School Daze: 7 Things I Wish I Could Go Back And Say To Smug Creative Writing Classmates

We all have something to learn, buckaroo.

By Christine Sloan Stoddard

"Are you dead yet? Good, then you're not done learning. Saddle up! Life is (or will hopefully be) a long ride!" That's the gist of what I wish I had said to fellow creative writing undergrads back in my own arrogant days of youth. Some classmates were just...the worst. I'll never forget the woman who started sobbing in the middle of class and exclaimed that she was more talented than all of us. Dear reader, I promise you that we were not attacking her. She simply couldn't bear an ounce of constructive criticism. If anyone did the attacking, it was her, workshop after workshop. Now that I have a few years of emotional distance, I wish I could go back and say these 7 things to her and other smug creative writing classmates:
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1. Being mean doesn't make you a better writer. It doesn't make you a better anything, except for a better meanie. Focus your energy on writing (and reading, too.) You don't have to love everything your classmates write, but you don't have to trash it for the sake of trashing it, either.

2. Drop your cliques. It's okay to have a class buddy. It's not okay to actively make certain classmates feel excluded. High school is over. Don't gang up on people during workshops just because they're not part of your clique. Make an effort to be courteous and inclusive. 

3. Actually do your assignments. Sure, things happen, but you committed to taking a course. Do your best to keep up with the classwork. Read the assigned readings. Write what you're asked to write. Read your classmates' writing and prepare feedback. Otherwise, drop out and maybe join the circus. Or at least take a break and come back when you're ready to take school seriously.

​4. Your taste is your taste. You're entitled to your favorite books, magazines, plays, podcasts, and movies. Not everybody will agree with you. One of the reasons you're in school is to challenge your ideas and broaden your views. This will probably require reading something you don't immediately adore, whether from the syllabus or your classmates' writing portfolios. 

​5. Think critically about why you do or don't like something. This is certainly an extension of #4. Critical thinking takes practice. 

6. Your classmates have talents you may not see. Good teachers of all kinds learn to recognize people's talents. They help students see their gifts and potential for themselves. When your teacher encourages or compliments your classmate for their writing, it's not necessarily because of favoritism or a love affair. On a related note, it's sexist and gross to assume that a student is only receiving positive feedback because the teacher wants to sleep with them (or already has.)

7. Fame shouldn't be the objective. Writers are artists. As artists, they aim to express themselves and possibly inspire others in the process. Attaining fame and fortune shouldn't be the primary goal. Get a finance degree if you want a shot at ending up filthy rich. Otherwise, shut up and stop bragging about how everyone's going to know your name one day. You're being obnoxious. Get back to writing.