Should I take a writing class?

In all likelihood, you can probably find an online critique group for cheaper.

It depends on your writing proficiency, too; if you're at a different level than most of the people taking the class, then you might have trouble getting useful critiques.

I haven't found writing classes to be of much use to me, but your mileage may vary.

It can't hurt, and you'll meet like-minded people.

I found my writing class extremely helpful. On the other hand, nothing that was taught couldn't have been learned through books, etc. I still preferred the lectures, hands-on experience, and the group interraction.

But not all programs are created equal. If you have a bad class with a bad teacher, it can be a bad experience.

Also, joining a crit group is not the same as taking a legit class taught by someone with publishing experience. You don't know the qualification of the people in a crit group -- many of them might be aspiring writers themselves.

Ray's right. I took a creative writing class once where the teacher hated every single thing I wrote. Basically, he told me to give up and not torture the editors of the world with my prose.

Hmmmmph!

BlueTexas said:

Ray's right. I took a creative writing class once where the teacher hated every single thing I wrote. Basically, he told me to give up and not torture the editors of the world with my prose.

Hmmmmph!

Click to expand...

And you proved him wrong, Kira!!!

My advice (speaking from experience) is to find out the credentials of the instructor first -- and give them serious consideration. I'm enjoying the online class I'm taking now (through Writer's Digest), because I got a very good instructor with five novels published (recently -- not 20+ years ago!). Not every class I've taken has been as good. One in particular had as the instructor someone with two novels published -- the most recent of which by PublishAmerica. That was a red flag, but I ignored it, and I was sorry.

If it were me, which it isn't, I wouldn't want my first course to be on-line. I've taken courses and found most of them to be fabulous. When I have a great teacher I get lots out of the course. Like Ray said, a bad teacher can really ruin a good thing. Are there any in class courses available?

I think azbikergirl's advice is good--check out the teacher's credentials. Then, if the other students aren't up to your level, at least the teacher will be able to give you useful critiques.

Sometimes this sort of thing depends on the type of person you are. I happen to take well to group critique. I started my writer's group with like-minded souls I found in unlikely places--one of them from a writing class, one was a neighbor, one a friend who was working in another writing class. If you're not the type who finds working in groups to be helpful, a class may not be good for you.

If you find it hard to get any writing done, a weekly deadline such as ohmygodIhaveclasstomorrownight might be very useful.

I've taken some writing classes including one at community college. If the price is reasonable and the teacher has decent credentials, I'd say go for it. First, it will force you to write on a deadline. Second, it will force you to branch out and try techniques you might not feel comfortable with. Getting out of your comfort zone can help you grow. (example: one assignment was to write a story entirely or almost entirely in dialogue. This is something I would never have tried on my own, but I learned a lot from doing it.) Third, you'll meet other people interested in writing in your community, and they may have had experiences about submitting, etc. that you can learn from. But if you don't have the time to put into the assignments, don't bother with the class, because what you get out of it will have a lot to do with what you put into it.

Have you considered contacting the college and asking for a one on one with the tutor? Maybe you will get a feel for them and sense that they have something to teach you that can be translated online. Sometimes you can tell a lot from one meeting. I was fortunate enough to find a mentor through a writing class. Maybe if you can meet or even talk on the phone with the instructor it might help you make your decision.

I would find out the instructor's feelings towards commercial writing before signing up. I took several courses in college that were biased against writing that didn't aspire to be literary, and was disappointed more often than not.

MTF

"After student and instructor criticism"?

It seems like the class lacks focus. "Poetry, short fiction, plays" and "for pleasure or publication"? I'd suggest you take a class that focuses on "novel writing" or "short stories," whatever you're interested in. Definitely check out the instructor's credentials.

I agree with Maestro. One more thing...after student and instructor criticism? Does that mean that you will be critiqued by fellow students? And, if so, are they qualified to critique? I'd be questioning it for that reason alone.

KTC said:

I agree with Maestro. One more thing...after student and instructor criticism? Does that mean that you will be critiqued by fellow students? And, if so, are they qualified to critique? I'd be questioning it for that reason alone.

