h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There is another type of wannabe writer and that is the individual with a degree in Professional Writing (or something like that, Creative Writing, etc...), but who has yet to be discovered. This type of person has a nice little piece of paper claiming that he or she can write. However, this does not mean squat until publication actually occurs.

The best thing to do if you have gotten a degree in writing and still are not published is to keep going to school. Go for that Masters degree or a second Bachelors. Somehow it does not seem so pathetic to be trying to get published if you are still a student.

Don't knock it. It's helping me.

Amen brother! I've starting an English Lit with Creativing Writing BA in September

SO you're one of those literary types. For some reason at my school there is a big issue between the English writing students and the journalism writing students. I don't see what the big deal is? Most of us are in the same unpublished boat.

Judging from the few journalism types I know the difference is one of jealousy.

Our course results in reading lots of stories, writing interesting things about them and also writing our own stories, and ending up with a qualification that can pretty much get us anywhere.

Journalism courses are vocational, and you pretty much spend your time reading about the mechanisms of local politics, and will probably end up reporting on marrow-growing competitions, rather than uncovering massive conspiracy theories and challenging the vary basis of government, as they'd like to.

Well I will admit, that some journalism types will fall into that, or variations of that, but I had a very different experience. I have a bachelors degree in journalism and am working on the same for my Masters, but my school has a sequence of journalism in professional writing. Granted we are sort of the step-child of the journalism department and some of the narrow minded would rather see was under the English department, but I have had a wonderful time.

It's not only the reading and creative writing, but also learning really how to get published (Paid!!!) I don't think anyone can teach you how to be a writer, you are or you aren't, but they can certainly teach you how to be a professional writer.

By the way, didn't mean any insult with the literary comment, just razzing a bit.