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Hello everyone!
Well, the end of my high school career is drawing near, and it’s about time to decide what I’m going to do next. Writing is what makes me happy, so I’m thinking, Lord willing, I’ll go that direction. The problem is that there are many ways of doing this, college being just one of them.
So for those of you who are near to or past high school graduation and are planning on or already are pursuing a career in writing, part-time or full time, in any form or fashion, how are going about it? If you’re doing college, which one are you attending (I promise I’m not a stalker.😉)? Are you online or in person? What types of books do you have to read for your English classes? For those of you who are doing something else, what exactly are you doing? Are you interning?
Thanks so much, everyone! 😀
@lydia-s That’s so awesome that you want to make writing a career! 😀 That’s so awesome! That’s also what I pursued after high school. I didn’t go to college for it, because I didn’t think that was necessary. I think there are plenty of other resources (books, courses, websites, videos, etc.) that you can learn adequately from without paying as much as college would cost. Basically what I did after high school was continue to learn as much as I could about writing and the business of indie publishing (I don’t know if you’re doing indie or traditional…). My favorite resources being Story Embers, Kingdom Pen (of course), Story Genius by Lisa Cron (some language in this, fyi), and How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson. My biggest tip is to research A TON in whatever path you’re wanting to go (indie or trad). I hope that was helpful! 🙂
I'm a Kapeefer 'TIL WE'RE OLD AND GREY!
www.jennaterese.com@lydia-s I’m glad to hear you love writing so much! And ey, soon to be graduates unite!
Me, I’m going to college for computer science, actually. With a minor in music. I’m not planning on doing any writing classes. I’m hoping to write a lot in my free time, and the dream is to be able to quit my job and become a full-time writer before 30. I feel like I need to be able to support myself fully first before doing writing as a job (as we can see, many, many famous authors lived in the depths of poverty).
I wish you luck on whatever you choose to pursue!
Lately, it's been on my brain
Would you mind letting me know
If hours don't turn into days@lydia-s Eyyy congratulations on finishing high school!!!! That’s such an accomplishment! *throws confetti everywhere*
For me, I’m planning on pursuing writing part-time, as I balance work, homemaking, etc. Personally, I went the college route–I actually just graduated with a BA in English literally a week and a half ago, so that’s been a bit weird :P. The majority of my classes were in person (though I think @jodi-maile is doing the online thing, so she’d be a great one to talk to about that), so I’m happy to answer any questions you have about the ~college experience~ or English majoring in general 😀
Overall, I have some mixed feelings about my major. On the one hand, I can write much more clearly, confidently, and quickly than I was able to pre-college. (Cranking out essays does that to a person.) On the other hand, I realized that analyzing literature isn’t really my jam, especially the way my professors wanted me to do so. (My classes focused more on social issues than the actual texts themselves, if that makes any sense.) Honestly, I found that non-English-related classes were the ones I enjoyed the most; I took a publication design class (where you like, learn how to use graphic design to make business cards, posters, magazines, etc.) that was super helpful, and a handful of film classes that were really fun. (My husband was a cinema major, so I hung around the fine arts/communication departments a lot. 😉 ) I also had a work-study in the PR and Marketing Office, which interestingly enough helped hone my writing skills (I had to send a lot of emails and write press releases). Anyway, sorry for how long and ramble-y that was! I hope I made some sense in it:P
Overall, I think college can be what you make of it. Regardless of what you major in, you’re still going to learn things that will inevitably make you a better writer, even if they’re super indirect. On the other hand, like @jenwriter17 said, you definitely don’t need it to pursue writing full-time! God will guide you on whatever path you take, that I’m certain of. Good luck as you take this next exciting step on your journey! <3
“Seven seconds till the end. Time enough for you. Perhaps. But what will you do with it?”
@lydia-s I’m looking to go to college for youth ministry and worship arts, but I wasn’t planning on going anywhere until I stumbled across the perfect college while doing research for a book. XD When I was looking at writing as my only thing, I was like @jenwriter17 and planned to learn about writing by writing and from fiction-specific resources. Which is still basically my plan, when it comes to the writing side of things. However, the School of Kingdom Writers looks super cool. So if you do want to go a more “academic” route, that might be worth looking into. SoKW is a two-year intensive program that focuses specifically on the tools you would need as a Christian creative writer, not only when it comes to the actual writing, but also as far as the business side of things and tying it in with your faith. I’d definitely recommend at least giving it a look, because what they’re aiming to do looks fantastic.
Speculative fiction author. Mythology nerd. Singer. Worldbuilding enthusiast.
Thank you so much! That was very helpful. 😀
Thank you so much for the input! And, by the way, this is off-topic, but your profile picture is gorgeous!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate the input. I still have two years till graduation, so I’ve got some time to think and pray, thankfully. 😅 And congrats on finishing your BA!!! *throws confetti and chocolate* *considers throwing glitter but decides against it*
One question about your English class: What type of novels did you have to read? I enjoy reading, but I would rather not read books that would be R-rated if they were turned into a movie. 🙂
Wow, that sounds awesome! Thank you so much for sharing the link! I’ll check into it. 😀
@lydia-s Thank you! Found it on Pinterest!
Lately, it's been on my brain
Would you mind letting me know
If hours don't turn into days@lydia-s Ah, I see, I see. Well, nevertheless my congratulations still stand–finishing half of high school is no easy feat! And thank you!!! It’s all been very exciting 😀
That’s an excellent question! It really varied from class to class. Like, in my Early American Lit class we read books like Walden, Last of the Mohicans, House of Seven Gables, Edgar Allan Poe stories/poetry, etc.–nothing that would necessarily earn an R-rating (except for maybe violence-wise). In a lot of my other classes, though, (generally the ones that focused on 20th century literature), I was assigned books that I was definitely uncomfortable with (and usually only skimmed as a result). However, I think that could have been more of my college’s problem than the English major as a whole; we didn’t read a lot of the “classics” that I was expecting to study. My Shakespeare class, for example, included an equal amount of odd modern works as it did actual plays, which was an unusual move in my opinion, and probably not something every other college does.
So, to answer your question–in my own college experience, I had to read (or was at least assigned) books that Were Not For Me and would definitely be R-rated, but that doesn’t necessarily apply to every college. Does that make sense?
“Seven seconds till the end. Time enough for you. Perhaps. But what will you do with it?”
@lewilliams To expand on that, I would presume (and hope) it makes a big difference whether you go to a secular college or a Christian college. I can’t speak from experience, of course, but the whole underlying worldview ought to be different, so what material is presented and what worldview the professors expect you to bring to the text ought to be different.
Speculative fiction author. Mythology nerd. Singer. Worldbuilding enthusiast.
Well, thank you. <3 And I bet it was so exciting to finish! 😀
Thank you so much! That was super helpful. 🙂
That’s so cool!
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