Guest post by Kelly Williams, 2019 graduate in Creative Writing & English literature and winner of the V.Press Prize for Poetry.

The wonder of a Creative Writing degree is how it is built to benefit you with a magnitude of different skills, styles, and opportunities for you to seize as lovers of the subject.

Studying a degree in Creative Writing and English Literature allowed me to develop my skills as a writer and hone them into something productive. Before studying at Worcester, writing was a hobby and now I view it as a career path; I am able to understand it as something that can be improved and developed beyond that. In particular, studying a Creative Writing degree at Worcester allowed me to differentiate between writing styles, which led to me realising that I love to write poetry. Once I had dived headfirst into this topic, I could apply what I was learning from poetry to subjects like Playwriting, Writer as Researcher and Ecocriticism.

At the University of Worcester, I experienced such incredible tutoring from all Creative Writing staff. I always felt listened to, and they went above and beyond to assist me in all projects I underwent as part of the course. They didn’t just do the bare minimum, but they went beyond that to make my projects and the tutoring I received personal and rewarding to work with. I will always be grateful to Jack, Ruth and Katy specifically for enabling me to excel in areas that I never knew I could excel in.

Thanks to my remarkable experience as a Creative Writing student at the University of Worcester, I am now a published poet having won the V. Press Poetry Prize of 2019 with my dissertation collection ‘ynygordna’. My dissertation piece is an exceptionally good example of a personal and encouraged piece of work that was made possible by the vast variety of modules and opportunities that the University offered me as a student in my three years there. Now, I am able to set my own deadlines for writing projects, research content in an effective manner and heavily draft/edit my own work without hesitation. I am currently working on a new collection and have the confidence to apply to Poetry Presses during their submission windows.

When starting my degree, I wish I would have known how important the opportunities and contacts are that you interact with during your three years. For that reason, my advice to a first-year student would be take EVERY opportunity you are given. Apply to editing courses, go to spoken word nights, join a writing group, get other people to draft your work with you, work in a library, talk to the library staff. I could go on; it is so vital to make use of everything you are given. Before you know it, it’s year three and the opportunities have passed you by without saying a word.
One thing I would say about your Creative Writing degree is that it creatively sets you free. Like I mentioned before, the degree is built in a way that allows you to apply your techniques and skills together to build your profession in all the styles you love. Not only can I write and draft my own poetry collection, but I can also use those same/similar skills to write and edit my own piece of flash fiction, novel, short story or even a play. Take every opportunity you are given to develop your skills, work your hardest and you will absolutely emerge from this degree with an immense set of writing skills and techniques you can use to further your career.

Follow Kelly @kelannwil