You Don’t Need an English Degree To Be A Writer

I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Spring 2015 and while I was in college I wrote and published 5 books . But I didn’t need my English degree to do it.

Why?

The world of publishing has long changed. Now, you don’t need to have a publisher publish your book for you in order for you to find readers and make money. Nope. With the invention of e-readers and digital downloads anyone can write their novel and put it up for sale through amazon’s KDP (kindle direct publishing) and Barnes and Noble’s NookPress, as well as Kobo, ibooks and the like.

Those platforms allows you to publish what you’ve written to earn a profit and that’s exactly what I did. Now, a degree in English does have benefits. I know now when I’m breaking grammar rules and when I’m not. But in fiction, you don’t need to follow all the rules. Some people break rules for emphasis such as having a one word sentence or using passive voice. These things go to the writer’s own personal writing style.

But I didn’t need a degree to break the rules. Now I just know that I did.

My advice?

Learn all you can about writing. All that you want. You can never underestimate the power of knowledge from people who may be able to teach you something different. But don’t let a lack of a degree stop you from finishing your book. You don’t have to wait until you’ve so-called “proven yourself” to put that book out there.

Remember: Pauses like that will only hold you back. And trust me, people with degree still make mistakes so there’s never really a so-called perfect time to do accomplish your goals. Now would be most ideal.

Happy writing,

Shaquanda

Picture: DesignbyAmara2

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