[kcmac]

My son is a junior in High School. Getting close to deciding on what to do. He is very interested in creative writing, screen plays, etc. He is also very good at making little movies, doing graphic design, etc.

A professional acquaintance of mine has suggested that he should get a good writing base. (We live in Missouri. The University of Missouri is one of if not the best journalism school in the country. Their curriculum produces a lot of people that go into magazine creation as well as tv and newspaper journalism, etc.)

Is that a good approach or should we be looking for a school that focuses more on creativity?

What schools would you suggest?

[SSharon]

I would suggest getting him an internship in a professional environment that does the work he is interested in. Enjoying something as a hobby and doing it from 9-5 is a different world. I am an english major at the University of Maryland by the way in case he is interested in my school's english or journalism depts.

[RonnieoftheRose]

www.zoetrope.com is the best online workshop that I can recommend for your son. Tell him to steer clear of the discussion forums if he wants to maintain sanity and get untainted help. Zoetrope's All Story site is good too. www.fadeinmag.com is another one which also has links to other sites and online workshops.

Tell your son to take his time no matter what he does until he creates something high quality that not only he but others will also be proud of. The writing game seems like a noble enterprise but it's very sharkish. There's a lot of jealousy and pretension out there to contend with.

[Randman]

If he's truly interested, have him try out for the high school newspaper.

[Mastrap]

Originally posted by Randman:
If he's truly interested, have him try out for the high school newspaper.

I second that. Nothing beats real life experience. Also, see if he can get a summer job/internship in one of the local papers.

[sugar_coated]

For some writing comes naturally, he may excel in a professional environment!

[kcmac]

He has that "stream of conscience" thing when he writes. It just flows. He has pretty much always enjoyed writing as far as my wife or I can remember.

He will be on the school newspaper his senior year. Having him look into the KC Star newspaper for a possible summer job is a good idea.

Thanks for the link and all of the other suggestions. I can remember trying to choose what I wanted to do and where I should go. Too much commitment and difficult at that age.

He hears the word "journalism" and instantly thinks newspaper beat writer. I don't know much about your industry but it would seem to be pretty wide open just like most things in life.

[sugar_coated]

Originally posted by kcmac:
He has that "stream of conscience" thing when he writes.

I do too!! But look at me! I am hopeless.

[zizban]

I have two novels published and its hard to make a living unless you are Stephen King. I would suggest steering him toward a newspaper or magazine career where he can write when doing his own thing on the side, until he can make a living.

[AB^2=BCxAC]

Creative writing and journalism, although both are writing careers, are vastly different skills.

Any student of creative writing should really start with an undergraduate degree in English Lit and then pursue creative writing in grad school (Stanford, NYU, Columbia, Indiana, Notre Dame, Univeristy of British Columbia, etc). Being an avid and intelligent reader is the strongest requirement for most creatve writing programs (after loving to write).

Similarly, learning creative art and design and film should be balanced with academic groundwork in English Lit and Art History. Some of the best schools that make sure you get schooled beyond technical skills are Rhode Island School Of Design, Parsons, UCLA, and the Cooper Union. Many state universities also offer good programs. Colleges like Cal Arts, Emily Carr, and School of Visual Arts are less academic, but are better for kids with talent and energy to burn who fair less well otherwise.

[Randman]

If the kid is a junior in high school, it's too early to really think of a university and degree. See if he wants to write for the newspaper and if there's a creative writing class or program on offer at his school. Let him experiment and see what he likes to do.
He may end up trying to work as a strip club dj.

[TheBadgerHunter]

Can he write well? Not just easily but really well. At that age I threw myself at every writing but I could find and while I never became a writer full time I was able to get some part time work every now and then. Its a skill I've never regretted.

[dencamp]

I have a MFA degree in Poetry so I may be on the far creative side of the creative versus practical discussion. When I used to teach, I always stressed to students who were interested in creative writing that the ability to write well virtually guarantees that you will never go hungry.

I have spent the past 10 years working for various professional service firms in marketing and I can tell you that I am one of only a handful of people in my company that can write a solid letter, construct a proposal, etc. Monetary and professional success is quite easy to achieve if you can write. It is a skill that is prized in the world-same as engineering, plumbing, carpentry, etc.

Now, I also run a small poetry press on the side and feel like I have finally balanced that see-saw between typical career-type success and creative fulfillment. If your son is able to balance his time well and truly learn to be a solid writer (one that is able to write creatively and toward defined audiences) I wouldn’t feel any anxiety having him pursue a creative major.

[kcmac]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Can't remember back when I was in High School if they made you think about this stuff so early but it seems to be the case these days.

We have a friend that works for the KC Star newspaper that we are going to talk to soon. Also am neighbors in my office building with a company that does documentaries. One of the owners also has a couple of magazines that she writes for here in town. Not sure of their names. She said she would be happy to talk to my son a bit and see if she could give us some ideas.

I am in a creative profession so the idea of him going that route is not a concern for me. It will be interesting to see where this all leads.

[Cody Dawg]

I highly recommend University of Iowa. I have my M.A. from their writing program.

Cannot recommend it more. Maybe go to University of Missouri then to University of Iowa?

Here you go.

[kcmac]

Cody Dawg.

His AP English Teacher mentioned something about Iowa to him. We have to get the details from her.

Thanks for the link.

What did you do before you got your masters?

[Cody Dawg]

I was in college and working at Microsoft.