: Re: Is it necessary to take writing classes and learn formal fiction structure? This is an offshoot from a comment exchange on an unrelated question. What to submit when asked for "sample

@Sue2132873

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Might be helpful, but hardly essential.

There were two brothers, both studying cereal chemistry. The elder brother went to Berkley and got the degree, the younger read all of the texts and was self taught. My uncle had the title, but my father had the longer and more varied career, working for the Government of Canada and later was headhunted by a Fortune 500 company.

My father believed that what mattered was possessing the knowledge. He was amused when the monogrammed souvenirs of conventions he attended and spoke at had him as Dr.

I have taken one creative writing class in my life, but have read for many years and have been writing since I was twelve. I believe that every book you read teaches you something, might not absorb it immediately but you do learn.

If a degree is a prerequisite for writing, I am in poor case too. Almost got an unmarketable BA in English Lit with a Philosophy minor. Life intervened.

If you have people who enjoy what you write, that is something for the win column. A degree might help prevent people from trying to reinvent the wheel, but lessons learned through experience are the ones you remember.

When I read Magic Mountain, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Very little happens and the characters are not terribly engaging. A rather vapid young man visits a friend in the hospital and contracts TB, so stays there. Life in a hospital tends to be rather dull.

If Thomas Mann had studied creative writing someone certainly would have told him not to bother with this story that is such a long slice of life, but not the interesting part of his life - write something else. Nothing happens and your MC is dull. I am glad such never happened and that he wrote that marvellous novel.

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