What major is best for a career in creative writing?

1. 61

   No_Labels_Pleaseposted 13 years ago

   What major is best for a career in creative writing?
   
   I currently am majoring in Screenwriting and Media and Cinema studies but I am interested in all kinds of creative writing. Is it a good idea to narrow my specialty to Screenwriting? Or does major in college not matter as much as I think it does?

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2. 81

   Syrusv37posted 13 years ago

   Fine Arts. Getting a degree doesn't necessarily mean you'll get a job in the area you want, but with the education, you're more likely to. If you have a degree in Fine Arts, you'll be wanted for various things, but only chosen for what you have experience in (which is screenwriting/media and cinema studies. If you have a lot of background with creative writing, you will have a good shot at showing off some of your work and being offered a job. (If that's what you're looking for.) Me personally, I love creative writing as well but also love music, so that is why I'm majoring in Fine Arts, where it covers both. It gets complicated at times when you have to sort out your likes and goals, but just keep pursuing your screenwriting and let your creativity flow into that. Who knows, maybe with time it will lead into creative writing in the future, because no one says you have to do one thing for the rest of your life. Hope this helps.

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3. 60

   Tricia Barnesposted 13 years ago

   Definitely journalism, this major is one mostly known for writing especially creative writing.

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4. 0

   Rusty C. Adoreposted 13 years ago

   English language and literature was my major and I enjoy creative writing. So that's always an option. My husband actually majored in creative writing.

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5. 59

   dutch84posted 13 years ago

   philosophy, english, sociology, psychology, anthropology, history...
   English or writing would be the best as far as technique, but for ideas and creativity you're going to want to study the subject for which you want to write. If you want to write about ancient times, you might want to study history. If you're writing about sci-fi, you might want to take some science related courses. May not be advanced physics, but there are some exploratory science courses you can take. If you're exploring social issues in your writing, I would advise you to take some sociology or anthropology classes.

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6. 60

   Gordon G.posted 13 years ago

   Major matters depending on what you want to do. If you just want to become a fictional story writer then I don't think your major matters all that much. But if you want an actual job then you should probably consider English, Communication, Journalism, or any of the other various heavy writing programs.

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7. 59

   John Yeomanposted 12 years ago

   Any form of creative writing program would help. I faced a mutiny when I set out to teach creative writing to my journalism students at a UK university. They couldn't see its relevance!
   
   By end-term, most of them had realised that journalists are either creative writers or unemployed The same would probably apply to any text-based discipline.

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