Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Help! I'm a Creative Writing Major!

Several weeks ago, I was talking to a young woman who is in her first year of college. Like most freshmen, she was on her second major. When she began the semester, she had signed on as a Physical Therapy student, but within two months had been drawn into the clutches of the English Department's Creative Writing Degree.

Even though she seemed enthusiastic about the change, her eighteen year old mind was already setting off warning bells. "How will I find a job when I graduate?" she asked me. "Will I have any employable skills?"

She looked genuinely concerned. This young woman was asking me, as a writer, to offer her some reassurance. She wanted me to tell her that she would sustain herself on poetry collections and literary events once she left the confines of a university. I had no idea, really, what to say. But, I did have an important question to ask her.

"Are you writing anything right now?" I inquired.

"Yeah, research papers and stuff..." her sentence trailed off because she knew that was not what I meant at all.

"Are you writing for yourself?"

"Yeah. Actually, I have been working on this short story. Do you want to read it?" she asked me.

I immediately smiled. Her chances in the cruel world of writing outside of college were looking brighter. As we continued to talk more, something interesting happened. I formulated a plan for all writers to achieve success. It was a brilliantly simple plan. A plan that I could apply to my own endeavors and turn them into gold. I was stunned that no textbook for Creative Writing consisted of these simple nine steps.

1) Write.
2) Revise.
3) Rework.
4) Write some more.
5) Revise.
6) Rework.
7) Write some more.
8) Show your work to someone. Anyone. Make sure they read it.
9) Begin again at Step 1.

This check list may seem trite and even a little insulting. But, think about this. Why are Creative Writing programs even in existence? No one needs a diploma to call themselves a writer. Creative Writing programs set deadlines. They create an environment for sharing ideas. Professors use red pens and editing marks to show student how to do their own revising. Students are required to share their work with another writer to get a good grade. All of these elements foster creativity and encourage growth if the writer wants to take her vocation seriously.

As I shared this insight with my friend, she frowned. "But what happens when I graduate?"

I shrugged. "You get a job and keep writing." As soon as I offered that response, I expected her eighteen year old mind to literally overload with the uncertainty of it all.

But, her hair did not stand on end, nor did steam come out of her ears. "I guess I should do my math homework then, huh?"

She was going to turn out to be a great writer after all.