Do you love to write and want a career in creative writing?
If you do, this post is for you.
Table of contents:
It’s pretty self-explanatory, so it needs no definition really. What’s good to know is that as a study, creative writing is closely connected with disciplines like literature, communication, history, and philosophy. In academia, creative writing is classified into poetry, memoirs, screenplay writing, and fiction writing, with immense focus on narrativity, character development, and literary themes; they also focus on not following the pre-existing writing style and structure.
An undergraduate course in creative writing is for a duration of three to four years with six to eight semesters. In many universities, it’s taught as part of the English language and literature program, and studying this course will provide extensive knowledge in many other subjects, such as:
In the final year of study, there will be an extended creative project or a dissertation that the student will have to do as part of completing the course; this will help the learner broadly understand the essential aspects of the writing industry.
Taking up a degree in creative writing will hone your skills and train you to take up writing as a profession. This course will also open many other career options under arts, humanities, and media studies. Under this course, you will also read and learn about authorial techniques and different ways of analyzing and understanding narratives.
Here are the top 10 universities globally to study the English language and literature, as listed in the Q.S. World Ranking.
| Serial No. | University | Country |
| 1 | University of Oxford | Oxford, United Kingdom |
| 2 | University of Cambridge | Cambridge, United Kingdom |
| 3 | Harvard University | Cambridge, United States |
| 4 | University of California, Berkeley (UCB) | Berkeley, United States |
| 5 | Yale University | New Haven, United States |
| 6 | Stanford University | Stanford, United States |
| 7 | Princeton University | Princeton, United States |
| 8 | The University of Edinburgh | Edinburgh, United Kingdom |
| 9 | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | Los Angeles, United States |
| 10 | Columbia University | New York City, United States |
Now let us take a look at a few universities around the world to study creative writing programs:
After pursuing an undergraduate course in creative writing, students also prefer to look for masters and Ph.D. programs. This provides a detailed study on different techniques and methods of creative writing. The MA program will have a particular focus on industry-specific writing. In the final year, the student will do a research project based on the topic of his or her interest. The Ph.D. program will have three components: writing a book, writing an accompanying critique, and extensive research.
Creative writing has immense opportunities with the advancements in the I.T. field and technology sector. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics data, in the U.S., jobs related to writers and authors are expected to have a growth of 9%from the year 2020- 2030, and this is about as fast as the average for all occupations. This growth will create 5,400 job opportunities in multiple fields each year. Many of these job openings are created as a result of the retirement of the existing workforce.
In the U.S., the median annual pay for writers and authors was $67,120 in May 2020.
In this field, the lowest 10 per cent earned $35,880, and the highest 10 per cent earned more than $133,460 in May 2020. The median annual wages for writers and authors in the top industries of their work are as follows:
| Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries | $82,350 |
| Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations | 70,400 |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 66,680 |
| Information | 63,980 |
Writers and Authors
Median annual wages, May 2020
Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Now let’s take a look at a few job opportunities that are similar to those of creative writing and median annual pay in the U.S.:
Announcers-$41,950
Editors-$63,400
News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists-$49,300
Public Relations and Fundraising Managers-$118,430
Public Relations Specialists-$62,810
Technical Writers-$74,650
The demand for good creative writers has grown drastically after the internet revolution. Now, most companies appoint freelance content writers to meet their requirements of content writing. With large-scale digitization and the growth of smaller organizations, there’s a high demand for creative writers and content writers.
If you have a way with words and would like a career where you can use your creativity and writing skills, you can consider taking up creative writing as a career option. The opportunities are vast and growing rapidly.
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