Is creative writing important for university students? Many universities have adopted the view that creative writing is as essential to a modern education as good old-fashioned English. But what is creative writing, and how can it help you as a student? Let’s take a quick look at the importance of creative writing and why you should study it.
The Skill Sets Employed
In an increasingly digital world, writing non-fiction is becoming less important, especially when you consider the fact that most universities now accept essays as equal to original works of prose and poetry. This, in turn, has lead to a decline in students applying for creative writing degrees. Nevertheless, you still need to be able to write creatively if you want to succeed in today’s world. What do I mean by that?
In a nutshell, the world of creative writing is changing. It used to be that if you wanted to be a writer you had to study English literature at university. Nowadays, you only need to have a basic understanding of how English works in the real world and the ability to take notes quickly. These days, creative writing is becoming less of a passion and more of a skill set that you need to learn, just like anything else in life. Furthermore, being a good public speaker is also highly valued in today’s world and can help you in your career even if you decide not to be a writer. So, while applying for jobs in the 21st century you will likely need to show that you can not only write clearly and concisely, but that you can also engage with your audience and make them see your point of view. To put it simply, being able to write creatively will never go out of style.
The Benefits Of Studying Creative Writing
Let’s take a brief moment to talk about what you get out of studying creative writing. First thing’s first: you get to study how to write creatively. If you’re studying English literature, you will have already been introduced to the craft of writing in various forms. But studying English literature will not make you a better writer, it will merely teach you how to analyze and understand literary works. If you decide to go into creative writing, however, you will learn how to form sentences that grab the attention of the reader. You will learn how to construct simple stories that entertain or inform the reader. And, most importantly, you will learn how to write quickly and efficiently so that your reader does not have enough time to put the paper down and push it away.
Beyond that, however, you also get to practice what you’ve learned. If you’ve decided to study creative writing at university, you will have the opportunity to polish your craft and develop your skills. Moreover, you will also have the chance to show off what you’ve learned to an audience who may be able to guide you on your creative writing journey. If you’ve decided to write a novel, you can take it to local book clubs or even submit it to major publishing houses for them to decide whether or not to take you on as a new writer. In other words, if you’ve decided to study creative writing, you’re in for a lot of fun.
Is creative writing important for university students? Many universities have adopted the view that creative writing is as essential to a modern education as good old-fashioned English. So, if you’re studying literature or creative writing at university, you’re in for a lot of fun. Moreover, learning a new skill set and improving your existing ones will always make you a stronger, more capable person. So, if you’re an university student, why not try out for the creative writing team? You might just end up being the best writer in the whole department.