How important is a writing degree for a career in
wordsmithing? Does a person need a college degree or even a graduate degree to
succeed in journalism or the publishing world? And what’s the best major? Is it
creative writing, English literature, journalism, or something else?
Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964), the well-known American
novelist and short story writer, who studied journalism at Iowa State University,
offered this striking statement about writing education:
“Everywhere
I go I’m asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that
they don’t stifle enough of them.”
Editors, English teachers, reviewers, and other literary
sorts used to call such folks “hacks,” probably pointing to the way untrained
writers presumably butchered the language and mutilated content.
For better or worse, published writers used to be something
of an exclusive group, having won the favor of certain editors. Today’s open
publishing world allows anyone with internet access to become a published
writer or a self-titled journalist, usually without the safety net of editors
and proofreaders. We have to wonder what O’Connor might have said about that.
Flannery O’Connor’s best known published works included A Good Man Is Hard to Find, Everything That Rises Must Converge, The Habit of Being, The Violent Bear It Away, and Wise Blood.
Here’s one more zinger quote from Flannery O’Connor:
“There’s
many a bestseller that could have been prevented by a good teacher.”
This statement begs a few questions.
- What makes a bestseller?
- What’s the difference between a good story and a well-written one?
- Why are poorly written books often ridiculously popular?
- Were those tuition dollars well spent?
OK, that last question was a little facetious, sort of like
this third Flannery O’Connor quote:
“I
don’t deserve any credit for turning the other cheek, as my tongue if always in
it.”
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I've kind of been wondering about that. About whether or not I should take courses in creative writing or even pursue a degree in it.
ReplyDeleteI feel like as much as the internet is resourceful, being in a classroom is a different experience. Would it help writers become better? Or worse? Who knows for sure. It's a sort of perspective thing. It's different for everyone. Artists of all sorts always have these discussions and I think it always leads to a split answer where one half agrees and the other disagrees.