Standin' at the crossroads (advice welcome)

[Wrathchild]

At the end of this year I am supposed (that being the operative word) to complete a Masters in Creative Writing. My final manuscript will be a moderately supernatural crime novel that's occupied large areas of my brain since 1997.

If all goes according to plan, I would like to continue with a Ph. D in 2006 and beyond, if I can fool the applications people into thinking I'm a suitable candidate .

Now comes the tricky bit. I can either do a Creative Writing Ph. D (Adelaide is one of few unis in the world that offers these) and produce a novel of so-called Great Literary Merit, or a conventional research Ph. D that will open more doors to a teaching position down the track and give me a much needed professional boost.

I have plenty of ideas for both and look forward to doing either, but I'm worried about a) losing creative momentum if I take the traditional academic path or b) endangering my future career prospects if I follow my fictional whims. Any thoughts, folks?

W

 

[Moon Childagain]

Follow your heart my dear Steve. What do you really want to do? Everything else has a way of falling into place if you do what makes you happy. I'm not really into weighing up options. I can't make decisions to save myself. I just go with what feels right.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Although it would open doors career wise to take the "traditional academic path", are they doors you would look forward to walking through anyway? Do you want to get into teaching at all? It seems obvious you would enjoy the creative writing path, so if you aren't that interested in where the academic path will take you, the choice is easy. If you DO want to end up at the end of the academic path, but still want to do the creative writing part, it is a tougher decision. Perhaps doing the right thing career wise, and finishing your piece on your own merits. Any chance you can do both even? Finish your creative writing stuff first and be happy with that, then start pursuing the career for the rest of your life.

 

[Wrathchild]

Paul Reiser once said something about following your heart vs. going with your gut feelings. "My heart says yes, my gut says no, my colon is iffy. I gotta do a whole autopsy just to make up my mind."

Right now I'm leaning towards the research option with a view to doing creative stuff in my spare time. No reason I can't juggle both, then when I've got my professional life sorted, I may just look into acquiring a personal one of some sort. It's time I did that. After all, I am 28 and 3/4 years old.

(Gold star to whoever can spot the book I just misquoted.)

I may change my mind half a dozen times before I have to choose in November. The important thing is I'll be called Doctor at the end of it all. Not *the* Doctor of course, but a man can daydream...

W

 

[Spiff]

I say go the academic path.

 

[Spiff]

And don't forget, if you become an academic then you will have an actual occupation in the little bio at the front of your first book ("Stephen Lord is a professor of something-or-other from Adelaide - that's enough laughing from you down the front - and this is his first novel").

 

[Wrathchild]

"are they doors you would look forward to walking through anyway? Do you want to get into teaching at all?"

My wordy lordy yes! Herein lies the crux of my dilemma.

"Any chance you can do both even?"

As I said in my above post, I hope things work out that way. Creative stuff will keep the ol' imagination ticking over while academia will pay the bills and help me build a reputation. Then I can concentrate on writing full time if/when I can ever afford to or after I've retired. There's no reason why you can't like steak *and* cheesecake .

"Finish your creative writing stuff first and be happy with that"

So far so good. Still quite a way to go with it though...

W

 

[Wrathchild]

"Stephen Lord is a professor of something-or-other from Adelaide - that's enough laughing from you down the front - and this is his first novel".

I like the sound of that . Perhaps you could be my publicist and blurb writer in chief?

W

 

[Shannow]

Wrathchild, you don't have a mid/late 30s 'lation named Andrew do you ?

Being where I am, with the career decisions that I've made, any career advice that I can give is not worth the phosphorous that it's written on.

 

[Kem]

I'm probably biased here but I'd say go with the convential research PhDs. Anything else is a cop-out

That and your hobby/creative outlet will become your job which will suck royally.

 

[phlogiston]

I think I'm the wrong person to ask about career advice. So I'm not going to answer. Glad I could help.

 

[TRrEiTxIxRiE DTrash]

You only live once - do whichever one you think you'll ENJOY doing the most and whichever will make you happier.

 

[dreamwatch]

Listen to Kem, listen to Kem!!! I'm in the same boat as Shannow, I feel I've made a few fucky decisions and am not in the best place to offer advice. I studied a very specialised creative degree which, frankly, is not worth the paper it's written on. Not because it's not a good course or anything (on the contrary, it was one of the best in the world), but it was so down a particular path that I had no where else to go. The more academic path sounds like the better choice to me, more options are always a good thing, and you'll still be able to write.

 

[Wrathchild]

"Wrathchild, you don't have a mid/late 30s 'lation named Andrew do you?"

Not that I know of, but I have cousins everywhere I've never met or knew existed, so it's possible. Now if you'll excuse me I have a sudden urge to sit out on my back porch playing the banjo...

Kem and Dreamy, you're both right. The academic thing will allow me to work in a field I enjoy, while still giving me time to play with other projects. I'm starting to think I can do both and be a damn sight happier with my lot than I am now.

W

 

[Southy]

BAH! go the unorthodox way, you know you wanna

 

[Spiff]

And might I just add how annoying it is when people say "do whatever you want"? If one was going to do whatever one wanted, one wouldn't bother asking for advice, would one?