Do you think creative writing courses are a waste of time? Are the writers born with a talent to create stories? Do they need an inborn talent in writing? Yesterday I came across an article authored by Alison Flood on the online edition of The Guardian newspaper that was dated 4th of March 2014; where it reads as “The creative writing courses are a waste of time.” This was an opinion came out from a man of letters, none other than an award won author of the book, The Buddha of Suburbia, and even more a professor appointed for teaching creative writing at Kingston University, Mr.Hanif Kureishi. I got an interest in the topic as I am currently enrolled for a creative writing course from the Writers Bureau, u.k.
According to his opinions, it can be concluded that students can’t be made to tell a story as it is a great skill someone should have. He added that the students are wasting money on such courses and making not much progress out of it.
While going through the article, it can be seen that another novelist and former creative writing teacher Lucy Ellman partially agreeing with his opinions. The author of the article, Alison Flood pointed out one statement from Lucy Ellman where she said “What you should really be doing is reading as much good literature as you can get your hands on, for years and years, rather than wasting half your university life writing stuff you’re not ready to write.”
Another famous novelist Matt Haig contradicted Kureishi’s statement citing the example of music lessons. Music lessons will definitely improve the skills of someone studying music. Likewise, even if writing skills are partly instinct and partly craft, the craft part is the one that can be teachable.
I agree with the arguments of Lucy Ellman and Matt Haig to a certain extent. We cannot say that someone who has talent in music should not go to a music class. Similarly, how it be possible for anyone to master a musical instrument without attending any course?
It is our common knowledge that music, painting, craft, sculpture, etc. are like literature pertaining to the field of aesthetics, the sense of which is guided by inborn talent. Like music, no man of letters cannot have good command in a language without learning the alphabets. There are no famous painters and artists who never had any learning from the feet of a master.
Some of you may have the physique needed for a basketball player but if you do not practice playing it, you can’t be a player. Here your height may be a positive factor that you got by birth while your skills are developed through years of hard work and determination to succeed. Remember you may not be able to become a great basketball player if you happened to be someone with a height of just four feet. Similarly you may need some inborn abilities or nature to be a good story teller.
Even if you have that much-needed instinct to write,I strongly believe in the following three factors that are crucial for anyone to develop the writing skills.
# Constant reading of quality contents related to your subject you wish to write about. If you are a writer interested in publishing your own novel, you should definitely be reading books related to your area or storytelling.
# You should stick to a plan of regularly writing. It is human tendency to postpone things to be done for tomorrow. If you keep on postponing your daily writing tasks every day, your chances of becoming a published author will happen only in your dreams.
# This third and most important thing to be done is improving your skills constantly. Imagine you have a so-called inborn instinct to write. You are reading a lot of books of your choice or quality contents from the internet, but not taking any interest in constantly improving your skills. I bet you are not going to improve your skills unless you make a constant effort to improve it by analysing your mistakes. Here lies the importance of creative writing courses using which you can polish your skills.
The entire scenario of writing has changed now. Remember your parents made their successful careers without the help of Google. They spend their time in libraries searching for knowledge. Now every information is on your finger tip. The current generation follows a different perspective towards writing with the emergence of blogging as a self-publishing platform. With respect to the current trends in writing, I would like to know your opinion whether the writers are born or made? Do you believe story telling skills are something like a music skill where people are born with the talent to sing? Do these creative writing courses are worthy to make good writers?
Dear friends, I would really like to know your thoughts on the above three questions. Please find some time to answer my questions through the comments column. I am waiting for your comments. Thank you. Have a great blogging journey.
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An Indian going Indie
I have had many people say that writing courses and degrees are not needed in these subjects… by many writers and entrepreneurs but I think there is a certain amount of knowledge that can be gained to bring someones talents out. Writers can be made in a sense that if you truly want to learn a specific style of writing you can, but not everyone can tell a story. Any skill can be honed in on by a certain level of education. On the other hand, some people have it and some people don’t. I personally don’t think it’s necessary to become a successful writer, but would love to take a creative writing class just to enjoy a creative writing class 🙂
Thank you for your comments. I agree with your opinion that writing courses and degrees are not really a necessity. There are plenty of people who have the same opinion like you. I believe the level of skill can be improved if we go through such courses. I mean we may get certain tips on the area where we are trying to accomplish as a writer. We may get chances to be in touch with experienced people who can share their experience with us.
Surely, any kind of quest to attain a skill or knowledge cannot be said to be a waste of time or money. Writing is something that needs both a lot of knowledge as well as the skill or talent to write well. In that vein, it is only plain sense that one acquires a lot of experiences, ideas or knowledge in a particular field through reading. A lot of it. There should be some story to be told before one sets about writing something. No? Plain writing skill will not be enough. Similarly if some one has a story rumbling away in ones belly, wanting a way out into the world, it better have some practice in writing so that it comes out in way that can engage its readers.
I am agreeing with your points Richa. These courses are never a waste of time and money if we try to utilize it in the proper way to enhance our skills.Defenitely, if some one want to narrate a story, he or she should have the story telling skills. But skills are to be improved and for this purpose, these kind of courses may be useful. In my case, I can confidently say that I started writing this blog just after enrolling for such a course. The course gave me he courage and confidence t start writing this blog.
