly how you’d spend it as a traditional author.

The resources below will help you regardless of the trad / indie issue. They’re mostly about developing your craft, which is job one for any aspiring writer.

Writers of the Future - a short story contest with a great forum community. This contest can launch a career (it launched Pat Rothfuss, frex). Go lurk on the forums. Heck, go join them. :slight_smile:

Critters.org - an online writers workshop and critique circle. Short stories and novels welcome. Heartily recommended.

Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror - same as above

Baen’s Bar, the Universe Slush and Universe Slush Comments sub-fora - same as above, but mostly for short stories. In addition to peer feedback, you will also get at least one critique from a Baen editor. (Said editor is very good, but blunt. Have a thick skin.) Not for partial work. Early drafts are fine, but this is not the place to post three pages of a beginning to see if people like it. In addition to the workshop aspect, this is a paying market, which means that the editors buy stories here. For novels, look for the Slush forum without the word “Universe” in the forum name.

Margie Lawson - check out her excellent books, videos and courses

David Farland - NYT bestseller who also teaches writing workshops. IMHO, his workshops are the single best place for an aspiring fantasy writer to get her craft up to professional standards. His two-day and online workshops tend to be more open to beginners, but the week-long ones are for more advanced writers and usually require you to audition by submitting a sample manuscript. If he decides you’re not ready, he won’t let you in the workshop.

18

Thank you so much! I will look into them! I actually almost submitted into the Writers of the Future contest last September but ran out of time. I really want to try to make the January deadline! The other sites and references look really helpful as well. It’s great to see that there is such a community of writers out there. All of the input really helps, and I will definitely look into some of these! Thanks again!

19

Re: the next WOTF deadline

So here we are in mid-November, right? If you join the WOTF forum now, you’ll have enough time to make a few friends and swap stories with some of the writers before the next deadline.

The most recent anthology is available as an ebook for just 99 cents (Amazon, vol. 31, orange cover). If you’ve never read one, it’s worthwhile to get one of the recent editions to get a feel for what the winning stories are like.

20

If you are interested in genre fiction, there are relatively few creative writing programs that will be supportive. There was a CC poster a few years ago, who did pretty careful research on this. Look for posts by Keilexandra.

Here’s a summer program she endorsed:

Alpha SF/F/H Workshop for Young Writers
Ages 13-19. 2 weeks. Residential. Cost: $950 with limited financial aid available (but up to full cost). 20 students are selected solely on the basis of a fantasy/science fiction/horror short story submitted. If you write genre, do look into Alpha–it was the best two weeks of my life.

I can’t find her posts about various colleges, not sure if she ever bundled all her info in one post. She was an amazing researcher.