Creative Writing Courses

sonny1022 said:
Question; is writing a gift or a skill? don't know if Tom Clancy,J.K Rowling or Michael Crichton focused so much on attaining writing degrees. I can see how workshops can be helpful in the mechanical aspects of creative writing.
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Mmmm. For me, writing isn't just about the mechanics of putting one word after another (which can be taught ... at secondary/high school); it's about style, voice, motivation, plotting, characterisation, problem solving, knowing your audience, knowing yourself, imagination, a little bit of arrogance (but not too much), not fearing the odd fcuk up along the way, taking criticism, learning from mistakes ... And loads of other things that turn an ambition into a reality. There isn't really a course that does all that; but life does that.

So, I'd say that if you don't need to live half a lifetime or more to discover and understand all that, then it's a gift. But given time, I'd argue it can be learned too.
 
I have a creative writing course booked for next month at a nearby Adult Learning Center. I am really hoping i can make a little progress while i am there since it would probably encourage me to write some stuff for once.
 
sonny1022 said:
Question; is writing a gift or a skill? don't know if Tom Clancy,J.K Rowling or Michael Crichton focused so much on attaining writing degrees. I can see how workshops can be helpful in the mechanical aspects of creative writing.
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I think some of it is skill - the mechanics of grammar, pacing etc - I think other bits are a gift. I know some people who are just natural storytellers, and others who can capture voices really well in a way it would be hard to explain how do. Mostly, though, I think it's practice.
 
RyanJ1996 said:
Both could be the case. No one is born with the ability to write like Stephen King or JK, it comes with time.
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My freshman English teacher in college met Stephen King. He asked Mr. King, "how do you write your stories"?. Mr. King replied ," I write from a vision or an image" . I am sure anyone of us here all have a great idea or a great story in our imagination bottled up. So I would agree with you. After learning the mechanics,style,etc and practicing without fear,writing becomes an art that is to be mastered. I don't ever think I would ever become a great writer, but man! I dare to dream.:D.
 
sonny1022 said:
My freshman English teacher in college met Stephen King. He asked Mr. King, "how do you write your stories"?. Mr. King replied ," I write from a vision or an image" . I am sure anyone of us here all have a great idea or a great story in our imagination bottled up. So I would agree with you. After learning the mechanics,style,etc and practicing without fear,writing becomes an art that is to be mastered. I don't ever think I would ever become a great writer, but man! I dare to dream.:D.
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My problem doesn't come from image, more less the lack of motivation in my mind. I can picture many things in my novel, the futuristic cities, the main character, the final battle and the strange creatures he encounters. Its just getting the motivation to bring them to life in our reality that is the problem.
 
stephen.samuels said:
Ryan

I first conceived the idea for my novel, when i was 15, I'm only now just getting to grips with writing the thing. Good ideas are like most good wines, they can't be aged prematurely.
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True that. I first conceived the idea when i was 13. It has evolved much since then, but i still don't think its right just yet. But i feel its close, its just a feeling i have. Like, i have the basic plot done, just what happens in it needs sorting.
 
Writing a gift or a skill?

I could learn how to play basketball and work hard at it and try my best and learn the fundamentals, but somehow, I doubt that I'll be making it in the WNBA. I'm tall. I have good hand/eye coordination. I'm competitive.

But I can't run plays. Tried in high school and while I had intuition, I lacked the right kind of "intelligence" to connect that intuitive with the technical. I could have probably overcome that to some degree with muscle memory, but I wouldn't be as good as someone who possessed the correct kind of intelligence.

I do think it is about "multiple intelligences." Finding your groove and working it. Some people will come by writing more naturally. Some have to work harder at it. Fortunately, the way the publishing industry works, it probably doesn't matter which one you are as long as you're prolific. :)
 
I have a degree in creative writing, but I honestly think I would have been better served to simply have taken workshops or various courses online with equally motivated people. Too many of my classmates thought creative writing was 'the easy major' and I wasted a lot of time critiquing pieces that had obviously been slapped together in the hours before their workshop deadline was due. The feedback I got wasn't as helpful as it could have been either because no one wanted to be the person who really gave the harsh critiques I wanted to hear. All that being said, it is a craft and I strongly encourage anyone to take whatever opportunities they have to improve and learn. Sometimes even bad examples can be helpful in showing you what not to do and helping you see where you stack up.
 
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