Have you studied CW - a degree or postgraduate?

[RainbowBabyDreams]

How was it?
I did a module based course but wanted to then go on to a higher course. When I was doing my original course about 5 years ago the mst at cambridge was something around 1500 a year. Expensive but an indulgence for what I hoped was a good experience. I thought I'd better save up some money and I've just looked and it's now seven thousand pounds per year over two years.

Surely it's not worth it?!

I applied for the UEA course and was rejected.

Having already done a module based course - and got a distinction so i thought I was doing ok - would there actually be any benefit that is better than just sending my manuscript off to agents?

I had hoped it would be a boost to get finished but I just read somebody's thread about mostly sitting through other people's work and I'm not sure it's worth it anymore. Not that I could ever afford it now anyway.
I'm a bit gutted as I fancied it as a mood brightening, hobby affirming, friend meeting, Cambridge seeing experience.

I did an MA at Bath Spa and am now getting my first novel published. I think it can be a valuable experience in terms of meeting agents and editors and getting a better understanding of a writing career. Plus the workshops were fascinating and lively, particularly the poetry one.
However, at the end of it I felt quite disenchanted because all I could see was the business side of it (which you do need to understand, but because I wasn't picked up by an agent it felt like a huge rejection.)

Some people from the course were published straight away, others weren't. My novel manuscript was shortlisted for some unpublished novel prizes, but wasn't published. I think one of the problems was that I got so much feedback on it that I never really knew where it should go and it ended up a little shapeless.

It was a lot of fun, though, and I made one of my best friends there and met some wonderful writers. I don't think it's the be all and end all for learning to write though. I think that is more about reading a lot, writing a lot and getting your 10,000 hours done to achieve competence. And also learning to edit your work (now the course is good for that, you realise how much of writing is maintaining the reader's disbelief, keeping track of your timelines etc).

In the end I put the MS I'd written there aside, wrote a brand new one, and that one got me publisher interest (not in the UK, although it's set there). Writing is a long journey and you can also learn a lot from online courses, evening courses, weekend writing courses. An MA is definitely not the be all and end all, but it's fun, and you will learn. But if it's not feasible you can also just write an MS on your own, join a writing group or a local evening class etc. In the end it's all about the idea and the novel, not what course you did.

I studied it as part of my foundation degree and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would love to study it alone for a degree

Asllay thank you, that's a really helpful insight. It's good to hear what you didn't like about it. I'm really pleased that you are getting published! Congratulations! If you pm me the details when it's out I'd love to buy a copy.

I see what you mean about too much feedback. Do you think you'll be able to go back to that manuscript and whip it into shape now?

Limelemonorange
That's brill, you sound really thorough 😊 I've had a look on novelry and it does look good but there's not really an example of the content that i can see. How are you finding it - or has it not started yet?

Hi, if you email the Novelry, you should be able to get a sample of the course, I did one before it started.

It's definitely not perfect as a course, the short course I did at CBC felt more structured and professional, but the Novelry course, despite imperfections, is what I need right now, mainly because of the in person mentoring calls. For me doing the course is less about learning how to write or structure story (I've studied a lot of that elsewhere), but more about doing something with deadlines and accountability. I'm not expecting the course to give me much beyond general support as I progress through my first draft.

I've only just started so I'm not very far in so it's hard to know. So far it's a mix of writing guidelines, inspiration, commandments and prep work to get you in the right headspace to write your novel. A lot of it is feel-good type encouragement, some might find that a bit fluffy, but I'm finding it helpful.

You can also book a free new customer chat with one of the tutors to find out more.

Thank you - I will PM you my details.

I don't think I'll go back to that novel although I am stripping it for parts - a scene ended up in something else recently and I will probably continue to pull bits out and put them somewhere new.

I think too much input too early on can be really confusing when you're trying to hold a whole story in your head and see where it takes you.

Good luck with choosing something. It's infinite learning really but remember everyone starts off unpublished!

@RainbowBabyDreams

If you want to study CW then do so for the joy of learning and if something comes out of it then that will be a great bonus. In other words, manage the expectations. Degree courses are also a lot of money now and there are loads of alternatives now. Personally, I don't think a CW degree is a prerequisite for being an author.

Publishing is a tough industry to survive in. Whilst it might be hard, but manageable, to get that first book published, the challenges will be in maintaining the sales with subsequent books; that will either make or breaks your long-term career. By that point your CW degree/postgraduate would be in the distant past - it might useful if you wanted some credentials to show you can teach CW though.

I recall a literary agent once sharing that it was 'middling authors', those who were published and on their books, who were most at risk of being cut loose. Sometimes agents will drop authors not selling as well in order to make way for fresh material/new authors; they only have so much capacity. They all want 'the next big thing' - but sometimes don't know where or who it will come from. It's a bit of a guessing game and slightly unpredictable. This is quite interesting: Best-Sellers Initially Rejected

Worth remembering that some of the more successful writers didn't study CW at University e.g. J.K.Rowling. In fact, Shakespeare didn't even attend university - and it has been argued that it was the not attending university that may have been his key to success. Sometimes formal education in institutions can stifle creativity; it's something that Sir Ken Robinson discusses quite a bit.