Writers, College, & Success

In high school, I used to wonder if I really needed to go to college. After all, lots of writers have successfully made it without further education. However, after some serious consideration and gleaned wisdom, I decided to work toward my Bachelor of Science: English and Writing: Creative Writing. This way, I would have proper training in writing and someday be able to publish impactful novels.

But as I get closer and closer to graduation, I’ve recently had several people ask me one question: Do writers really have to go to college to be successful?

I recently saw a post on Instagram by @the.plottery entitled, “Why You Don’t Need a Degree to be a Writer.” I looked through it, then proceeded to have a brief discussion concerning it with my followers on my story. We all agreed on the same conclusion: writing classes are helpful, but certainly not necessary.

As the post said, “Writing is not about academics, it’s about emotion.” Char, the author of the post, continued to say, “Anyone can learn the principles of story structure and character craft, and anyone can download a program that spell checks your words and corrects your grammar. But not everyone can come up with a story that actually means something, and not everyone can stick to it long enough to finish it.”

While I do agree with her statements, I think there is more than needs to be said. It is absolutely true that not everyone can come up with the next New York Times bestselling plot, and I know that programs like Grammarly can help spell-check out writing. But is there more to a story than grammar and plot?

I believe there is a key component that many people overlook: execution. This is something that almost every writer struggles with! There are books out there with fantastic plots, but the execution of the said plot was poorly planned, written, and explained. Likewise, there are books with phenomenal execution, but everything else is significantly underdeveloped.

When considering the execution of your book, here are a few things to consider:

• Where does your story begin, and how does said beginning affect the flow of the story?

• Who are your characters, and what will your readers like/dislike about them? What makes the reader like/dislike them?

• What is the main point you’re trying to make throughout your story?

• When does your story take place, and how does the setting play into the story?

• Why are you writing the story, and how do you want it to affect your reader?

Execution of your story is a craft that requires lots of trial and error. It’s something that has come to me through lots of learning! And, to be completely honest, taking writing class after writing class has expedited the process of learning. However, it is truly something that writers have to discover for themselves. Writing classes can set you on the right path to begin a proper execution, though no one but yourself can truly master the art of it.

So, to bluntly answer the question, no, you absolutely do not need a degree to be a successful writer! However, my college experience has truly benefited me as a writer, which is why I would encourage you to get a degree if you want to be a writer. But please know that it is not necessary.

However, I can’t emphasize enough how beneficial my degree has been for my writing. I signed up for courses with the mentality, “I’m not going to learn anything more than I already know.” And boy, was I wrong. Just as a short list, here are a few things college has done for me—

• Given me one-on-one access with my professors that have encouraged me to develop my plots, strengthen my characters, and give a flawless execution of my story.

• Taught me self-discipline and the importance of making time to write.

• Shown me the importance of my writing and the impact it can leave on readers.

• Provided me with materials to further my writing skills.

• Strengthened my time management skills.

• Sharpened my editing skills and set me on the path to becoming a professional editor.

Long story short, college has been an incredible experience for me as a writer, and I would love to see more people pursue degrees in writing. However, I can’t emphasize enough that you don’t need a degree to be a successful writer. If you have the passion, determination, and skill of execution, I believe you will have no problem becoming a successful author.

I do suggest finding a support team that will help you edit, critique, and develop your book before publication. This could be built of friends and family, a professional editing team, a fellow writer, or even an English major or two that you know. Hardly any good books were written, edited, developed, and published by one person alone.

So, to conclude, I’d like to give writers a note of encouragement:

You are a writer. No one can strip you of that title. Write the story you want to tell, and don’t let anyone persuade you into thinking it’s not good enough. Because degree or no degree, someone needs the story you’re writing. Someone out there at some point in time will be strengthened and encouraged by the very words you write.

You don’t need a degree to be a successful writer. All you need is passion, determination, and your own developed craft to write a story that has the potential to change the world.

All my love,

L. Taylor

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