"I love writing and I’ve surrounded myself with it because I’m always generating material so I might as well feed into my passion." - dimitrireyespoet.com
I don’t like being a writer, especially when I have made it such a big part of my identity. Currently, there isn’t more than a few hours that go by where I’m not thinking about my next blog post, poem, narrative, or essay.
This doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy it. I love writing and I’ve surrounded myself with it because I’m always generating material so I might as well feed into my passion.
Are you right brained or a creative? Do you notice or do people tell you that you have a way with words? Maybe taking creative writing as a major or minor is a good option for you. And despite this being for those who have the ability to write well on a consistent basis, there are several benefits that result in a creative writing major or minor.
1. Command of the English Language.
Majoring or minoring in creative writing shows employers that you can articulate yourself well. Any employer loves someone who knows how to communicate in person and in writing. Even if one may speak correctly, they may still write a sentence incorrectly. In a time where a large part of businesses thrive off of email and remote correspondences, writing a proper sentence is important. If a job prospect can articulate themselves as well as edit grammar, usage, and mechanics, that puts them ahead of the competition.
2. Experiences are your Muses.
Through writing often you get to learn what your likes and dislikes are. When taking a class in creative writing the completion of an assignment will have you constantly pulling (either consciously or subconsciously) from your life in order to generate material. This can be some of the easiest content because it’s nothing that needs to necessarily be “learned” since you’ve already experienced it. For the most part, you will simply be going on your own writerly explorations, where you can choose how far or how close you want to keep the narrative.
3. Mastery of Analyses, Tone, and Empathy.
In creative writing you’re taught craft, which by definition is a combination of storytelling and literary devices. If you develop a sense of tone, analogy, and expression, and you’re able to manipulate those three literary facets, you begin to develop a mastery of the language. These skills are just what you’ll need if you’re thinking of furthering your education with a law degree because they need candidates that can persuade someone while also have empathy for humanity.
4. Develop Better Arguments
To expand slightly on number 3, many undergraduate students major or minor in creative writing to train themselves in developing proper arguments. If one is going into criminal justice or law school, a creative writing program equips the student with the applicable skill of linguistic acrobatics. Because the individual will be used to writing well, in theory, the practice will have the student easily forming better arguments.
5. Apply Your Knowledge to Classroom Instruction
If you are looking to be a teacher with your concentration/ discipline being English, Language Arts, or Reading, coursework in creative writing will better prepare you to understand the writing process.You can also take those workshops and craft elements that you’ve practiced and bring them into the classroom to enrich your students’ experiences. Some examples are slam poetry, lyrical expression, the tone of music and language, playwriting, and storyboards. This is a great way to show students an appreciation of language and writing.
6. Creative Writing as Self Care
If you’ve ever wondered why I was so jubilant in many of my YouTube videos its because of my writing practices. I’m always writing and it’s therapeutic. When you make writing a consistent practice it’ll act as a release of your subconscious and conscious ideas. In this catharsis you’re purging yourself of those energies and allowing them to exist as an entity on the page.
7. Helps Expand Your Cultural Classics
If you’re in a creative writing program that not only goes over the classics but explores contemporary literature, it’ll get you thinking about different cultures and experiencing them as they unfold on the page. And as you learn about others, you’ll learn about yourself.
If you still feel as though you need additional help after reading my blog and watching the video below, contact me for a consultation or edits and you’ll be sure to get some extra insight on how to make that application shine.
If you need to get on a writing routine, for just $7.99, you can take part in my online writing community of poets. Click on the picture to learn more.
