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Writers Education?



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Tue Aug 26, 2014 12:52 pm
Oriella says...



I was thinking about this yesterday after scrolling through online educations. I found one that claimed to teach how novels are written and everything concerning it, from characters to plot. (Don't worry, I know it is a legit education.)

I'm likely going to take on this education, if only for the fact that I don't know what else to study and my hopes of ever publishing a novel, but I was hoping someone could give me some personal experiences or some insight into what might be ahead of me.

I should mention that I am from the Netherlands, so my education will be all in Dutch, yet I'm planning to write in English because that motivates me a lot more and feels more natural to me (I have no English roots as far as I know). The education should benefit the style and structure of the plot more than anything else I assume. I did like the erm.. example lesson pdf I could download. It gave examples of how other writers looked at things, explained things and I even learned something from it already.
  





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Tue Aug 26, 2014 11:06 pm
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Rosendorn says...



Short answer: anything you study can help you write.

Long answer:

Writers are all different types of people, who use all sorts of different skills, for all sorts of different plots. For me, I have a degree in advertising and a a year at university taking anthropology, sociology, and linguistics. These things have helped me build settings and characters who actually live in those settings very well. Another friend of mine has a biology degree, which means their injuries and medical proceedings are far more accurate than those who don't have that education. Neither of us really had a lot of writing education past what we've dug up ourselves, but we're both good writers.

There are two ways of looking at this: we didn't get a writer's education, or we did. If you go with the latter, then you have to accept all educations are potentially a writer's education.

Writing education is important, for sure. But it's not the only education you can get to be a published writer. In writing, you study writing, and how stories use writing conventions. This is all well and good, but writing is only a part of what writers need to learn. Writers also need to learn sociology, medicine, fighting, psychology, and far more depending on the genre that includes zoology, ecology, geography, criminology, fighting styles... the list goes on.

In the end, everything will help you get published. There are advantages to writing education, such as professors, peer reviewing, and access to absolutely brilliant critique; you can, however, get this information through trial and error, reading free advice, and time.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  





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Fri Aug 29, 2014 7:15 pm
Oriella says...



I thought it was going to be something like that. It seems benefitial enough, but I suppose it would also be a good idea for me to invest some time in learning things like the things you summed up.

It would be a wonderful way for me to get a firm grasp of the basics. Thank you for your reply, it was very helpful, Rosey Unicorn. :)
  





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Mon Sep 01, 2014 6:00 pm
Holysocks says...



There are cheaper ways to educate yourself as well. I don't plan on going to Uni, but that doesn't mean I'm not learning things that will help me in the future, as a hopeful writer...
For example...

Taking a first aid course at your local first aid hall, or try different kinds of foods ( from other countries, or whatever ), try your hand at quilting, or auto repair... Read some books that you normally wouldn't pick up, listen to music that you wouldn't normally listen to. And While you're doing all this, don't just stop right away, consider who would enjoy those kind of things.

There's many things, as Rosey has mentioned, that can improve a writer. :-P
100% autistic
  





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Wed Sep 03, 2014 12:39 am
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LadySpark says...



If I were you, I would take it. Take notes, soak up everything, learnnnnn. There's never anything wrong with taking a class. Even if you decide that no one can teach you how to write, that you're the kind of person who learns by doing and you forget everything you were taught. If I were you, I'd consider looking into other intro classes you can take. Learn a little bit about everything. Knowledge is power.
hush, my sweet
these tornadoes are for you


-Richard Siken


Formerly SparkToFlame
  








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