This is a post about something I want far more than any designer product, but might not be able to afford either.
And I got offered one of the places! Dreams do come true.Approximately one-thousand home/EU applicants apply every year for its twenty-five places making it one of the most popular arts degree courses in Europe. However, this degree attracts substantial numbers of young writers from the Americas, China, Singapore, India and Africa.
From the course website
I’m talking about the English Literature and Creative Writing course at Warwick University.
I’ve been doing a lot of research on possible scholarships and grants, so fingers crossed I find some way to pay for it.
I’m posting some answers from my online interview in case anyone’s interested. But feel free to skip this far too long post, because I don’t imagine there are very many people who find it helpful or an otherwise thrilling read.
I didn’t know what they were expecting from me and took a few risks. Seems that they paid off. Still, even now a part of me can’t believe that I actually wrote about some of the stuff below. And that they offered me a place after that.
What is about Warwick University and this course that attracts you?
Creative activities, especially writing, have appealed to me since I can remember. For me, the biggest thrill I can have is allowing characters from my strange imagination to come to life on paper: giving them personalities, ideas, problems, adventures, lives. Last year, after having studied Economics and Business Administration for nearly three semesters I finally made the decision to focus on what I love doing the most – which is without a doubt creative writing.
Studying in the United Kingdom has been my goal since my favourite lessons at school – British Literature and English – gave me some knowledge of the country and its culture and left me desperate to learn more. As I am determined to improve my writing skills as much as possible, studying English Literature and Creative Writing at Warwick is unquestionably the best possible step for me to take.
I’ll admit that the first time I heard about this institution was on Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s former radio show. Merchant’s anecdotes about his time there made it sound like a charming and exciting place. Having done excessive research before applying, I can now say with certainty that it would be the best place for me to study the subject I am interested in. Not only has the department consistently achieved impressive results, but the overall atmosphere on the campus appears to be ideal for a versatile and memorable university experience.
What are your three favourite books beyond what you have read for your studies - and why do you admire them? They don't all have to be “literary” books.
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
Before reading American Psycho I did not understand how an art form could truly influence a person, but now I can honestly say that this novel changed my life. It was unlike any other book I had read before, breaking all the rules I thought existed in fiction writing. The main character Patrick Bateman lacks any likeable qualities; he is the ugly face of today’s shallow consumerist society. His prejudiced thoughts and violent actions make the whole book completely politically incorrect. Also, it does not have a clear moral message, the antagonist is not punished or condemned and there is not even a real conclusion. Reading it at the age of 18 opened my eyes about the immense freedom a writer has and convinced me to follow my childhood dream of becoming one myself.
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
Even though the subject matter was not something I had any particular interest in, the book effortlessly captured and intrigued me from the first page. The author’s spectacularly elaborate descriptions manage to make the main character’s extraordinary world that is filled with millions of distinguishable smells seem real, tangible. It offers an insight into the depraved mind of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, showing how dangerously fine the line between passion and obsession is. Through his destructive quest to create the ideal scent and his bitter disillusionment with its effects the reader sees the hidden dangers of striving for perfection. Like the character of Patrick Bateman, Grenouille is thoroughly evil, but utterly fascinating. The powerful, haunting ending that American Psycho lacks makes this book a literary masterpiece in my mind.
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Right from the beginning, I could relate to Briony’s character. As a child, I too wrote numerous plays that I wanted to perform with my friends and relatives, only to be frustrated every time since their levels of enthusiasm always failed to reach mine. Atonement is a heartbreaking tale about the power of an artist’s wild imagination. Not only can it create remarkable work, but it can just as easily destruct people’s lives. The narrative lets the reader see situations through different eyes, giving multiple interpretations and offering the idea of the relativity of truth. The last part of the novel reveals that the whole preceding story was a book written by Briony. It changes the value of the words as they too were a part of Briony’s imagination and the real feelings and actions of the characters remain forever unknown. Even though giving people a fictional happy ending does not mean anything except gives the author a certain feeling of atonement, I could not help but sympathise with Briony who spends her whole life regretting a childhood mistake that can not be undone.
Have you ever experienced any personal struggle in your life, and did that struggle inform your writing?
