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<blockquote data-quote="arwink" data-source="post: 222164" data-attributes="member: 2292"><p>As another person who went through a writing program, and now teaches in one, I thought I'd throw my 2c in on the subject.</p><p></p><p>I know that in my undergrad, and even now that I'm working at a post-graduate and staff level, the program I went through had no real problem with genre fiction being submitted. I also know that most of the writing courses in the uni's around where I live have similar approaches, and at least one has employed one of Australia's most popular horror writers as a teacher. </p><p></p><p>I did, however, write a lot of genre fiction in my first few years that didn't do anywhere near as well as I would have hoped, and blamed a lot of it on the uni's complete lack of understanding and disreguard of the genre. I grumbled a lot, expanded my writing style and tried for something more literary.</p><p></p><p>A year or two ago, when I started marking assignments and creative folios, I noticed that I too was giving low grades to most of the genre stuff. Not because I didn't like the genre, but because a lot of people were using the genre as an excuse for being lazy. People were taking no chances, making no effort to be original, and the writing was often derivative and poor. The plots were sometimes interesting, but one of the sad rules of life is that plot is rarely interesting, it's how the story is being told that makes us want to pay attention. </p><p></p><p>I now get students who want to discuss their marks, and tell me that I don't understand the genre. I've been reading fantasy, sci-fi and horror for nearly twenty years, and have done enough work on it in my studies, that this isn't entirely true. I'm not perfect, but I can spot when something is done well and something is done poorly. I know the genre, which is why I know a bad fantasy story is a story, not a bad genre. </p><p></p><p>If you want to write genre fiction, and your joining a creative writing program, this is something to keep in mind. Sure, it is possible that your teachers are down on genre fiction. It does happen. But it's also possible that your work has problems, that you've not yet developed your writing enough to tackle the genre successfully, or that you're just reformatting cool ideas you've been reading lately (I know I did this a fair bit in my youth). </p><p></p><p>Realistically, just as most proffessional writers recommend you read outside the field you work in, I'd probably recommend trying to write outside of the genre you work in as well. On the whole, it'll teach you more than three years of study in the genre will ever do.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="arwink, post: 222164, member: 2292"] As another person who went through a writing program, and now teaches in one, I thought I'd throw my 2c in on the subject. I know that in my undergrad, and even now that I'm working at a post-graduate and staff level, the program I went through had no real problem with genre fiction being submitted. I also know that most of the writing courses in the uni's around where I live have similar approaches, and at least one has employed one of Australia's most popular horror writers as a teacher. I did, however, write a lot of genre fiction in my first few years that didn't do anywhere near as well as I would have hoped, and blamed a lot of it on the uni's complete lack of understanding and disreguard of the genre. I grumbled a lot, expanded my writing style and tried for something more literary. A year or two ago, when I started marking assignments and creative folios, I noticed that I too was giving low grades to most of the genre stuff. Not because I didn't like the genre, but because a lot of people were using the genre as an excuse for being lazy. People were taking no chances, making no effort to be original, and the writing was often derivative and poor. The plots were sometimes interesting, but one of the sad rules of life is that plot is rarely interesting, it's how the story is being told that makes us want to pay attention. I now get students who want to discuss their marks, and tell me that I don't understand the genre. I've been reading fantasy, sci-fi and horror for nearly twenty years, and have done enough work on it in my studies, that this isn't entirely true. I'm not perfect, but I can spot when something is done well and something is done poorly. I know the genre, which is why I know a bad fantasy story is a story, not a bad genre. If you want to write genre fiction, and your joining a creative writing program, this is something to keep in mind. Sure, it is possible that your teachers are down on genre fiction. It does happen. But it's also possible that your work has problems, that you've not yet developed your writing enough to tackle the genre successfully, or that you're just reformatting cool ideas you've been reading lately (I know I did this a fair bit in my youth). Realistically, just as most proffessional writers recommend you read outside the field you work in, I'd probably recommend trying to write outside of the genre you work in as well. On the whole, it'll teach you more than three years of study in the genre will ever do. [/QUOTE]
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