Preparing to be a Writer: Education.

Although many suggest Creative Writing Course and Journalism, the path to be a writer is often hampered not by the lack of will, but by the type of preparation. In the old days, people learned at home and those whose parents were professors or professional people had a better chance of writing down their memoirs or stories than those whose parents were farmers. So those who take the academic stream are better able to engage others with their words than those who concentrate on mechanics, vocational training, and office work. In some States and Provinces, the requirements for English are the same, but in others, the standards for those who go to University are much higher. If you happen to live in one of those not so equal states and you decide to be a writer, you will have a hard time about it unless you are writing first person stories.

Unless you cannot avoid it, take the courses that will lead to University. Grades Ten to Twelve are very important because it is there you will acquire a college vocabulary and have access to more material, as well as development of thinking skills. However, if you have to switch to the general program in Grade Ten or Eleven because of a death in the family, or the sudden loss of money, you will have to learn on your own and usually you may not get a chance until your family is grown or you have acquired enough money to take night courses.

Someone who did not go to college or did not have the proper education cannot pick the right word out of the sky. The person, will have to work harder as I did and I am one whose circumstances forced me to change from the University to the Business program. I have Word Wrap on my computer, I have a couple of online dictionaries available, and I have the dreaded Word Grammar and Spelling Checker. There are some meanings whose nuances I am not sure of, and there are some words that are not part of my normal vocabulary because I missed hearing them in Business. The reason why there are books telling one how to improve your vocabulary is because of the division of learning structures in some schools. So if this is your case, it will be harder for you to become a writer, but not impossible.