I'd love to be taught by you for an MA, but I don't have the necessary entrance requirements. Although, If I paid a university tutor £100 for one hour's private tuition + marking per day for a whole year, then it would cost me the same as the fees for an English BA followed by a Creative Writing MA from a UK university.
The greater individual attention might be unduly offset by a lack of interaction with fellow students, and £37k also buys a lot of books, adverts and lunches. But I bet it would still be a fun way to learn!
A structured “safe space” to experiment, share work and get to give/receive feedback as well as meet deadlines to build a portfolio are all invaluable opportunities that I benefited from during my MA. But, tbh, that MM label is such a troubling one I opted for English lit & creative writing (I wanted to delve into improving my critical appreciation of literature and reading widely is a must for writing) so maybe that sort of hybrid MA will appeal to those sitting on the fence about undertaking a course in creative writing (I do realise that reading widely is of course encouraged in any pure creative writing course but you get my drift hopefully). Just a thought!
I was so glad to see you put permission right up there at the top of your piece. I have often tried to explain to people that that is what I got, most of all, from the course we shared. I felt I had permission to write - to take a year out of my mundane life to devote to writing. But more than that, I had permission to call myself a novelist even if I had never published - and though I eventually did, it took a bloody long time. But during all those years, I knew that I was an artist.
I've also worked as an actor and among my acting friends, many made their main living from house painting, taxi driving, stocking shelves in shops, temping in offices - anything that allowed them to take time off for auditions and classes. Nobody ever called them "aspiring" actors. They were actors, taking other jobs to make ends meet until they started making a living in the profession they chose and were trained in.
But tell someone you are a writer - while you are doing a bit of PR writing or the dreaded "corporate communications" and other journeyman writing jobs to make ends meet - and they will ask "have you written anything I've heard of". If you tell them you've written stories in literary magazine and you are working on a novel they will call you an aspiring writer - even though most of your time is spent writing or thinking about what you are writing.
What I got from my course at UEA was the priviledge to spending time in a room (many hours a week) with a group of writers who took what we were doing seriously. And what I achieved was permission to consider myself a writer, yea, even a novelist.
The other day, I saw a comment online where someone said that the only degrees worth doing are science and medicine because you learn "technical skills". Apparently, analysis, research, reflection, etc., which you learn on an Arts degree aren't useful skills? Soft skills are just as essential as technical ones. On medical degrees, they have classes on medical ethics and the history of medicine, to teach empathy and other essential soft skills. With a creative writing degree, you're learning technical writing skills to an extent, but as you rightly point out, it's more than that, it's space to write and experiment, and guidance from people who know what's what. How tragic and grey a world it would be if our unis just cranked out people with "technical skills".
I spent years allowing writing time to drop to the bottom on my to-do list because I couldn't justify the time. It didn't generate an income, or not a guaranteed one. It was therefore a self-indulgence that I didn't have time for. It's only recently that I've come to recognise that it is, in fact, necessary to my wellbeing. I've enrolled on an MA starting in October and I will be prioritising that over everything else. I deserve this.
I'm applying to MAs this autumn. It's the perfect excuse to drop off the face of the earth for a year and just write. Maybe I should've been framing it as 'permission'. I will say though, even the thought of applying is taxing. Feels a little like I'm deluding myself into thinking I could be a writer. Considering the UK arts have next to no funding, it must be common to feel that way. It's just not presented as a real, achievable way of life.
I love what you’re saying here about Creative Writing MAs. I look back with such fondness on mine. Yes, permission was certainly an important aspect. Having my writing read by tutors and peers and receiving feedback was such a gift. Completing my MA (with a distinction) built my confidence as a writer. I know that I can write well. Of course, an MA isn’t an end point, it’s a beginning (and it’s not essential). The crucial thing is whether you have something to say that resonates with others, otherwise you risk saying nothing, eloquently! I’m sure that anyone who joins your MA at Southampton will thoroughly enjoy it!
