This is, of course, speaking for the people who have a sort of joy when they write. I’m here to maybe encourage you to major in writing if you enjoy writing. Writing, when you’re writing of what you love, is a beautiful passion and occupation. Well, it is a bonus if you get paid good money for doing what you love.
Writing brings out the best and the worst in every writer and people should understand that more often. Writing is not only all the fantasies and describing everything beautifully but it’s also about the nightmares where you can even describe what you imagined. Writing is a powerful tool, might even be a weapon. Mad? Write it out until the paper burns. Sad? Soak the paper with your tears as you pour your heart out. Happy? Describe every little thing that has given you joy like the bright yellow of sunflowers or the happiness of a butterfly passing by.
However, it’s not just about that. When you major in writing, how I majored in Creative Writing as my Bachelor’s Degree, then you would get to understand the ins and outs of writing, the ups and downs as well the effort you put into every piece of what you like. If you don’t know whether you want to major in writing or not, I’ll list a few things you have to know and you can make the decision on your own:
You Have To Be Up-To-Date With Current Issues
Writing can lead to being a journalist or a content writer. Both these jobs have to do with updating the public of current news before anyone else does. It’d be a bit hard if you’re not the person to really care about current issues. But don’t worry there are always other occupations that would not require you to know of current issues. Nonetheless, keeping updated on current issues is always beneficial regardless of whether you’re majoring in writing or not. Thus, just keep this in mind and try it out bit by bit.
You Have To Do A LOT Of Reading
Of course, as a writing student, you’d have to do a lot of reading. This is why a lot of students prefer e-books so they wouldn’t have to carry many books so they could read. Besides that, this is to expand your knowledge, imagination as well as improve your language, no matter what language you would be writing in. Thus, read, read and when you have spare time, read a little bit more because there is no harm in reading more books for the sake of your gain. Plus, you could even read or listen to e-books if you’re too lazy to read. So, regardless, you have no excuse for not reading a book or at least listening to one. Because you have the chance to do so, don’t let it slip away.
You Need To Have Good Focus And Attention Span
This is because it’s not good for the flow of your writing when you are easily distracted or you easily push aside your writing to do something else. One way I keep my focus is I blast my music through my earphones and type away. Sometimes, I would even go as far as to ask a friend of mine to keep watch on me through video call so that I don’t distract myself and not write. You need to find your method. Some people need utter silence. Some spend time researching before anything else. Last but not least, some prefer to be productive during the day and some work the best at night. So, find out who you are and how you work. This will make it so much easier for you in the future.
You Get To Learn More Than Writing
In my time majoring in creative writing, I did not just learn about writing. I learnt about the beauty of films, I learnt about musical theatre. I even learnt about philosophies and art theories I’ve never known before. I even learnt a little Japanese. Social skills like debating, how to discuss controversial issues. In short, I’ve learnt a lot throughout my years of being a writing major and I had my fun.
More Internship Opportunities
Internships can be fun and allow you to gain knowledge when you find the correct company to intern under. Take your time and ask the important questions. “What am I expected to do?”, “How much is the internship salary?” or “Am I required To Do Or Learn Anything Besides My Major?”. After weighing the companies, go have a blast at the company of your choice! Throughout my internship, I’ve learned a lot about writing as well as about myself. I sort of found out that I don’t do well with repetitive and fixed jobs. Thus, maybe in the future, I will go for something a little more loose for me.
Easily Build Up Your Portfolio
When you major and go through your internship under writing, any kind for that matter, it’s really easy to build your portfolio. For instance, if you intern at a newsletter company, every single article, especially the good ones, that were published by you can be added to your portfolio as past experiences and to show your skills. If you’ve helped manage a social media page, that can go on too. If you have any other works published on any site or wherever, pile it up on there! Every single piece you have written and published may be added to your portfolio.
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Did I manage to encourage you? It’s okay if I did not. Because in the end, only you get to choose what you do, especially for a living, for the rest of your life. It should be something you would be happy to do and you are passionate about so you wouldn’t have to waste your precious time doing something you did not like anyway. So, live your life, choose your best. Take your time in deciding and make sure you’re not rushing into anything because you would not want to regret one single decision that could be a life-changer.