It’s said everyone has a book inside them. Many young authors are taking that quite literally these days, leading to a veritable flood of fiction written by authors who only have a nodding acquaintance with the craft of writing. In this climate, is the market ready for intensive creative writing courses that hand aspiring authors certain skill-sets — and do such modules work?
According to author Usha KR, “The stories of success that we hear, like a Chetan Bhagat giving up his original occupation to become a writer, may sound romantic but they are individual cases.” She believes writing is perceived more as a hobby than a vocation. In order for it to be recognised as a discipline that can be taught, it needs to be part of a “mature literary environment”, which can be facilitated by courses in writing that follow certain “universal standards and modes of communicating.”
Aditi Machado, a student of English literature, feels that the value of a creative writing workshop depends largely on the person and the purpose of organising it. She feels those attending writing workshops do have a chance of producing more polished work. “One can get valuable feedback from peers and mentors while meeting people with similar interests, which helps keep a conversation about the craft going,” says Machado.
Unfortunately, in India institutes offering courses in creative writing are few and far between. Writer and critic Vijay Nair, who regularly conducts creative writing workshop ‘Still Waters’ feels people can get better acquainted with the craft of writing through them.
“People tend to think that writing is not that big a deal. But that is not true. It is a craft that needs to be developed. Workshops let you experiment with different aspects and genres of writing,” he says.
In countries like the UK and the USA, creative writing as a fine art is greatly encouraged. Many institutes in the US offer a one/two year master's degrees in creative writing. Moreover, there are several writing residencies and fellowships offering funded time to write and useful interactions with writers.
Machado, who plans on doing an MFA in creative writing in the US, says that the prospect of spending two years with access to books and eminent people in the field of writing, which would otherwise be impossible, fills her with excitement.
Though a few colleges in Bangalore do have modules dealing with creative writing, they are of short duration. “We need courses that last longer conducted by established, experienced writers.
Just a certificate course in poetry or short story writing may not stay in the students’ minds for that long,” says Kala Ramesh, a lecturer from the department of media studies, Mount Carmel College.
Yet, some authors feel introducing professional writing courses is secondary to observing the world carefully and living an interesting life filled with rich experiences. “Literary geniuses like Kafka, Ruskin Bond, Fitzgerald or Hemingway never took formal writing classes. Yet, these are some of the most memorable authors,” says Karan Bajaj, author of the bestselling Johnny Gone Down. “I'm quite convinced that ideas have to come from your own self and your life; the craft is something which you constantly get better at as you write,” he adds.
Author Anita Nair feels there is no substitute for talent.
“Courses such as these tend to bring an almost formulaic touch to the writing, which is not quite encouraged by publishers these days, so although they may hone your skills as a writer, I don’t think they are all that helpful,” she says. Yet, even the authors who are not convinced that creative writing courses produce better authors feel students should be offered the choice.
“Reading for children should be encouraged. They are more into video games and television, so they don't read to entertain themselves like we did. The more you read, the more it is likely you would want to write a book of your own,” says Vijay Nair.
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