College education for writers???

[SEDeary]

Hello everyone!

I'm very very excited to be a part of CC and feel very honored to be surrounded with so many prepared and talented people. It's a great experience for me, since I have no formal training as a writer and I see that many of you do. I read the forum posts to learn from your advice to other people and try to improve constantly. However, writing has not been easy. I'm a very slow writer, a very good procrastinator and a non native English speaker.

I'm just beginning this path of freelance writing and I've been wondering if I should pursue a college degree or any other kind of formal training. I hold a BSc in Chemistry but, to be completely honest, I don't want to work in chemistry anymore. I might be a chemist by profession, but I'm a writer by vocation and that's the path I want to take.

Anyway, can anyone offer any recommendations for me? Shoud I start a BA in Journalism? Get a Masters degree in Science Communication? Are there any good journalism courses? I'm really confused right now and I would appreciate any input, specially from experienced authors like you. To be even more honest, going to college again is not going to be easy for me (I'm not sure I can afford it) and a Masters degree requires a high GPA that I don't have. As you see, formal training is a big effort for me and I just want to make sure that it's worth it. Or, just to know if there are easier ways to improve my writing skills. Would high education make me a better writer?

Sorry for the long post, but I tried to sum it up as much as I could. It'd be really nice to hear some thoughts about this.

Thanks for reading.

(Confused) Sarah

[jadedragon]

Your writing seems strong to me. You can always take course on how to write, but many successful web writers are not formally trained. Have you thought about writing about science? Writing about technical topics in a way that everyone can understand can be highly profitable.

[SEDeary]

Thank you very much jadedragon!

Thank you for considering that my writing is strong. I'm satisfied with it, eventhough I know there's a lot of room for improvement. What bothers me most is that it takes me too long to finish an article. I don't know if that's normal for a beginner or if there's some "secret" technique you pros have. I thought that training could make me more efficient and make the whole process a bit easier.

So far, my articles here have been selling well (5 out of 8, horaay). It just amazes me to read that some of you write up to 3 articles a day while it takes me days to finish a single one. How do you do this?

About those courses you suggested, could you be a bit more specific? Internet courses? Seminars? What works best?

Also, yes, I've been trying to focus on simplifying scientific stuff (in my articles and a bit in my blog). It's just that sometimes I don't know if what I find interesting will be interesting for others. Am I complicating myself too much? Perhaps what I really need is a reassuring voice telling me I'm headed in the right direction. Is anyone interested in a mentoree? Hehe, kidding.

Anyway, thank you for your time and input. I really really appreciate it!

Take care,

Sarah

[Celeste Stewart]

It's a tough call that really deserves some soul searching. What are your long-term goals? Do you want a traditional journalism career or do you want to be a freelancer who occasionally submits well-researched articles? A solid education won't hurt and could definitely help you but it could also cost you a small fortune if you don't have a clear vision of what you want.

As a freelancer, no one has ever asked me about my education. Prospects have wanted to see samples, but they've never asked about which college I graduated from or what degree I earned. Web writing requires current, evolving skills, so even if I had an advanced degree in English from 10 or 20 years ago, those skills would be obsolete and virtually meaningless. Anyhow, I think it's more about building skills rather than obtaining a given degree at this point, at least for a lot of us. Classes I would consider taking in general (not necessarily in a degree program) would include:

* English composition (grammar's not exciting, but we really need to know it)
* Social media
* Marketing
* Web writing / Web usability
* Search engine optimization or concepts

Since you already have a college degree, I'd focus on taking courses that address any writing weaknesses you might have or that allow you to improve your current writing abilities. I wouldn't worry so much about trying to get a master's degree at this point -- just finetuning your craft and discovering where you want to go with it. Once you play around with the various options, the path that's right for you will become more obvious. Take a few low-cost community college writing courses and you may be surprised at your discoveries

[SEDeary]

Thank you for your input Celeste!

As it clearly shows in my mail (hehe), my long-term goals are a bit foggy. I can tell you that I want to write for a living, maybe as a freelancer or as a journalist. I'm still not sure about that. I see pros and cons in either choice and I'm still confused, as I said before. However, your advices have been reassuring and hopeful and I feel that maybe it's not as hard as it seems. I'll start taking courses and building skills as you say and I'll chose later on if a college degree is what I want and need.

Since I don't live in the US (or in any English speaking country, for that matter), local courses won't do. I'm thinking perhaps some online courses. If anyone has suggestions, I'm listening (or reading, actually).

Thank you again for your kind words and advice. It's really helpful for me.