I'd love to be taught by you for an MA, but I don't have the necessary entrance requirements. Although, If I paid a university tutor £100 for one hour's private tuition + marking per day for a whole year, then it would cost me the same as the fees for an English BA followed by a Creative Writing MA from a UK university.
The greater individual attention might be unduly offset by a lack of interaction with fellow students, and £37k also buys a lot of books, adverts and lunches. But I bet it would still be a fun way to learn!
A structured “safe space” to experiment, share work and get to give/receive feedback as well as meet deadlines to build a portfolio are all invaluable opportunities that I benefited from during my MA. But, tbh, that MM label is such a troubling one I opted for English lit & creative writing (I wanted to delve into improving my critical appreciation of literature and reading widely is a must for writing) so maybe that sort of hybrid MA will appeal to those sitting on the fence about undertaking a course in creative writing (I do realise that reading widely is of course encouraged in any pure creative writing course but you get my drift hopefully). Just a thought!
I was so glad to see you put permission right up there at the top of your piece. I have often tried to explain to people that that is what I got, most of all, from the course we shared. I felt I had permission to write - to take a year out of my mundane life to devote to writing. But more than that, I had permission to call myself a novelist even if I had never published - and though I eventually did, it took a bloody long time. But during all those years, I knew that I was an artist.
I've also worked as an actor and among my acting friends, many made their main living from house painting, taxi driving, stocking shelves in shops, temping in offices - anything that allowed them to take time off for auditions and classes. Nobody ever called them "aspiring" actors. They were actors, taking other jobs to make ends meet until they started making a living in the profession they chose and were trained in.
But tell someone you are a writer - while you are doing a bit of PR writing or the dreaded "corporate communications" and other journeyman writing jobs to make ends meet - and they will ask "have you written anything I've heard of". If you tell them you've written stories in literary magazine and you are working on a novel they will call you an aspiring writer - even though most of your time is spent writing or thinking about what you are writing.
What I got from my course at UEA was the priviledge to spending time in a room (many hours a week) with a group of writers who took what we were doing seriously. And what I achieved was permission to consider myself a writer, yea, even a novelist.
The other day, I saw a comment online where someone said that the only degrees worth doing are science and medicine because you learn "technical skills". Apparently, analysis, research, reflection, etc., which you learn on an Arts degree aren't useful skills? Soft skills are just as essential as technical ones. On medical degrees, they have classes on medical ethics and the history of medicine, to teach empathy and other essential soft skills. With a creative writing degree, you're learning technical writing skills to an extent, but as you rightly point out, it's more than that, it's space to write and experiment, and guidance from people who know what's what. How tragic and grey a world it would be if our unis just cranked out people with "technical skills".
Yes, yes, yes, and yes again.
I spent years allowing writing time to drop to the bottom on my to-do list because I couldn't justify the time. It didn't generate an income, or not a guaranteed one. It was therefore a self-indulgence that I didn't have time for. It's only recently that I've come to recognise that it is, in fact, necessary to my wellbeing. I've enrolled on an MA starting in October and I will be prioritising that over everything else. I deserve this.
I'm applying to MAs this autumn. It's the perfect excuse to drop off the face of the earth for a year and just write. Maybe I should've been framing it as 'permission'. I will say though, even the thought of applying is taxing. Feels a little like I'm deluding myself into thinking I could be a writer. Considering the UK arts have next to no funding, it must be common to feel that way. It's just not presented as a real, achievable way of life.
I love what you’re saying here about Creative Writing MAs. I look back with such fondness on mine. Yes, permission was certainly an important aspect. Having my writing read by tutors and peers and receiving feedback was such a gift. Completing my MA (with a distinction) built my confidence as a writer. I know that I can write well. Of course, an MA isn’t an end point, it’s a beginning (and it’s not essential). The crucial thing is whether you have something to say that resonates with others, otherwise you risk saying nothing, eloquently! I’m sure that anyone who joins your MA at Southampton will thoroughly enjoy it!