One of the issues when teaching creative writing, or studying it, is the question of the outcome. What should a student expect from a BA or an MA in creative writing? Clearly, not all graduates of such programmes will land a book deal. Not every graduate wants to be a published writer, but most do. Those who don't find a publisher may feel they have failed in their ambitions.
The problem here is that more people than ever are writing and seeking publication, and so competition is fiercer than it was even five years ago. But it's not only a problem of access to publishing deals, but of the arbitary nature of such deals. It's considered bad form to mention this, but not all books in Waterstones are well-written. Genre fiction is often anodine and repetitious; literary fiction can be self-indulgent and over-written. Publishing is not scientific; it's emotional and personal. Publishers publish books they like, or 'feel passionate about'.
In this context, I strongly believe that all creative writing students should be encouraged to aim high, and seek publication for their work if that's their goal. Conventional publishing, with an agent and a publisher behind you, is still the best way to find readers and establish a reputation. No student should be discouraged from this. Publishing remains the gold standard in professional terms.
But on the other hand, I also believe that because of the publishing industry is cautious and conservative, it's also a mistake to write too narrowly with a specific market in mind. If you are going to spend thousands of pounds on a degree in the creative arts, then it should help you to be more creative. Being creative means thinking wild and crazy thoughts, coming at things laterally, being bold and weird. I'd like to see more of that on creative writing programmes, more experimentation.
Also, in the arbitary world of Chosen and Unchosen writers, best sellers have a habit of coming out of left field. (And best sellers are what everyone wants these days.) No one expected Fever Pitch or Bridget Jones' Diary to be game-changing books, but they were. The 'another one like that, please' mentality that prevails in publishing at the moment can stifle originality.
So creative writing programmes can do something really important : help foster bold new writing in any genre. Or even a genre that a student has created for themselves. This is how we can help the Nick Hornbys and Helen Fieldings of the future, as well as the Ian McEwans. The support and feedback of peers and staff, the sense that hard work, redrafting and attention to detail are an intrinsic part of the writing process, the feeling that one is part of a community of like minded people - all of this is vital. These programmes can and should set standards that are not just as high as those expected in publishing, but higher. All students will benefit from that, and the skills and confidence they gain will be useful to them in any future career.
Not every graduate can be a published writer, but the graduates that do get published might help extend the possibilities of what being published means.