Somewhere I read that you must learn the game before learning the rules of the game. If you want to do something, keep doing it and learn and improve your skills along the way. A handful of instructions and advice is helpful so a writing class is not anything different.
Good point Umair. While attending interviews, some candidates act and convince the interviewer that they know everything related to the job they are supposed to be recruited. They may get through the selection process even though they are not fully skilled for that particular job. But these candidates will seriously try and acquire the necessary skills as soon as possible once they start doing it. I think your opinion is similar to this. Some times we need to play the game before knowing the rules of the game. You will automatically come in touch with the rules and regulations of the game after you start playing,
Very interesting topic! I agree with Matt Haig, I believe that writing skills are both, instninct and craft!
Thanks for your comments. Even though writing skills are both, instinct and craft, Matt Haig is not against the concept of having creative writing courses.
Writing is a craft that can be honed. But without talent, working away to develop something that isn’t there is pointless
So you mean creative writing courses are good for honing skills for those who are talented in writing.
Yes. I’ve been on a few and met some very talented people. I’ve also met a load of nutters.
I agree with the first opinion but just in part. I think they are a waste of time that is if you spend money on it. For me I do a lot of watching youtube videos about writers giving seminars and tips on creative writing and you do pick up the basics, there are some fundamentals across the board, but then you get well known writers that have a copletely different point of view on how to write, some say to make yourself a schedule, others don´t have a fix schedule to write, some say to start the novel by knowing the ending, other say they start and the ending or characters evolve and although they may have an idea of how the character are they constantly are being changed and revised and other writers say to really know your characters from the beggining basically do a profile on them like what they wear, what they eat, all the little details to have in handy in your brain and written in notes, so when you write you might not use everything but you do know them well,the way they speak too , e.t.c.
My conclusion, I watch these videos and take notes but eventually end up thinking that there is no right way or wrong way. There is just your way. And you have to find your way. Which I´m in the process. So I wouldn´t pay a dime for classes to tell you the truth specially now that we have internet and basically I get my classes free from home, if you don´t count what the internet costs me that is.
Very interesting post, I just had to give my little humble opinion. I might be completely wrong though which happens quite often.
Dear Friend,
I agree with most of your points. But I have a slightly different opinion regarding spending money on a creative writing course. I can say that if someone is sure of his abilities and skills as a writer, there is nothing wrong in paying money for acquiring the skills. But the thing is if someone is really talented in writing, he or she may be successful without even attending any such course. They might have already published some work of their own. The only problem is for those who are not sure about their abilities. They may not have the self confidence to a join such a course they themselves are not sure of their abilities. Here comes the people who are not teachable. If someone is not having the ability to sing, it is not possible to train them to acquire the instinct part of it even though we spend huge amount of money for that.
I am totally agreeing with your views on acquiring knowledge from internet and that too without making any expense. The only thing I should add to your point is in the way we should utilize such skills. I think it is always better to find the correct and better skills form all these resources and try to accomplish your own style from it. For example, if a newbie actor imitates the style of a famous and accomplished actor, viewers may argue that he is just imitating someone. But if the same actor try to analyse and study the good part of three of four good actors and try to create your own unique style , it will be much appreciated.
I am not contradicting your views my friend , I am just expressing my views.
Take care. Have a wonderful blogging journey ahead.
Keep in touch.
I really do appreciate your comment and I agree completely with you. I just didn´t take in the factor of the people now having the abilities, which was my bad. Actually now that I´ve started writing again and compare myself to other people that do not write creative, is actually that they really can´t write creative writing with dialogue, descprption and the rest. I look at an orange and I can already see a story there, other people see an orange and they just say, well an orange and not give it more though. Happens constantly in my life, I see or experiment things and my head inmediately turns it into “this could be a good story if X and Y happened and mixed with Z”. So in a sense, we creative people are quite unique I guess. Plus what I have more problems and do have to work more is on the basics, plot, character development, things like that. What I have found finally is my own style of writing, now is a matter of time and consistancy to hone it and I can´t find the time in the day to read about how to write while I´m writing at the same time. And yes, the anology you made about the actors, is exactly where I´m at. Reading and listening to different writers and I´m slowly starting to see where I´m naturally more inclined to write like, but I do have my own style which I can´t really see in all these writers I´m reading. Still love to read them, but I can´t imagine me writing that way.
Appreciate you taking the time to comment back, was good to hear sound advice from someone that knows more than me.
I like the idea of looking at it like a toolbox (from Stephen King in On Writing). I imagine these things we learn in Creative Writing classes, like plot and characterization, rhythm and symbolism, grammar rules and voice, these are all instruments. A screwdriver, a wrench, a hammer. The classes teach us to use those in ways perhaps we haven’t thought about before. Perhaps you can use a wrench to pull that nail out, who knew?! And then we’re set loose to discover what we can put together. Putting it all together, telling a story, that’s us and that can’t be taught to follow a formula because there are so many possible ways to put it all together. But by being exposed to the different tools, and as you say, practice using them, that’s what makes us writers. That’s the way I like to look at it anyway =).
I am fully agreeing with your points. These courses are really helpful in the way you describe.
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Thanks for the visit Anterpreet Kaur