Pursuing a career in writing is a noble act. Without the other badass writing students at Ithaca College motivating me everyday with their amazing work, published or unpublished, I might've quit my own pursuit. The Writing Department at IC is filled with the most talented and passionate professors and students.
It's easy to immerse yourself into the mindset of a professional writer when devoting yourself to the craft in such a dedicated and scholarly environment. In fact, I've begun to notice some odd habits cropping up in my mannerisms since I've started writing roughly over 2,000 words a day. Here are a few things that happen when you're a writing major.
1. You become titillated over learning new vocabulary.
Jaunty? Acerbic? Riposte? You, you interesting words, just stay right there while I get onto dictionary.com...
2. Coffee is essential to the writing process.
Or, in Don Draper's case, enough alcohol to sedate him through the job. "Write drunk, edit sober," anyone?
3. You've stopped caring about how crazy you must sound while reading your work out loud.
Reading your work out loud is necessary for catching little (or giant) editing mistakes. As a freshman, I wouldn't be caught dead talking to myself in the library. Now, I do it constantly. And you should, too.
3. You've become numb to criticism after years of workshop classes.
A lot of people hate being put on the spotlight, especially when its an in-class critique workshop worth 15% of your grade. One of the most difficult things about creative writing is coming up with a "good" idea. It's almost impossible to do on the first try, and your class won't hold back in telling you if you've succeeded or not. Take criticism with a grain of salt. If someone is giving you abrasive criticism, it's not because of your work. They're not trying to make you feel bad. They need those participation points, too, and most of the time in-class criticisms bring out the brusque in the outspoken. It gets easier.
4. You've sailed the risky blurred line when writing about someone you know.
Personal essay is my favorite genre of writing. With that being said, it's a constant struggle knowing when it's okay to write a true story about someone you know and when to color the story (just a lil bit) or cut it altogether.
5. You have shamelessly deep feelings for your literary role models.
Ernest Hemingway was the manifestation of toxic masculinity, but I can't help fantasizing that he was fighting everybody for me. I'm not embarrassed to say I have wallet sized photos of William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, and Edgar Allen Poe on my wall in lieu of actual celebrities.
