Monday, January 17, 2011

Faber Academy discussion: any questions for Sue Gee and Marcel Theroux?


The posts from Sue Gee and Marcel Theroux on creative writing generated a very interesting debate here, I thought, with a variety of both teaching and student perspectives, although I do wonder if we have yet reached the heart of some of the thornier issues. Shortly the series will move over to the Faber blog, where Faber Academy's Ian Ellard will post his thoughts. In the meantime if anyone has any questions they'd like to ask either Marcel or Sue, or both, about the issues or their own experience as writers, then do leave them in the comments thread below, and I'll post their answers on this blog.

5 comments:

Tim Love said...

Are there differences (in personality traits, expectations, etc) between students doing poetry/stories and students doing novels?

Anonymous said...

Do writers make the best creative writing tutors?

JG

Anonymous said...

There seems to be a broad consensus that formal training, via creative writing courses, is a good thing. Do you think that CW tutors should have formal training too? Apropos JG's question above, do you think wannabe writers are better off in the hands of published authors or qualified teachers (or both)?

mayo ninja said...

testing testing

mayo ninja said...

ah i have the right password at last!

i think it would be fair to expect any CW tutor to not only have some kind of acknowledged experience as a teacher but also some success at writing. after all, anyone who's still actively writing and getting published is likely to be up to speed on the current market, and thus of help to those in their class who are aiming at publication.

a recognised qualification would be ideal, is there no such thing at present? having the odd book published definitely does not qualify someone to teach CW