Some people think about writing (specifically creative writing) and think that you need a degree, a course to tell you how to write, rules that setup how a genre behaves and should come through to readers. Some think that life is the best teacher, and experience, reading and a whole lot of editors notes are enough.. so who’s right?
In my experience, it’s somewhere in between. I have not got a degree in English, Literature or Creative Writing, but I have done some short courses that went over the basics of specific genres in Fiction writing. I’ve read a lot in the genres I write in (Mostly Crime/Mystery and Fantasy), and I think I have ended up in a really great place as a writer. People who read my published book Kidnapped ENTANGLEMENT tell me how much they enjoyed it, and how my writing style was a great read. Not everyone will agree, that’s part of art being subjective, but maybe that’s why I have decided to share my opinion on this.
Firstly, No. You don’t need a writing degree to be a writer. However, it does help as a writer if you have some understanding of how your genre/s usually look. Does that mean you have to follow the expected rules? Also a no. You do not.
One of the most useful short courses I “attended” was a Youtube lecture series run by the man himself, Brandon Sanderson (and if you don’t know that name, he is very big in the High/Epic Fantasy world!). I had previously done a short course in writing crime stories, and found it somewhat useful but mostly going over things I already knew from just being a reader. It was also heavy on the “this is just how things are done, and you need to do it this way too” which I was not a fan of (let the muse take you where it does!). I understand the idea of giving a reader what they’re expecting – it’s why the choose certain genres after all – but that doesn’t mean you have to be so stringent on the rules that you don’t allow creative expression to blossom.
On the other side, Sanderson’s course went through the general rules, things that make the genre of Fantasy what it is, how to world build, what things to keep in mind are, etc. but he was also big on the “if you want to push the envelope and try something new, go for it!” That’s what I had been wanting. Not permission exactly, but advice that while structure and similar genre keys are great, you don’t have to do it that way if you have a new idea (even if that idea fails). Does that mean I’m pushing boundaries in my own writing outside genre expectations? Not so far. Does it mean I never will? No.
The best writing assistance I ever get is through reading. Reading books by big time authors, small time, successful, horrible (sorry guys but some of you really need a polish before you put that out in the world!). What to do, what not to do, what I want my own voice to be like etc.
So, are courses worth the money? Well, it depends on what you want out of the courses. For me, the “how to write crime” course was not, and the free Fantasy course WAS! If you want to check a box by saying you’ve paid for a course… go for it, I guess. If you are a super noob (not a bad thing), yes, I would say it’s probably going to be beneficial. For me, meh.
Have you done a writing course before? Was it a good experience, or a bad one?
See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace
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