I am not a writer.
posted August 12, 2006 - 5:00pmI think I saw dollar signs appear in my mother's eyes when I told her I wanted to be a writer. Ever since, she has been hassling me to write Louis CK, Comedy Central and Mad TV, and ask if they're looking for a writer. She thinks it's that easy: just send an e-mail or two, explaining that I'm a recent college graduate looking to write for comedy, and I'll immediately be shipped out to New York and make a million bucks and she'll--I mean I'll--live happily ever after.
I still don't know what I want to do with my life--you would think after being in college for seven years, I'd have figured it out by now. I look at my fiction portfolio every now and then, and I cringe as I read story after story, criticizing detail after detail, calling myself a moron for even thinking I could be a writer. It was fun while it lasted but now that I've seriously begun to consider my future, I still feel stuck. I imagine myself at thirty-five, overweight, single and depressed, still living in the same old crappy row home with my insane mother, arguing over her gambling addiction and expired milk in the fridge.
"What can you do with a degree in Creative Writing?" everyone asks me. Truth is, I really don't know. I have yet to gain the courage to call myself a "writer", even though I've received a lot of positive feedback during my college career. Did I think it was going to be easy? No. But I never thought it would be this hard.
I sent an e-mail to Louis CK and Mad TV. I still haven't gotten a response.
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Comments
Friend of mine was way past the creative writing
Great that you have a degree!
You asked what you could do with a degree in Creative Writing. With your degree you should have the knowledge and confidence to write anything you want. That’s one thing you could do with it. Terminator gave you another idea you could think about. Regarding getting published – yes it is hard, and if you are serious about getting published, your persistence will pay off. It’s what this game is all about.
I wanted to ask you though - - what made you get a degree in writing in the first place?
Good Advice
Terminator is right. You must write everyday and continue to read as much as you can.
Jeremy Nettles
Community Relations Manager
Advice
If you truly want to be a writer you must have the determination to never quit and take all of the constructive criticism they will offer you. You must read the best works to have a feel of what the market's seen and write what you feel most passionate about.
Now if you're not that serious than perhaps you would like to consider teaching creative writing at the undergraduate level?
I'm not sure how many colleges have this sort of program but Emerson offers a MFA in creative writing which prepares you to teach undergrads and make at least a nice salary. Good luck.
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