Is a Degree Needed in Order to Be a Writer?

 

Some writers may wonder if they need a degree in order to be a writer. The answer really depends on what kind of writer you want to be.

 

If you want to be a journalist, then some college training in journalism, or even a degree, would be important to have.

 

If you want to be a freelance writer, you don’t need a college degree for it – UNLESS you plan to specialize in a field such as astronomy, medicine or history. Then having that degree would certainly help you because it shows you received formal training in that field, making you a qualified and authoritative candidate for writing about it.

 

But if you just want to write novels, then you don’t need a degree.

 

But what about the MFA? An MFA, or Master of Fine Arts, degree is the kind of graduate degree which shows a student has completed studies in visual arts, performing arts and creative writing. Many writers out there have strived to obtain the coveted MFA, hoping that by doing so this will give them better leverage in their writing career and help them stand out above the average writer.

 

But does a writer really need an MFA?

 

I am subscribed to the SPILL IT! Newsletter published by Vine Leaves Press. They recently ran an article by writer Ian M. Rogers titled “Do You REALLY Need an MFA To Become a Writer?” I read this article with interest because I have always wondered the same thing! I often read writer bios, and I have come across many where the writer notes they have an MFA in writing. I often wondered if that MFA is what helped them to get their work accepted for publication.

 

Well, this might not always be the truth.

 

As Rogers noted in his article, “I know a lot of great writers who never set foot in grad school, and many who have degrees but whose books I have zero interest in reading.”

 

I second that! Heck, I’ve read amazing work written by high school students, college students, college graduates without an MFA and even high school dropouts. I have also read many works by writers with an MFA who I didn’t particularly care for – and some that I have!

 

I think what it really boils down to is talent. How good of a writer you are. You really don’t need a college degree, doctorate or MFA in order to be a writer – or even a great writer. By consistently writing, practicing, reading and learning what you can about the craft of writing, you can STILL be a writer sans the MFA.

 

Of course, if you still feel an MFA would help you as a writer, you don’t need to go to graduate school to earn it. You can earn it online! My recently released ebook, Free Stuff For Writers, which is available free on Kindle, includes the resource for a “DIY MFA.” So you can try that out too.

 

Bottom line: A degree can absolutely help you as a writer and with your writing career, but it is not required. The choice about pursuing a degree is a personal choice.

What Kind of Writer Do You Want to Be?

 

What kind of writer do you want to be?

 

When many writers first start writing, they really don’t think about that. They just think about what they want to write and how to write it. That’s fine; that’s how it should be.

 

But as some writers move through the motions of writing, working writing gigs, applying for jobs as a writer and getting published, they may get to a point where they take a good long hard look at their work and at their writing abilities. They may decide to be only one kind of writer or the kind of writer who can write a variety of things – and do it well.

 

The truth is, there’s no rule on what kind of writer a person can be. You can be any kind of writer you want. You don’t have to be known as a writer of only one kind of writing.

 

For some writers, a set of writing skills may be the very thing they can use to get published (freelance writing, fiction writing, poetry). For others, they may have a diverse set of writing skills they can use in a professional capacity.

 

But for yet another group of writers, they may just be chugging along, trying their hand at this kind of writing or that kind of writing to see which one takes.

 

It can take a long time to figure out what kind of writer you want to be. It can also happen right at the very beginning of your writing career, or it can happen several years after you first start writing. Keep in mind, however, that your decision can change later on. When I made the leap to write professionally, I thought I would only want to be a journalist. But then I started freelancing and I kinda liked being a freelance writer as well. So I was no longer “only a journalist” but a freelance writer too. (My debut novel didn’t exactly take off, so I did not put too much energy into being a novelist.)

 

Of course, writers are creative enough to be able to write all kinds of things, but for other writers, they may prefer to be known as one kind of writer: Romance novelist, freelance writer, copywriter, etc. This is usually the field of writing which they have found success with.

 

Personally, I don't want to be known as a writer of only one thing. I don't only write paranormal novels; I also have a horror novel and a romantic suspense novel. I also plan to submit another horror novel, a YA fantasy series and a sci-fi story collection. I also write articles, poems, essays and short stories. I am currently learning how to write scripts. I call myself a "writer of all trades" and I've got no problem with that label. 

What kind of writer you want to be is entirely up to you. If you only want to write books, that’s fine. You can also write books alongside working as a journalist. You can be a ghostwriter, freelance writer and author all at the same time. 

 

The thing you need to do in order to figure this out is to try your hand at everything. On the other hand, if you prefer to do only one kind of writing, then go for it. But if you feel compelled to see if you can also find success as a freelance writer or copywriter, then give those things a try, too. Just make sure your professional status as a writer is your first priority.

 

Most writers these days have managed to eke out a career as a writer of many things: Novels, scripts, short stories and articles. You can do this, too. You don’t have to write only one thing. If you want to write other things, then do so. Try it out and see if it’s something you can do. Don’t limit your creativity; allow it to expand and dabble in other skills. See where it takes you. You just might find another writing skill you are actually really good at.

Always Have More Than One Source

 

Today’s writing blog post is a discussion about a suggestion that I added to my work habits as a freelance writer many years ago. This particular piece of advice is one I found to be valuable. The advice? “Always have more than one source.”

 

Some explanation:

 

When I was working as a freelance writer several years ago, I came across one particular market that advised writers in their guidelines to use more than one source for their work. Not only this, but a verifiable source (such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention instead of Wikipedia). When I was studying journalism in college, one thing which my professor stressed to us students is that we must have a legit source. Not only this, but make sure we have a source that we ourselves have checked out to be legit.

 

Then, while working as a freelance writer, I learned the value of having more than one source. Not only is having more than one source backing up a claim in your writing helps readers to accept the claim, but it also shows that you are putting in the effort to prove that your claim is sound.

 

Your source is important because you want to make sure you are getting the RIGHT kind of information for your work. This is especially important when it comes to doing research for your work. You want to make sure your source is the right one to use.

 

When I do research for an article or book I am writing, I read EVERYTHING I can about it. I am also careful about what exactly I do read for it. If the material is old (such as over ten years old), then I may still read it but keep an eye out for any recent data that would back it up. (If I don’t find it, I don’t use it.) Also, if the author does no provide any proof or evidence-based data to support what they are saying, then their work becomes questionable and I have to look for anything to support their claims myself before I will use their information. (If I don’t find anything supporting their claims, then I don’t use it. I also will not use it if another source has a better counter-argument.)

 

Reading everything about my topic has helped me to not only get a good idea of what is being written about it, but it also helps me to get an objective view of what I am reading. For example, I read one book for research which had some very interesting claims about a popular subject. I thought that since the author was using a verifiable source, it must be true. However, I later learned from another book that this particular book was full of mistakes and that the author’s source later denounced his claims, as well as announcing that they no longer had any ties with the author. That was also an eye-opener. And a good reminder to take everything I read with a grain of salt!

 

If people keep saying the same thing about the topic you are doing research for, that can be a good sign. It means that information is legit. On the other hand, if what everybody is saying is just repeating gossip or an urban legend, then consider digging deeper to get to the truth. (I have had to do this with a book I am currently editing.)

 

Have a good source for your work, yes, but be sure to have more than one good source. Make sure your source is legit. Investigate the claims to see if they are verified. You never know what one source of information would say, as well as if there’s another source out there who can set the record straight.