Things Your English Teacher Won't Tell You

Is A Literature Degree Really Necessary To Be A Successful Writer

Once upon a time in a faraway land called Stratford-upon-Avon there lived a man named William. William had very little hair but loads of talent, and a really cool looking pirate earring in one ear. And although William looked like a buccaneer, what he wanted to be was a writer, even though everyone told him that was impossible because he didn’t have an English degree. But William didn’t listen to them because he was stubborn and he had talent and he looked like a pirate, and because of that to this day you have to read Romeo and Juliet in freshman English!

But seriously, folks…

A lot of people, especially when they are in high school and want to make a career out of writing think the best way to pursue that dream is to get a degree in English or some other branch of Literature. Now, I’m not going to tell you that a degree in English is going to hurt you – it won’t – but neither is it something you need. In fact, I would almost argue that unless you want to teach writing, then you should work toward some other degree, or even (GASP) no degree at all.

Now, before your class councilors go apoplectic on me, let me explain.

An English degree is not going to hurt you. It won’t stifle your creativity or try to push you into writing things you don’t want to write. But, earning an English degree, any Lit degree for that matter, is meant to give you the tools to teach literature to others, not create your own. That is why I say earn a degree or go in to a field that interests you, then weave what you learn into your work. I love Science Fiction and not surprisingly, a lot of my favorite authors are, or at least were, scientists. They have experience that most of us don’t and use that experience to create worlds and plot lines most of us would never dream of.

But what if you want to write Fantasy? Well, studying History might be your best choice. But again, you don’t need a degree to study history. All you need to do is read about history. A lot. Trust me, the real stories are probably more unbelievable than any fictional ones you might encounter.

Everything you do, or learn or study will someday wind up in your fiction, and the more you know or study or do, the better your fiction will be. Even the most mundane jobs have little things associated with them that can become part of your stories. Soldiers, cops, cowboys, truck drivers, doctors, nurses or clerks… it doesn’t matter, your experiences will find their way into the words you write. So, if you really want to be a writer, don’t worry about learning to write, just worry about learning.

Life is funny that way. The more you learn about things that interest you, the more interesting things you will discover to learn. And the best part: you can keep on learning interesting things right up to the end. And all of it, every silly little fact or bit of trivia you gather, every experience, painful or pleasant, is going to add to your story.

Now get out there and get t it!