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| A tutor can guide you across the creative writing rocks... |
Ten years
ago I would probably have mocked the very notion of a creative writing PhD. How
could a few years of dashing out self-indulgent prose compare with the rigour
and slog of ‘proper’ doctoral research? My poo-pooing might even then have been
sharpened by a certain amount of jealousy. When I was doing my MA in philosophy
and looking at continuing into postgraduate research, I was desperate to
embrace creative writing as more than a secretive hobby. I was just too scared.
How would I know if I was terrible or not without the kind of critical feedback
that I received on my academic output?
Ten years
ago there were very few creative writing PhDs around. It says a lot about the
change in attitudes to writing that you can now find these courses springing up
all over the UK, complimenting the ubiquitous creative writing MA courses.
Debate rages in the press, and in the mouthsof those leading such programmes: can good writing
really be taught? Surely you’ve got it or you haven’t; Raymond Carver didn’t
need a seminar on narrative technique, Angela Carter just did it, and so on.
I still
agree that there’s a degree of ‘you’ve got it or you haven’t.’ For every
brilliant writer there are thousands that are mediocre or worse. But over the
last few years I have witnessed genuine improvement in my own work and that of
fellow writers that has without question been facilitated – or at least greatly
accelerated – by attending writers’ groups and tutored courses. These kinds of
activities provide pressure, expertise, critical feedback, and exposure to other
writers and writing. Above all, they teach you to critique your own work by
analysing that of others. The effect of having to read work aloud never wears
off either; with an audience you can suddenly spot flaws and possibilities that
you will never find alone.
So I do believe
that creative writing improves with intervention and interaction. Back to the question
though; why a PhD? My own reasons for starting one now are quite simple.
Firstly, I have learnt that my work would benefit hugely at this stage from
sustained attention from an expert writer – the kind I can only get from a
long-term supervisor or mentor. I will never quit my writers’ group, but I need
a new eye, and one that is motivated by more than writerly generosity! Secondly,
I’ve learned how important it is to be surrounded by other writers, however
new/established, good/bad, in order to keep the faith, and this is a way of extending
my writing community.
Thirdly, I
don’t just believe in creative writing teaching, I want to do it. Through my
postgraduate Philosophy years, I taught many undergraduate seminars, and I loved
it. Teaching and learning are things I value extremely highly, and while I
never wanted to be a Philosophy academic, for lots of reasons, I do want to
help other people learn. Creative writing feels like the natural arena in which
to do this; I care deeply about the writing itself, but combining this with
helping other writers to progress is pretty much my ideal job. There are
obvious benefits to me as a writer, too; as all teachers will testify, they
learn as much from their pupils as their pupils do from them.
So, I’m
extremely excited to be starting on the slow (and rocky) path through a
creative writing PhD, and will be posting on my progress here. What will it be
like to study again, as well as working full time? Will my writing get a
battering, and how will I cope with the analytical side? All will be revealed.
