Do you need a Creative Writing Course? Kathleen Jones explores.
A friend of mine who is an author has recently signed up for an MA in creative writing. It's going to cost her a lot of money and won't necessarily make her a better writer, but she's convinced that it is the magic ingredient she needs to be successful. A lot of people seem to think so, and universities are currently making a lot of money out of their creative ambitions. But, as someone who has taught creative writing in universities and tutored students at MA and Ph.D level, I'm not convinced that it will. In fact, it might be counter productive. Here are some questions you need to ask and a run-down of the pros and cons. 1. To begin with, there's the Cost - a part time course at a small university starts at around £3,000 a year. Most charge much more. That's quite an investment in your future, considering that the average author earns less than £10,000 a year. £5 - 6 thousand would be quite usual. UEA has turned out some bestselling authors su...