4 answers
Julie
Student
Elk River, Minnesota
2
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Asked
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To be a writer how many years do you have to go to college for?
I'm in 10th grade at Spectrum High school and I love writing. #writing
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4 answers
Rebecca Tang
Banking
1822
Answers
Hong Kong
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
I am glad to hear that you would like to be a writer. In fact, there is no specific requirement to be a writer. Anyone can write and can publish it online now.
The most important is to try to write more. You can start writing on what are interested on now and publish it.
Having said that, there are courses in the college that would help as well. I am not sure in what language you would like to use for writing. E.g. if you would like to write in English, you can consider to take English Literature, etc. course in the college. It could improve your language proficiency.
On the other hand, if you have any topics you are interested to write on, you may have to do some research and acquire more understanding before you start writing.
Let's practise more. Practise makes perfect!
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
The most important is to try to write more. You can start writing on what are interested on now and publish it.
Having said that, there are courses in the college that would help as well. I am not sure in what language you would like to use for writing. E.g. if you would like to write in English, you can consider to take English Literature, etc. course in the college. It could improve your language proficiency.
On the other hand, if you have any topics you are interested to write on, you may have to do some research and acquire more understanding before you start writing.
Let's practise more. Practise makes perfect!
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
Chuck D'Ambrosi
Technical and content writer. Conservationist. A little web design. Former paralegal and policy analyst.
5
Answers
Coral Springs, Florida
Updated
Chuck’s Answer
Hello Julie:
It is true you may need a bachelor's degree just to get a foot in the door. I would certainly recommend it. However if you have an impressive portfolio of work that you can show off, it's possible to be hired as a writer with less than 4 years of college. (But don't let that delay or deter you from getting a degree. They might hire you without one, but they'll have an an excuse to pay you less and not promote you.)
Also I strongly agree with the advice already given that you try to figure out who is your intended audience.
For me, the most important things are:
* Be an avid reader. I don't know any great writers who are not also avid readers.
* Be a close reader of your own work (both for substance and proofreading). When you deliver a piece, the grammar, punctuation and spelling must be flawless.
* Find someone you can trust to be your personal, early draft editor (as opposed to the professional editor you will face later). A fresh set of eyes can be a great help. There is a reason that even the world's greatest writers are assigned an editor by their publisher.
* Be your own fresh set of eyes as well, by taking a break (it could be a day or longer) before you attempt to finish a piece.
* Become sensitive to when your creative juices are flowing and when they feel 'stuck.' I am convinced a lot of ideation in the writing process actually happens subconsciously and manifests later. Hence my emphasis on resting and recharging.
Hoping to welcome you into the society of fellow wordsmiths!
Be well
Charles
It is true you may need a bachelor's degree just to get a foot in the door. I would certainly recommend it. However if you have an impressive portfolio of work that you can show off, it's possible to be hired as a writer with less than 4 years of college. (But don't let that delay or deter you from getting a degree. They might hire you without one, but they'll have an an excuse to pay you less and not promote you.)
Also I strongly agree with the advice already given that you try to figure out who is your intended audience.
For me, the most important things are:
* Be an avid reader. I don't know any great writers who are not also avid readers.
* Be a close reader of your own work (both for substance and proofreading). When you deliver a piece, the grammar, punctuation and spelling must be flawless.
* Find someone you can trust to be your personal, early draft editor (as opposed to the professional editor you will face later). A fresh set of eyes can be a great help. There is a reason that even the world's greatest writers are assigned an editor by their publisher.
* Be your own fresh set of eyes as well, by taking a break (it could be a day or longer) before you attempt to finish a piece.
* Become sensitive to when your creative juices are flowing and when they feel 'stuck.' I am convinced a lot of ideation in the writing process actually happens subconsciously and manifests later. Hence my emphasis on resting and recharging.
Hoping to welcome you into the society of fellow wordsmiths!
Be well
Charles
Paul Goetzinger MPA
Academic and Career Consultant and Freelance Writer
745
Answers
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Paul’s Answer
Hi Julie:
I am currently a published writer, and I have to tell you that there is always an infinite amount you can learn in regards to this particular occupation.
