I want to pursue a major in creative writing, and eventually become a fiction writer, but my question is, besides teaching english (which I NEVER picture myself doing), what is there for someone with a creative writing degree to do before they have written any books. My mom says a degree in creative writing is like signing up to work at Starbuck's until i get published, is this the case?

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A creative writing degree seems fruitless. I think your mom is very right. An English degree could be put to use in a variety of useful ways, but creative writing is very limited to fiction novels, which boxes you in a corner.

Your mum has a good point. I did a similar arts degree, and recently bumped into someone from my university. We were talking about who we keep in touch with, and when I mentioned someone else from our course, she asked "Which fast food chain is she working for now?" Seriously, though, there are things you will be able to use your degree for, other than teaching - although that is probably the most straight-forward and, believe it or not, profitable career path. Until you have got your own fiction under way, you can look at other writing jobs, for example with newspapers and magazines, preferably those that cater to your interests. Although there isn't always a lot of money in doing this at first, and you may need to start at the bottom or freelance to begin, it will mean that your name will be out there and gaining recognition for when you are ready to look for publishers for your own work, and will also provide you with a folio of published work, should you be asked to present this to anyone in future. Other options are things like copywriting for publicity companies, press releases, things like that. Think about looking at public relations firms and things like that. Good luck!

There seems to be a real glut of creative writing graduates nowadays, and I think having the qualification really makes no difference to your prospects of getting published - in fact, I even wonder if it hinders your chances... The university courses are useful in that you get to mix with other writers and hone writing skills, etc. and learn to read critically - and having deadlines is useful, too. But really, I think you can get just as much by plodding on by yourself and reading as much as you can. Despite graduating with good marks and having eminent writers as teachers and guides, I still haven't had either of my two novels or short story collection accepted for publication :( But I keep plodding on, alone...and so should you, whether or not you enroll in a course. As they say - "don't give up your day job..." Hafwen x

You wouldn't even be able to teach language arts with a creative writing undergrad. If you want a CW degree, wait and get a MFA. For your undergrad major in something that has an obvious potential for hiring. Alot of people do journalism. Depending on where you go you can actually get an editing degree. Look for something that makes sense. A CW degree doesn't mean you can write. For proof, got to a coffee shop near a university and listen to the CW students do their readings. I've seen better stuff posted on here sometimes. You can get almost all that information right off the bookshelves, and take the better CW classes as electives. Hell, major in criminal science. You don't even need an english related degree to be a writer. No one can teach you to write. You can pick it up and learn it, but no one will be able to teach it to you. They may make helpful suggestions and point out good resources, but is that worth four grand a semester? Hell no! Most of the CW teachers I meet don't have any more publishing credits than me. There's the occasional super star visiting professor, but that's mainly for graduate MFA students anyway. Skip the degree plan. Take some electives, volunteer at the school's quarterly (They all have them, and it lets you get a visual of what the other side of publishing is like. Even if it's a narrow visual.), and read these books: 1) Stein On Writing by Sol Stein 2) On Writing by Stephen King 3) The Art of Fiction by John Gardner (Read Part 2: Notes on the Fictional Process. We'll come back to Part 1.) 4) Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Browne & King 5) Telling Lies for Fun and Profit by Lawrence Block 6) The Elements of Style by Strunk & White 7) The Careful Writer by Theodore Bernstein 8) The Art of Fiction by Gardner (Now read Part 1: Notes on Literary-Aesthetic Theory.) Major in something with a certifiable future. (Just a note, a CW degree could parlay into advertising and stuff like that. I just want to be fair, it does have some merit, just not as far as actual creative writing is concerned! LOL)

To the computer, of course! ;) And with me, I bring enthusiasm and a treasure trove of ideas for the next story I am going to write. Actually, if you are looking for a more TRADITIONAL type of job where you can use your college education, I would consider becoming a college professor or even a high school teacher.

I majored in creative writing, even though it was called professional writing at the time. I worked in the public relations department at an insurance company writing their press releases as well as helping with the company newspaper and magazine. There are also jobs available for editorial positions on magazines and positions in advertising agencies. However, it's true that these jobs are limited and difficult to get. Sometimes it's a matter of timing. People who have these positions tend to hang onto them until they retire, write that novel or get a promotion.

Don't do it. I majored in CW at a prestigious college and got an MA in the subject at major university. Eventually I published a novel. The best thing about CW classes is getting feedback on your work from intelligent people. But you don't need to be a major to get into most of those classes, and taking too many CW workshops will convince you that you need to write short stories and be "literary," which means being clever instead of interesting. If I could do it again, I'd get a degree in business or one of the sciences and just take electives in the humanities. One published novel just wasn't worth all the sweat or being left with no marketable skills. Yeah, I'm a community college teacher.