(I'm sorry if my writing seems incoherent right now. I've been editing for almost 10 hours straight for the first time in my life and my brain is in shut down mode )

Thank you all again. Take care!

(A slightly less confused) Sarah

[Courtney]

I've taken a number of online courses at universalclass.com. Their courses are really cheap (compared to college) and you have six months to complete them which is plenty of time. Sounds like an advertisement, I know, but they have some great writing courses and my classmates have been from various countries around the world. Good luck in whatever you do!

[SEDeary]

Thank you very much Courtney!

I took a quick glance at the page you suggested and it seems great. The courses are very affordable and most of them seem very interesting! Also, I liked the fact that I could opt for a certificate if I chose to, which could be a good option to build my cv. I'll browse some more and I'm sure I'll begin one very soon!

Thanks for wishing me luck. This writing community is incredible and you guys don't know what a big relief your words brought me. Thank you all for being so nice to me. Take care!

Sarah

[jadedragon]

Like most skills, writing takes practice and the more you do the faster you will get.

I also suggest batching articles. Easier to complete 3 or 5 similar articles than do write 5 different topics. Write a couple for CC and a couple for a revenue share site with a different twist. That should be faster.

[SEDeary]

That sounds like a great idea, jadedragon! It isn't easy for me to write things with a twist, but I guess it also takes practice, like you said. I'll keep writing.

Again, thank you so much guys. You are all amazing!

Sarah

[ChristinaS]

Many universities offer access to their courses online, for free. You won't get feedback from professors, but you can view or listen to their lectures and access the class notes. This might be an option for you to explore. A good place to start would be iTunesU or MIT Opencourseware (my apologies if these recommendations are not allowed - I don't gain anything from suggesting them).

[SEDeary]

Thank you Cristina! I didn't know I had those options. That actually seems like a great idea, to polish some skills for free before enrolling in a course. It would most definitely prepare me beforehand and make it easier for me in the long run. About the lack of feedback, well, It's not a huge problem. It would be great to have someone guiding me, but it may eventually come. Thank you again for this awesome tip!

Well guys, you're probably wondering why I say thank you so much. It's not that I'm over excited (just a little bit, perhaps), but this week has been a bit emotional for me and your help means a lot. It's great to feel supported, even if I don't know you personally. Sometimes I feel like I'm in the middle of the desert and trying to find a path to an oasis. I just don't know which way to go...

Sorry, I won't get carried away by my emotions right now. Thank you again for your support, suggestions and kind words. Every suggestion is gratefully received and will soon be put in action. Thanks again!

(emotional) Sarah

P.S.: Again, sorry for being so emotional, but what is writing without emotion, but a plain technical report? Take care, everyone.

[Celeste Stewart]

Nothing wrong with wearing your heart on your sleeve. There's something to be said for that - it keeps us all human. No apologies for that

[jadedragon]

That sounds like a great idea, jadedragon! It isn't easy for me to write things with a twist, but I guess it also takes practice, like you said. I'll keep writing.
Sarah

When I say twist I mean just writing a different aspect of the same general topic. I reviewed an article this weekend that attempted to cover everything you should think about in buying a new or used RV, including importing one. At nearly 5000 words it was way too long, and short on practical advice because it covered too much. Instead I suggested writing on narrow topics like "Paperwork to Import an RV to Canada" or "Buying a Used Motorhome Privately". The narrower and more practical the article the better it will sell and/or perform on a revenue share site.

Writing "How to Buy a Used Motorhome Privately" and "How to Buy a Used 5th Wheel Privately" and "How to Buy a Used Motorhome from a Dealer" and "Tips for Shopping Online for a Motorhome" are similar articles with similar research but they can each be written uniquely expressing the common points in different words.

[SEDeary]

Thanks for your support Celeste!

Jadedragon, thanks for explaining. I see that I didn't understand what you meant by twist. I thought you meant writing the same thing from a different point of view. For example, I wrote an article on sugar addiction that implies that it's real. The twist would be implying that it isn't, or so I thought. As I understand now, my articles should be more specific and not so general, am I right? I'm trying to learn.

Thank you guys, really. I'm feeling better now and this is a brand new week. I wish you all a very happy and productive week and a happy Halloween! Thank you for being so thoughtful. Take care, everyone.

Sarah

[jadedragon]

Specific topics seem to sell better because they are easier to rank for online.

You could write articles from opposing view points successfully. That would be a cool twist too. "Why you should never try freelancing" and "Why freelancing is the world's best gig".