Creative writing has come a long way since its humble beginnings as an add-on to English literature degrees, and has evolved into a thriving subject area in its own right, with many higher education institutions offering undergraduate courses. When I studied creative writing at university, and, indeed, first taught it, the number one priority was the development of the experimental artistic mind and the pursuit of creativity.
In the last ten years, however, there has been a gradual and necessary shift so that such creative expression now sits alongside practical, realistic outputs, with a constant eye on what kinds of careers the degree can provide after graduation. The recent introduction of ‘professional writing’ pathways alongside creative writing ones has ensured that attention is paid to both these aspects — students are creatively stimulated and challenged, while building their CVs at the same time. So, while there is still room in a creative writing degree for a student to write their fantasy crime script, it’s also become common (and necessary) to balance this with sessions on proofreading, editing, social media presence, publishing and freelance copywriting.
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