The Writer's Wilderness Survival Kit

QTN: Is it necessary to study creative writing in order to be a writer?

ANS: That's a good question – and one that significantly divides the literary world! I should state, in the interests of full disclosure, that I have never attended a creative writing course myself. As a writer, I am almost entirely self-taught. I can't even claim to have a degree in English Literature. But I have been a voracious reader all my life, and sometimes an indiscriminate one. Growing up in Dhaka when I did, books in English were few and far between, so I read whatever I could get my hands on. That was very effective in teaching me what I didn't like, as well as introducing me to books that have lived within me long after I finished reading them.

Apart from reading, my greatest opportunities for learning how to write better have come about through discussions with fellow writers, and by analysing the critiques of my work that I have received from others. No doubt a creative writing course - especially if taught by someone like the poet Christopher Merrill or the writer Philip Hensher - would provide further learning opportunities.

Some argue that creative writing courses are just part of an industry that allows everyone to think that they can write. I would agree that everyone can write. I am just not sure that everyone can write well. In every field of creative endeavour, we see individuals with a degree of inborn talent. Writing is no different. If, for example, writing or painting watercolours brings you pleasure, I believe you should do it. You don't have to be J.M. Turner to produce pretty watercolours. On the other hand, simply being a watercolour artist doesn't mean that one is a Turner either!  

There are those who believe that writing courses lead to formulaic writing, and encourage mediocrity. The legendary Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe was dismissive on the subject, claiming that while he could not say much about the value of the writing courses for students, they did provide a means for writers to make a living by teaching! Award-winning Indian author Janice Pariat has also expressed a number of concerns about such courses, not least that “Ultimately…what creative writing courses threaten is the very existence of writing as a craft, branding it instead as a 'skill' that can be bought, sold and certified.”

Personally, I think that what a writer can get out of studying creative writing depends a great deal on both the inherent talent of the writer concerned and who the course is taught by. For someone genuinely gifted, the right course could help them develop their skills faster. But life - and the trial and error method – has its own lessons to offer. Before creative writing courses emerged, there was certainly no dearth of great literature. And that makes me believe that for someone who is genuinely set on becoming a writer, completing a creative writing course is neither a sufficient nor a necessary precondition to achieving that goal.  

Queries on writing may be sent to Farah Ghuznavi at DSLitEditor@gmail.com