** I'm only in highschool (sophomore), but have decdided I want to become some type of writer. If anyone at all has graduated, in proccess of taking, or have the same aspirations as I do, please give me advice, tips, classes needed to be taken, etc. PLEASE...means a lot to me..

Well, I'm just an old redneck, but if you're going to major in Journalism, then write and write and write fiction or facts or whatever. Get on your school newspaper as a correspondent. Interview folks. And I mean get right in their face and ask questions and write answers with a notepad. Doesn't even have to be for real, but the folks you're questioning don't know that. Back in the day, me and my buds did that a few times down at City Hall pretending we were correspondents for a fictitious paper and everyone we talked to pretty much spilled the beans about what was going on free of charge! It was friggin' hilarious! You need to understand that people like to be interviewed about their job....

Best of luck you little punk


[[[smoke]]]

Conjure One - Center of the Sun (Junkie XL mix)

** Thanks Smokeape, lol. Nice anecdote.

first, before you submit something check your spelling. Thats key.

also, be a liberal. Because any journalism or english classes you take are going to be reading and writing about gay and minorities generally. Think youll learn shakespeare in ENGLISH? hell no. Youll read House on Mango Street. Its bullshit. I do a lot of writing myself and unless its a specific "classical" writing class, you aint gonna learn how to write. Youll just do a lot of writing. Which you can do on your own time.

If you want a career in it, do what smoke was saying. Get in on little independant clubs, write reviews, whatever. Get jobs, get experience.

If you are doing it to better yourself...its gonna be hit and miss with classes.

English major creative writing...
thats me.. my university is supposed to have one of the
best cw programs in the country. the best advice i can give you, is to read a lot over the summer. will help you keep up when you are taking english classes. taking a shakespear class right now and loving it.
when you take writers work shops, it should be able help you point out the weak points in your writing. as long as you like it, you will do good.

I hang out with a bunch of creative writing graduate students here. It is really competitive so I would get started in clubs and organizations now. Try to get as much published as you can early on.

and read and take in as much as you can now. you are starting really early so you are lucky there. just find out what ya like and go balls out for it.



good luck

i majored in journalism, i'm interning at a magazine in new york now. i advocate going to college and majoring in print journalism because it will teach you how to write clearly and concisely, which is something you must be able to do in any writing career you choose.

journalism is not about being obnoxious, rude, or alarmist. it's about showing people things they wouldn't see otherwise -- and showing them in an interesting way. journalism is often denounced and insulted, and often for good reasons (those reasons being CNN and Fox news), but it isn't all crap. i truly consider journalism a noble profession, an opinion that was imparted to me by my brilliant professors.

give it a try. journalism classes were the only ones i ever took that made me feel like i was doing something worthwhile. for some good reading try these: sports illustrated, playboy, vanity fair and the atlantic monthly. there is nothing more impressive to me than a well-written feature article. if you want more information, PM me.

im currently in communications, originally wanted to be a journalist, or a novelist....

writing doesn't make you much money, so i recommend using your creative abilities in marketing, or promotions.
There are plenty of forms in writing that you could do, but communications is the general major to do that in.

Taking poetry, and creative writing is only good if you want to be poor and sell hot dogs as your real job while trying to get a book deal. lol
grant it- i write poetry and the like, but there are more practical ways of acquiring money when wanting to be a writer.

Anyhow, PM me if you want to know some more in depth details.

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** Thankyou all. Best of luck to all of you in the future, and now, the present. If you want to give me anymore advice, or whatever just reply of PM me...

This almost goes without saying...decide exactly what you want to do with writing because different majors teach you to write differently.

having some common sense would help... other than that... everyone pretty much covered everything already...

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quote:

Originally posted by whiskers having some common sense would help... other than that... everyone pretty much covered everything already...

** And what exactly are you trying to input here by "common sense"?
Even though you had somewhat of a predicament with me in the last thread, don't think that I am not acknowledgeable,determined, ambitious, and full of integrity. I may be only 15 but I have what you lack, and that my friend, that is pretty ridiculous. As a matter of fact, that is entertaining to me. Be gone now. Unless you have something useful or nice to say please don't reply...I have done nohting to you.