McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Maybe an English degree is a must?
Sully:
--- Quote from: the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh on May 21, 2013, 03:09:06 PM ---And then again, you see genre writers like Gregory Benford and Alison Sinclair who are working academic scientists, and I am a working scientist with strong love for writing and aspirations to write professionally myself.
--- End quote ---
Fair point, especially with classic sci fi authors. Coming back to this thread with a different mood&energy level, I do think I'm being over-general to the point of being incorrect with my first point. For instance, most ex-music majors go into the sciences. Allegedly, the most common double major attached to music is math. There is most definitely NOT a clear demarcation or caste system segregating scientists from being artists of any medium. Besides, different stages of life, etc. Hell, Borodin was a chemist first, composer second.
I'm willing to entertain the idea that I might not be using the most commonly accepted definitions though. For instance, I consider most performers interpretative craftspeople-not creators(though actors are closer to creators than musicians, in my opinion). The creators are the authors/composers.
I will stand behind my second point though. Writing is a skill. It has to be practiced. Practicing violin for 3 hours a day doesn't make you a better writer, it makes you a better violinist. Manipulating spreadsheets doesn't make you a better writer, it makes you better at manipulating spreadsheets. Creating something on a canvas doesn't make you a better writer, it makes you better at expressing yourself on a canvas. So if you want to become a better writer-write. And what degrees are most likely to encourage, enable and require that you do so?
--- Quote from: Quantus on May 21, 2013, 03:31:30 PM ---You've obviously never played DnD ;)
--- End quote ---
Most of the people I've geeked out with have been terrible writers, and interested in manipulating the rules, not creation. I think there's a difference there. It can be a creative outlet though, definitely. The more avid, creative players I know don't geek about science. Especially on the DM side. But personal anecdotes are not representative of society as a whole, etc.
Quantus:
--- Quote from: Sully on June 03, 2013, 04:05:48 PM ---Most of the people I've geeked out with have been terrible writers, and interested in manipulating the rules, not creation. I think there's a difference there. It can be a creative outlet though, definitely. The more avid, creative players I know don't geek about science. Especially on the DM side. But personal anecdotes are not representative of society as a whole, etc.
--- End quote ---
Fair enough, and I whole-heartedly agree that manipulating the rules is not the same as creation. That just hasnt been my experience with scientists who love to geek out, or with DnD fans that were superb (and in several instances, published) writers. Many of my crowd were both. Granted, now that I think about it, many of those scientists were getting degree's as computer scientists, which is arguably one of the closest "sciences" to writing this side of Physical Cosmology.
Wordmaker:
--- Quote from: Sully on June 03, 2013, 04:05:48 PM ---Writing is a skill. It has to be practiced....So if you want to become a better writer-write. And what degrees are most likely to encourage, enable and require that you do so?
--- End quote ---
To follow on from that, if you didn't go to college and get an English degree, what other ways are open to you to learn and hone your craft? It's the practice that's necessary. The degree really just provides an excuse to see how other people put that practice to use.
The Deposed King:
In other words if you want to be a writer you have to write.
The Deposed King
(half a million words and counting)
Wordmaker:
Yep :D
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