I want to be an author/writer/novelist. What classes other than creative writing can I take?

Question

I know I want to take a creative writing class (maybe more writing classes) in college, but I'm not sure as to what else I should take. What majors? English Literature? A humanities class? I'm really interested in writing fiction. Also fantasy. That's the one genre that really sticks out for me. Any help would be appreciated. 10 points for best answer!

Answer 1

Being an English major is a good start when going to college, but there are always some schools that offer creative writing majors like CSULB which is also a good start. Here are 2 great and easy tips

1. READ! its the best advice out there for writers, not to steal of course, but to get a sense of emotion, description, and style

2. WRITE out of prompts, your mind, or your surroundings and on whatever you can find :)

Once you get to college the major will be set out for you but you'll get to pick certain classes. This is where you either focus on fiction or poetry if you are on some sort of writing track. What I can say is get yourself well rounded in all of English: literature, writing, novels, short stories, fiction, nonfiction, and different types of poetry.

Also, take criticism well. If teacher's don't like your writing, ask them WHY! Don't let them get you down or you can't improve.

Fantasy is an excellent genre. My favorite too :) What I can suggest is to take classes or read up on mythology and read other fantasy works.  Everything good from originals like fairy tales (even Disney!), and old classics to everything bad like Twilight (no offense if you like it--its good fan-dom reading but horrible literature--if you're inspired by it great  but please don't write a spin-off or some other dime-a-dozen fantasy novels)

My top 5 favorite fantasy novels

1. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

2. Alice in wonderland by Lewis Carroll

3. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle

4. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

5. Watership Down by Richard Adams

Hope this helps! :)

Answer 2

Ever heard of this?

http://www.nanowrimo.org/

Answer 3

Depends on what you're writing about.

For example, if your book is set in the 1800s, maybe a history class.

Answer 4

I think this is aimed at high school students  but check it out...It may be helpful as something to develop your skills

www.oneyearnovel.com

Answer 5

If you're interested in fiction, an English degree would probably help you in some regards, and be most interesting for you to study. More than that, though, read everything you can get your hands on and write constantly. Professors will help you hone your skill but you have to have something to show them first.

Also, read "On Writing" by Steven King. He has great advice with everything from finding an agent to the basics of writing. I just read it for my creative writing class & I really enjoyed it.