This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
You can listen to Anna’s podcasted novel over on her website www.annabellwrites.com and follow her on twitter @annabell_writes
When I embarked on my museum career, I duly did work experience in the field, and after securing my first (just about) paid position, I undertook a Masters in Museum Studies. Yet approaching writing as a potential new career I’ve done nothing like it, assuming I already know how to do it.
I didn’t even do an English Lit degree, opting for history instead, and come to think of it, I didn’t do it at A-Level either, I took English Language. So I truly have no writing background, other than an entry into a WHSmith poetry competition when I was little.
I always like reading the blurb in books about authors, and I know that many of my favourite writers had careers before publishing novels, which made me assume that one day that sat down and decided to write. But I wonder how many of those studied on creative writing courses.
I know there are lots of ways I could get qualified, there are small local creative writing courses, our local uni offers a masters in creative writing, and of there is also the open university. The problem is I don’t really know how much it will help me. You see in my head I see creative writing courses as helping those that want to work on serious literary fiction. I’m definitely not saying that you don't need to be a good writer to write chick lit, but I think they are very different types of books.
I also don’t want to heavily invest in a course because of the time and money they’d take up, when it wouldn’t necessarily get me any further forward than I am now. Maybe working in the museums where I stumbled into a job and have watched graduate after graduate unable to penetrate into the industry and worry that would be me if I did a writing course.
There are some parts of me that also think that if I never got published and hadn’t undertaken the course then that is far less embarrassing to myself and family and friends if I didn’t put myself through an expensive course.
In lieu of enrolling on a course, I’ve decided to help my self a little with my writing. Over the summer I’m going to make two book purchases, one being Sue Moorcroft’s ‘Love Writing’ book and the other is a book on grammar – as mine is shocking!
What do you think readers, am I being really pig headed by not doing a course? Is it ludicrous to think I can just start writing and expect to be published?