The short answer is that students learn everything they need to know to become successful writers. However, the process of becoming a successful writer is a lot more complicated than many might think, and there are several different ways to interpret what it means to be a successful writer. In this article, we will try to shed some light on this elusive subject by discussing what students learn in writing classes and how these skills can be applied to their future careers.
Learn To Write
It might come as a bit of a surprise to learn that students don’t generally learn how to write in grade school. When most people think about writing, they think about spelling and grammar. While these are certainly important, journalism professor Jay Reeves argues that “writing isn’t about grammar and spelling; it’s about effective communication.” And this is precisely what students learn in a writing class. The emphasis in a writing class is on learning how to communicate your ideas and opinions effectively through both written and oral mediums.
By taking a class like creative writing, students learn to organize their thoughts and ideas into cohesive, compelling narratives. They also learn how to develop and utilize effective rhetorical devices, create compelling analogies, and use varied metaphors and similes to paint vivid mental images for the reader.
Learn To Edit
While most people think about writing in terms of the written word, literary journalism professor Kevin Harris says that there is actually a difference between “writing” and “editing.” The “editing phase is when you take all the material you’ve written and you cut it down and make it work.” As a writer, you will inevitably have to go through several edits to get your work from rough draft to final form. Some writers prefer to do most of the cutting down themselves while other editors come in to finalize the work, but either way, the edit step is something everyone goes through at some point.
Learning to edit is extremely important for any writer. Even when your work is final and you’ve had a thorough critique, there will always be something you can improve upon. To this end, you should also take note of any major writing classes you’ve taken in the past, as these will force you to look at your work from a fresh set of eyes, which is very helpful when it comes down to improving quality.
Learn Grammar
Speaking of fresh eyes, nothing makes an editor appreciate your work more than finding grammatical errors in a piece they’ve been handed. To this end, grammar is something students in a writing class learn to relate to immediately when they encounter it in real world writing. These minor errors, such as wrong vocabulary or grammatical mistakes, can often be fixed with a simple proofread, but it’s the inconsistent use of verbs and nouns that cause much more trouble. For instance, instead of writing “This is a test,” you could write “This is a test for which I have prepare,” or “This is a test of which I have prepare.” In terms of applying what you’ve learned in a writing class to your future career, accuracy and precision are more important than ever, and these will help you to communicate your ideas effectively and concisely across a variety of platforms.
Learn To Plan
A significant part of being a successful writer is planning. According to Reeves, “You can’t write something without first having a plan.” And this is probably one of the best pieces of advice anyone can get when it comes to writing. It’s easy to get so caught up in the process of writing that you forget to plan, and when this happens, the result is a hurried and incomplete product. You can’t write something without first having a plan, and this is why every single section of your work should be planned before you start writing, regardless of how long it takes.
In a writing class, you learn to plan out your pieces in advance. Much like the planning step in a military operation, you have a specific goal in mind and you work to achieve that goal through organization and precision. Learning to plan is essential to any writer, and it will make you better at pulling together all the parts of your novel, blog post, or business plan into one cohesive narrative.
Learn To Be More Proactive
Speaking of planning and narrative, one of the most import tools a writer can learn is proactivity. This is the quality of being “inventive, energetic, and highly observant.” In other words, a writer learns to be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to their work. While many authors might like to believe that their muse will hover over them and dictate their work, the reality is that you have to put in the work to get the work. In a writing class, you learn that “writing is not about inspiration, it’s about action,” as the late journalism legend Norman Mailer once said. And this is certainly one of the best pieces of writing advice anyone can get, because being proactive means you’re engaging with your work and pursuing a goal instead of hiding from it.
Learn To Be Enterprising
Writing is not easy, especially not in today’s world. As journalism professor Liane Hansen notes, “Getting paid to write is rare. It’s extremely rare for someone to just flat out offer you money for your articles. So, most of the time, you have to find other ways to make money from writing.” This is why being proactive and entrepreneurial is so important, because these are the traits that will help you to establish yourself as an author and gain fame and fortune.
In a writing class, you are undoubtedly taught to be proactive and entrepreneurial, because these are the traits that can help you to establish yourself as a writer. While some might like to believe that they can walk in the shade of great writers and not have to worry about income, the reality is that you have to be proactive and entrepreneurial if you want to succeed as a writer.
In today’s world, nearly all forms of creative work are considered to be “gigs.” From blogging to writing manuscripts to screenplays, nearly all forms of creative work are considered to be “gigs,” or “hobbies,” and most people do this work on the side, often for little or no money. However, being proactive and entrepreneurial allows you to establish yourself as a writer and gainfully employ your creative skills, whether for little or no money or for significant fees.
Learn To Be Ambitious
Writing is not easy, especially not in today’s world. As journalism professor Liane Hansen notes, “Getting paid to write is rare. It’s extremely rare for someone to just flat out offer you money for your articles. So, most of the time, you have to find other ways to make money from writing.” This is why being ambitious and having a goal is so important, because without these traits, you risk failing as a writer. In a writing class, you are undoubtedly taught to be ambitious and have a goal, because these are the traits that can help you to establish yourself as a writer. While many might like to believe that their muse will dictate their work and they will never have to worry about income, the reality is that you have to be ambitious if you want to succeed as a writer.