Click to expand...

That doesn't bother me. Peer criticism is standard for a workshop-type class. The worst writing class I took in college was the one where only the prof. gave feedback (none of it constructive).

MTF

I majored in creative writing in college, and obviously those classes didn't make a published novelist out of me However, I did learn quite a bit about craft, and because of the instructor-imposed deadlines, I completed quite a few short stories, a couple of which were published.

That being said, I have to agree with everyone who has said that the instructor makes the class. There tends to be a strong bias towards what certain professors consider "literary" fiction. The first creative writing class I attended at college, I was told, "There will be NO stories about talking animals written in this class and NO science fiction!"

Of course, the first story I wrote about about an astronaut cat named Talkie.

Actually I loved it when the classmates gave each other crits.

Peer critique can be the most useful. It's like when Uncle Jim talks about beta readers (if you haven't checked into the Learn Writing with Uncle Jim thread, I recommend it). Some of the best readers are the least "qualified." They can give you an honest, even inexperienced reaction. They may not be able to tell you why a particular passage isn't working, but they can tell you it's not ringing true for them because their gut just knows. It's an unpretentious, honest response.

A good teacher can guide students to critique constructively, so it's critique and not criticism.

Student Crits

maestrowork said:

Actually I loved it when the classmates gave each other crits.

Click to expand...

What he said. I would take that one step further and say that even with the finest instructors, I learned as much from student critiques. I often found new insights for my own writing listening to student A critique student B's work.

I think listening to, and discussing, student crits is one of the best reasons for a live class, rather than online.

Yes, other students are qualified to critique your work, especially if you've seen their writing and respect it. (If you've seen their work and you write ten times better than anyone else in the class, drop the class. You're in the wrong place.) It's also a great place to find trusted beta readers.

Occasionally even the best instructor just won't "get" a particular story. That's when it's especially helpful to have other opinions.

Writing class

I think beta readers can be good things, but at the same time, I think being critiqued by other students is dangerous and potenbtially harmful. Unless you have a professor who knows what he's doing, and who will also critique the story independently, I'd avoid any writing class that depends on other students to critique.

It's true enough that some are helped by having other students critique them, but from my experience with college writing courses, the students most harmed are very often those who sincerely believed they were the most helped.

Jamesaritchie said:

It's true enough that some are helped by having other students critique them, but from my experience with college writing courses, the students most harmed are very often those who sincerely believed they were the most helped.

Click to expand...

This fascinates me, and I sense you are a more experienced sage than I am, so I believe you. Would you mind elaborating a bit? Is a particular kind of student susceptible? Is it a common or uncommon occurrence? Do you perhaps have an example? (Being selfish, I'm of course wondering if this happened to me, since I thought I was helped in those classes by students and teachers alike.)

do-it-yourself writing class

Here's my feeling, after having taking several classes, online and off, from Adult Ed to Univerisity PhD program, semester-long and solid week conference; I even taught a couple of them. I haven't gotten much of value from student critiques, and have been distracted by having to give them to fellow students. Even with instructors, it is rare to get one who will not (with best intentions) mostly tell you how she would have written the story, which may not work for you. The ideal would be to learn from a successful writer who has a style and chooses subject matter close to your own, and who can be articulate and supportive. So far, I have not come close to this ideal--if you find it, let me know!

In the meantime, I just wrestled with this question again and came up with this: I bought a piece of software called NewNovelist that provides some instruction, but mainly a way to organize a novel. And I started a thread in this forum where I will report on how my writing is going. At this point, just starting out on a book, the best critique for me is whatever will keep the butt in the chair and get the writing done. When I have finished it and made it the best that I can, then I will be interested in trying to find a good critical reading. Preferably from an editor, of course.

Jamesaritchie said:

It's true enough that some are helped by having other students critique them, but from my experience with college writing courses, the students most harmed are very often those who sincerely believed they were the most helped.

Click to expand...

More please--this is getting interesting. Does it follow that those who believed we got nothing were the most helped?

MTF