<p>Before I ask my question, here is a list of my marks:
Math 11 Honours: 99.4% but it got rounded down to 99% on my transcript
English 11 Honours: 85%
Foods 11: 91%
Socials 11: 92%
Physics 11: 96%
Chemistry 12: 97%
Spanish 11: 94%
Accounting 11: 94%
(This is what I’ve taken this year, I have also taken biology 11 and chemistry 11, and I have received 92% and 97% in those, respectively.)
It’s very similar to what I’ve posted before, but I have completely updated it.</p>
<p>All right so here’s the question: I want to be a writer, but up until a couple of months ago, I wanted to be an civil engineer so I focused a lot on math and the sciences in my school, which you can clearly see from my mark in the class; will they “laugh” at me for wanting to take a career in the thing, which I have done the worst in?
In case you’re curious as to why I all of a sudden want to become a writer, it’s because having been given a mark, which was exactly on the boundary between an A and B (on the Canadian Scale) and depriving me of the chance to earn straight As and an award that they give for such an achievement at my school, I started writing a short story just as something to get my mind off of English. I also did it because I’m one of those people, who believe the only way to get rid of your fears is by facing it and doing something about it. Anyways, I wrote a couple of pages, and before I knew it, it was just so fun that as of right now, I have written 70 pages or 40,000 words. Yeah, yeah, I know that a bunch of you guys are going to laugh and say, “You’re only 16. How can your novel be good? It must be garbage.” But to you people, all I have to say is that everyone has to start from somewhere. Am i not correct?
This is my start, my beginning. Besides, it’s not like I really believe that with my first novel, I will achieve the “best fiction novel” award or something of that kind; I simply write because I have a passion for it. I enjoy it. This also brings me to the fact that if you believe I want to be a writer because of the desire for fame and money that go along with it, then you are wrong.
Anyways, once again, the question is: will they “laugh” at me for wanting to take a career in the thing, which I have done the worst in?" Or will they take it as a plus that (hopefully by the time I apply, I have finished the book) I have written a book and turn a blind eye to the 85%. Your help for such a worried soul as my own is greatly appreciated. I wish the best for all of you, regardless of your responses.</p>
<p>Actually, I like your intellectual process. I hope you can portray that uniqueness (or even quirkiness) in your personal statements. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>1) No, no one will mind that you want to major in the course you got the lowest mark in since all your marks are pretty good anyways. I actually agree with T26E4, you’re intellectual process and the way your discovered writing are both very interesting.</p>
<p>2) Try to explore writing a bit more. I’m not saying this, because I think your work is bad. Well, I mean, 1st drafts are pretty much always bad, but like you said, you have to start somewhere. I’m actually pretty impressed that you were able to write so much. You’re really lucky that you have that you’re able to do that. But experiencing the process is important so that you know what you’re getting into.</p>
<p>Keep writing, edit your work (after you’re done), try to send some pieces to a few places so that you can understand your potential, enter a few competitions.</p>
<p>some good ones would be: Polyphony HS, Claremont Review
you can google some writing competitions pretty easily</p>
<p>The nice thing about these is that they usually have a gallery or pieces which have won/been published before for you to compare it too. you don’t necessarily have to win, but looking at other pieces can help you gauge how well you’re doing (and entering can help you gauge even more)</p>
<p>you can also PM me if you want me to look at anything, though I can’t guarantee I’ll respond.</p>
<p>Is it bad that I guessed it was going to be English after reading the title? (I know it was a mistake --no offense, I hope!)</p>
<p>I see nothing wrong with you majoring in English; I think it’s a great field, if you have a passion for it. However, I have two concerns. The first, is that English as a major is largely concerned with text analysis, with the writing component being more of a secondary focus as a result. You might want to look at creative writing programs as well, as they place the focus on writing; they’re often offered as minors, but some schools (University of Victoria) offer it within a double major program.</p>
<p>My second concern is whether or not you have a backup plan. As you might imagine, making a living off of writing isn’t a cakewalk. What will you do if it doesn’t pan out? As ucbalumnnus said, you can always major in something else and write about that topic. What genre do you like writing in? Can you turn that into a major you’d feel comfortable studying?</p>
<p>As long as you know what you’re getting into, I hope you enjoy working towards your goal – it’s a good one, and a fun one, too!</p>
<p>@Titomorito, haha I didn’t even see that. It was a typo. At first I meant to write, “I am getting the lowest mark…” but then I realized the school year was done; therefore, I changed it to “got the lowest mark in…” However, I forgot to erase the “am”. My bad. Anyways, enough of my ranting.
That is quite an interesting idea – to minor in creative writing – because then I can also have Engineering as a back up. I have a question though: can I have a minor in Creative writing and possibly a double major with Philosophy and Engineering? @Ucbalumnus, That is a valid point, which is why I’m also thinking about taking Philosophy @Stressedouttt, Thank you for the information on the writing competitions. They seem interesting, and I will hopefully submit a couple of works in. @T26E4 Thank you :D, and I hope so too.</p>
<p>You can, but it’d take you 5 years for sure, and it would be a scheduling nightmare. If you’re at a school that allows multiple minors, you could do that route, or just take the philosophy courses without working towards a minor; I don’t think a major in philosophy will give you enough of a boost in any grad school/job applications to be worth the stress of a second major.</p>
<p>Definitely check out writing competitions, as stressedouttt suggested, as it’ll give you external validation about the quality of your writing, as well as solid criticism of your work. I entered a couple of small-scale ones myself in high school, and it was nice to see what people who didn’t know me thought of my work. :)</p>
<p>You’ve got 3 days. I’m sure there’s a bunch more, and I’ll try to remember to look tomorrow. If you’ve got any short stories or poems you can edit up quickly, it might be worth a shot!</p>
But experiencing the process is important so that you know what you’re getting into.</p>
(I know it was a mistake --no offense, I hope!)</p>