“A lot of novelists start late-Conrad, Pirandello, even Mark Twain. When you're young, chess is all right, and music and poetry. But novel-writing is something else. It has to be learned, but it can't be taught. This bunkum and stinkum of college creative writing courses! The academics don't know that the only thing you can do for someone who wants to write is to buy him a typewriter.” KnowsWantWritingYoungCoursesCan DoNovelCreativeTaughtCollegeLateMarkChessNovelistsCreative WritingTypewritersNovel Writing Author:James M. Cain
“People didn't know certain things about me, which... I was out of creative writing class in school, Syracuse University; had a B.A. in English and wanted to write the great American novel but I also loved rock and roll. I was in bar bands all through college, playing fraternities and have to know all the songs in the top 10. That kind of thing.” PeopleKnowsWritingKindWantedSchoolCertainSongClassNovelCreativeRocksCollegeBandUniversityBarsRock And RollCreative WritingGreat AmericanFraternityTop 10SyracuseClasses In School Author:Lou Reed
“Around eighth grade I decided I wanted to be a composer and that's what I went to college for. Just a few years back, I switched out of composition and into creative writing so I could work with words.” WritingYearsWantedCreativeCollegeDecidedGradesComposerCompositionCreative WritingEighth Grade Author:Joanna Newsom
“The fact is that I write under duress, often in my bed, often at the last minute. I'm kind of a binge writer I would say, which I don't support. I was always kind of that way. Probably the time I was the most regular as a writer was college. It was like, what else is there to do when you're living in the Midwest studying creative writing?” WayWritingKindFactsLastsSupportCreativeStudyMinutesCollegeBedCreative WritingMidwestLast MinuteBingeDuress Author:Lena Dunham
“In high school, I wanted to be an actress. Until I got to college and took some creative writing courses. Then I decided I wanted to become a novelist.” WritingWantedSchoolCoursesCreativeCollegeHigh SchoolDecidedActressesNovelistsCreative Writing Author:Meg Cabot
“None of my English teachers in college were praising me or telling me I was anything special. But then in creative writing classes they were. And I enjoyed those more anyway.” WritingClassCreativeTeacherSpecialCollegePraiseEnjoyedCreative WritingEnglish Teacher Author:John Brandon
“hough I was creative, I also liked math and science. At Knox College, I studied creative writing and earned a degree in chemistry, thinking I would attend medical school. Ultimately, I decided that a career in nursing would allow more time for pursuing other creative interests. While I worked as an RN, I wrote stories inspired by my patients, designed t-shirts, and made hand-painted sandals.” ThinkingWritingMadeStoriesHandsSchoolInterestCareersCreativeCollegeDegreesDecidedInspiredPatientMathMedicalShirtsMore TimeChemistryT ShirtCreative WritingNursingMath And ScienceMedical SchoolSandals Author:Mary Pope Osborne
“The formula for creative writing in high school or college is write what you know.” KnowsWritingSchoolCreativeCollegeHigh SchoolFormulasCreative Writing Author:Toni Morrison
“The formula for creative writing in high school or college is write what you know. And I said they don't know nothing. Imagine something. Do you know what it's like to be a Madame in Paris, when you're too old to have any clients. No, you don't. I don't either. Write about it.” KnowsWritingSaidSchoolCreativeImagineCollegeHigh SchoolParisDo You KnowFormulasClientsCreative Writing Author:Toni Morrison
“I majored in English in college and that was my major in graduate school before switching to creative writing. I read a lot of [Charles] Dickens and [Anthony ] Trollope, but there was lots of stuff I hadn't read like Thackeray's "Vanity Fair," which is so well written and funny.” WritingWellsSchoolStuffCreativeWrittenCollegeMajorsFairsVanityGraduatesCreative WritingDickensWell WrittenGraduate SchoolSwitchingVanity Fair Author:Stephen Dobyns