Fortunately I have not experienced any serious personal struggle in my life. The situation that seems funny now but was highly tragic for me at the time happened in June 2008, a couple of days before graduation while we were on a school trip to Bulgaria. Everyone kept checking their mobile phones all evening to see if they had yet received the final exam results. These were for the Estonian exam which was a kirjand, a piece of writing similar to an essay with the time limit of six hours.
For me, that was the most important exam because it was basically my first piece of writing evaluated by someone outside our school. I had always enjoyed writing kirjand’s in class and my mock exam had gone exceptionally well: I received 96 points out of 100, which was the best result of the year. After that everyone around me expected me to get maximum points in the real exam since the teachers in our school were known to be much stricter than the ones who assessed the exams. As a result I was quite confident waiting for my score – which made the shock all the greater. I got 89 points and looking at these numbers on my phone screen I remember thinking, so that is what it feels like when your world crashes down. I had not admitted it to anyone and not even to myself, but I truly believed I would get 100 points. Even 99 would have been a bit of a disappointment, and to get ten points less than that was devastating. To me, the result had a different meaning than it did to all my classmates. I was not worried about the possibility of losing a place at some university because of it; I started questioning myself and my writing abilities as I had failed to ace a simple writing task that everyone who wishes to finish secondary education has to pass.
In a way, it was writing that got me through it. The book I was working on at the time was largely autobiographical, so a few moments after receiving my score – like in most other situations in my life – I imagined how it would look like in the book and decided that a dramatic moment like that would fit in it perfectly. So for the remainder of the night, even when I was crying on my friends’ shoulders and admitting the fear of not being a good enough writer, I was making mental notes of my emotions and thoughts. A few times I even fantasised about being a published writer who is able to laugh in the face of this person who failed to comprehend my genius. Later, writing it down, I relived it during every rewrite, analysed my feelings and came to peace with them. I also realised that painful moments provide the best inspiration and material, giving me as a writer exclusive insight into the human soul while it is being ripped apart.
Do you like your own writing?
I do. I reread and rewrite my pieces until I am completely satisfied with the result.
In my final school year our Estonian teacher read out some poetry that members of our class had written seven years before. After having to listen to a bunch of long and childish poems, I finally heard one that I liked, and muttered to my friend, “At last, one that’s actually quite good.” Then the teacher revealed that it had been written by me. The blush that these words caused to appear on my cheeks only deepened when this friend decided to immediately tell all the people around us exactly what had happened.
So I guess that means I can say that I would like my writing even if I did not know it had been written by me.
And, finally, please write 200 words arguing that ‘Inspiration is central to creative writing’; and then write 200 words arguing the opposite.
Creative writing is nothing like being an accountant, cashier or manager – it is unlike most work. Remarkable literary pieces can not be written by anyone, anytime. The writer always has to come up with something new and interesting. There has to be an original idea and these do not come whenever you decide to write, whenever you decide to have them. There has to be a catalyst that starts the creative process, some sort of influence, something we are inspired by. Inspiration can not be planned, because it can come at any time and we can never even guess where it could take us. But when it suddenly strikes, it can fill the empty page you might have been staring at for hours with captivating text as quickly as you are able move your pen on it. I know from my own experience how easily a book can inspire you to become a writer and a surreal dream can inspire you to come up with a whole film script. Once there is a phenomenal idea, you can centre your whole work on it. But there’s the rub: you need to find it first.
If we are being honest then the lack of inspiration is nothing but an excuse – albeit a good one – not to create something. More often than not, getting to work and concentrating on it produces better results than waiting for this mysterious thing called inspiration to suddenly come and take over. Ideas are everywhere and all of them are really rooted in the author’s own mind. In the end, it is the writer who does the work. The face, song, weather condition or whatever else that inspired him or her did not create anything. Neither did hundreds of other people who probably saw, heard or experienced the exact same thing. The writer sensed something innovative the others did not, but it was something he or she knew all along. All that the author received was a push in the right direction. And from then on it was his/her own hard work that produced the writing. There are plenty of authors who write for several hours every day and achieve impressive results. It is not realistic to believe they receive the same amount of inspiration every time, but it is fair to say that they put the work in.
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