the craft. why we study.

A lot of writers have apprehensions when it comes to education level and their work. It can be an obstacle for a writer to feel like they’re capable of doing the work. I’ve often heard, “well, I didn’t go to school for this,” and the reality is, there are a lot of people who didn’t go to school for whatever it is they do. Whether it’s working at a Fortune 500 company or in the music industry, you don’t need a particular degree to write, but it is important to study.

Living in a place like America makes you think that school is the most important thing, but there are so many other ways to learn about something. Personally, I think trade schools are grossly overlooked. And as long as we have books, and quite frankly, YouTube and Google, there’s nothing you can’t learn more about.

We’ve talked about MFAs, those that have and those that don’t. But even when it comes to bachelor degrees, it’s okay if you didn’t study English or Creative Writing. Or if you don’t have a college degree at all. Although I started as a journalism major at Drexel, eventually I went to Temple and studied recording and the music business under a Broadcast, Telecommunications, and Mass Media program. So much of my education around writing has come from doing, writing a lot over the years and reading a lot.

Reading widely in your area of interest is huge. Whether that’s reading features and magazine articles to reading a bunch of fiction and non-fiction books. When I got my first freelance contract to write about local Philly music, I just read other people’s work. I figured out how I wanted to frame my own stories and used other articles to get an idea of structure and tone. I also volunteered for a local magazine, now defunct, called JUMP, where I was able to hone my skills around feature writing. I learned about having multiple subjects and points of view, how to find my story within a ton of interview notes.

You should also dive into books on craft. I’ve rounded up a few helpful ones in my career on the PTW Bookshop page. On Writing and Bird by Bird, which I’ve mentioned before, were transformative. Most recently, I’ve been reading through Free Within Ourselves: Fiction Lessons for Black Authors again by Jewell Parker Rhodes. I’ve had the book for a million years, but picking it back up at this time has been perfect as I work on revisions for my work in progress. It’s challenging me. Helping me to question my work in the best way to make it more interesting, more authentic. And how do you read and write? Well, I work on my own work in the mornings and read a little from books on craft at night before bed.

You can also take a one off course to help with your writing. I just wrapped the First Ten Pages workshop with an awesome group of writers working on their novel projects. There are tons of spaces including PTW that offer great workshops like Blue Stoop, Catapult, and my good friend GG Renee of All the Many Layers. Don’t be afraid to invest, but if you do, make sure you actually do the work. Too many of us pay for courses we never actually use. I’ll be honest, I had a Masterclass subscription and only watched about three total courses in a year. SMH.

Either way, we study because you do need a base level of education around the thing that you say you want to do. No you don’t need an expensive degree and a lifetime of debt to become a great writer. But you do need to understand the basics. You need to get a feel for language and how to convey complex themes and ideas through words. You need an idea of the rules if you’re going to break them.

In my opinion, it’s a disservice to any craft not to study it. I find this in music as well where people have beautiful voices but don’t actually know how to use them. Or musicians don’t take in the greats. It’s not about imitating or copying others. But when you have a reverence for something, you want to know more about it. When I see an amazingly written line, I’m thinking, how did they come up with that? What are they reading? How are they studying?

We all have innate base level talent at certain things. But talent is not enough and it’s easy to see the difference between those who float off their natural talent in things and those who study and work to develop that natural talent.

Even when you have been writing for a while, it’s rejuvenating to study. I’ve also been reading from Black Women Writers edited by Mari Evans and hearing how others’ approach their craft gives me more gas in my tank to keep going because writing is hard. And it takes a long time to get things to a place that you’re proud of and you hear no a lot more than you hear yes. Studying refills that cup. (I also pre-ordered a copy of the Black Women Writers at Work reprint.)

New words, new approaches, new inspiration comes from studying writing. It doesn’t all have to look one way, but I challenge you to be consuming something that will make you better.

Writing/Job Opportunities

Jeremy Glass is looking for Black History Month pitches for Drizly’s soon-to-be launched editorial site. Email pitches to jeremy.glass@drizly.com.

The Latino Book Review is accepting submissions for their 2023 print magazine. They are looking for poetry, fiction, non-fiction, visual arts, essays, and research. Submit to info@latinobookreview.com with “Magazine Submission” in the subject line.

The Paris Review is hiring interns. Spring-Summer. $20/hr for 35 hours per week. (Nov. 28th Deadline)

Seven Seven Six is hiring a Head of Content & Communications. (140k, remote).

States Newsroom is hiring a National Editor. (95k, NC, DC or remote).

The Washington Post is hiring a Non-Fiction Book Critic.

Glossy is hiring a Senior Editor in Beauty and Fashion. (100k).

The New York Times is hiring a Staff Editor, Home Team. (105-110k, West Coast).