But, in order for me to get my foot in the door and get my initial stories published, I would have to say the minimum would be a bachelors degree (four years). It also depended on the area that you would like to focus on. In regards to my past occupations, initially my audience consisted mostly of lawyers, attorney's, judges and other individuals in the legal and law enforcement fields. So after getting my bachelors degree, I went back to school and attained another degree in paralegal studies, which enabled me to be able to write in an efficient and effective way for the people within the legal and law enforcement field. Just plain writing was not good enough. I had to learn how to write in a legal format so that it would adhere to certain procedures and standards.
When I became a creative writer, I took more college classes in poetry and creative writing styles. This is because the audience was different than the one I had written for previously, and I needed to be more abstract, instead of following an established legal format.
It took a little while for me to learn how to write for various audiences, and to get published in over 20 books, but once you learn it, you basically never forget how to do it, especially if you practice on a consistent basis.
So there really is no end to the amount of learning that you can attain in your life, especially in the field of writing. But in order to possibly make a living at the occupation (either as an online writer, blogger, journalist, story writer or poet), I think you will at a minimum need a bachelors. I would also encourage you to find a field that you would like to write in and the audience you would like to write for. Whether it be in the subject area of law, creative writing and poetry, or even business writing or journalism, there is always going to be something new for you to learn in this diverse and exciting field of study.
I hope my answer has helped in answering your question. Best of luck in your future achievements.
Paul
Find a college or university with a good English bachelors or writing program
Get an advisor and plan out your academic plan for the future
Find which audience you would like to write for in the future
Take courses in college which will help you to attain your writing goals, whether it be in legal writing, creative writing, poetry, business writing or journalism....etc
I am currently a published writer, and I have to tell you that there is always an infinite amount you can learn in regards to this particular occupation.
But, in order for me to get my foot in the door and get my initial stories published, I would have to say the minimum would be a bachelors degree (four years). It also depended on the area that you would like to focus on. In regards to my past occupations, initially my audience consisted mostly of lawyers, attorney's, judges and other individuals in the legal and law enforcement fields. So after getting my bachelors degree, I went back to school and attained another degree in paralegal studies, which enabled me to be able to write in an efficient and effective way for the people within the legal and law enforcement field. Just plain writing was not good enough. I had to learn how to write in a legal format so that it would adhere to certain procedures and standards.
When I became a creative writer, I took more college classes in poetry and creative writing styles. This is because the audience was different than the one I had written for previously, and I needed to be more abstract, instead of following an established legal format.
It took a little while for me to learn how to write for various audiences, and to get published in over 20 books, but once you learn it, you basically never forget how to do it, especially if you practice on a consistent basis.
So there really is no end to the amount of learning that you can attain in your life, especially in the field of writing. But in order to possibly make a living at the occupation (either as an online writer, blogger, journalist, story writer or poet), I think you will at a minimum need a bachelors. I would also encourage you to find a field that you would like to write in and the audience you would like to write for. Whether it be in the subject area of law, creative writing and poetry, or even business writing or journalism, there is always going to be something new for you to learn in this diverse and exciting field of study.
I hope my answer has helped in answering your question. Best of luck in your future achievements.
Paul
Paul recommends the following next steps:
Marlowe
Student
Santa Barbara, California
0
Questions
Updated
Marlowe’s Answer
Hi!! I totally agree with Chuck's answer. In my personal experience, I've never taken creative writing classes and instead have maintained my writing as a part-time job in addition to my studies. I've found that studying other subjects (Psychology and Environmental Studies, for me) has been extremely enriching for my writing, broadening my base of world knowledge and thus enabling me to write about and better understand a wider variety of people and experiences.
I would recommend taking a couple creative writing classes at a local city college to see if you enjoy studying the subject in classes or if you prefer to develop your writing independently. I would also recommend attending workshops or retreats to form industry connections.
I would recommend taking a couple creative writing classes at a local city college to see if you enjoy studying the subject in classes or if you prefer to develop your writing independently. I would also recommend attending workshops or retreats to form industry connections.