Are Creative Writing Courses Useful?
Way back in 2014, novelist and creative writing professor Hanif Kureishi branded creative writing courses ‘a waste of time,’ when speaking at the Independent Bath Literature Festival, dividing opinions in the writing world. 2014 also happened to be the year that I graduated from university with a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing, and whilst I was happy to achieve a good grade, this ongoing debate made me wonder: had I wasted my time studying creative writing?
This is a question that has plagued me since, especially since no day job I’ve held since graduating has actually had anything to do with creative writing.
However, the number of places offering creative writing courses has only grown since…so surely they must hold some value? I personally know several people who have gone as far as Masters level in their creative writing studies, spending thousands of pounds and getting in debt to do so.
But how useful are these courses, really?
The number of people who can now boast of having a writing qualification means it no longer sets you apart from the crowd, and let’s face it: there are thousands of writers out there who manage just fine without.
However, as someone who has done a creative writing course, I have to say that the classes were very informative and inspiring, and all the hard work certainly didn’t feel like ‘wasted time’ at the time.
Teachers who were genuinely passionate about what they did taught my course — all of them were professional writers and authors — and the exercises set had me experimenting with my writing in a way that I might not have done on my own. It also got me in the habit of writing when I didn’t feel like it, as there’s no more waiting around for the creative muse when there’s a deadline looming.
The biggest thing I got from the course, however, was feedback on my writing.
I’d never been confident enough to share my writing with other people before, and so through my classes I learnt the incredible value of feedback, and how to put myself out there. Not all the feedback was positive, but I credit that constructive criticism with helping me grow as a writer, as I could recognise my areas of weakness and work on improving them.
But at the same time, a good writing group or having a writer buddy could have achieved the same thing, for far less money than it costs to study for a degree. Unfortunately, you can’t grow as a writer without feedback, but taking a creative writing course is only one way to get this.
And there’s another issue with creative writing courses.
How do you effectively grade creative work?
Whilst there are a few necessities to a good piece of writing (good grammar and spelling, a plot etc,.), a lot of it is down to personal preference.
For example, during the first two years of my degree, I was constantly scraping average grades in my creative writing modules, which was incredibly frustrating. I was trying my hardest and felt good about my stories, and the other students I was working with seemed to like my work. Then suddenly (and luckily!) in my last year I got a fantastic grade, and whilst I was pleased, it felt like pure luck: my tutor just liked that story more than my others.
This especially seemed to be the case when I submitted one of my earlier ‘average’ stories to a crime fiction competition in a popular writing magazine and was shortlisted, even though my tutor had branded it ‘too farfetched’.
And so if it isn’t possible to mark creative work objectively, then surely the qualification isn’t worth anything?
Overall, I think the value of a creative writing course is up to the individual.
Before investing the massive amount of time and money that a creative writing course needs, I think it pays to think about why you want to do this. Is it to enhance your writing skills and get some serious critique of your work? Is it to help you work on a specific project? Or is it just so you can be a ‘qualified’ writer?
Because unfortunately, if it’s the latter, then you may be disappointed, as the only qualification you need to be a writer is to write. Creative writing courses can be useful to help you develop your craft and get feedback, but ultimately they don’t offer anything you couldn’t find elsewhere for free, with a little time and effort.
