Writer Tips | seaconf

college and career resources for high school students...

Writer Tips:

We interviewed several professional authors and those working in the publishing industry. They helped provide insight into the college search process for those interested in being an author.

Name: Norm Cowie

Occupation: Young adult and adult author

College: Western Michigan University

Major: Advertising

Norm Cowie is an award-winning business columnist, founder of the Humor Writers of America and author of nine mostly humor/adventure books for both young adults and adults. He was the official litter changer for a nineteen year old cat that just passed away, and mourns his loss while trying to clean nineteen years worth of litter dust from his home.

Norm's Top 5 Tips:

1) Learn who your professor is before you take the class.

2) Interact with your professor. He/she can give you powerful insight into your chosen profession

3) Mentor - look for one, and then look into being one. The best way to learn is to teach.

4) Don't be so tunnel-visioned by focusing solely on your chosen field that you miss other wonderful opportunities. Try something you never would have considered.

5) Beware of people who offer you funnel-cake. It is the food of the devil.

What are some questions I should ask myself when choosing a creative major? Will this fulfill what I am looking for both emotionally and financially? If it will only do one of these, what will I do to satisfy the other?

What are some questions I should ask myself when choosing a college? Does this college have the course study I need? In what ways does it not and will it ultimately be important? Does it need to be this college, or is another college more fine-tuned to my needs and desires? Am I picking this school for the right reasons? (or did the free T-shirts sway me too much?)

What questions should I ask when visiting a college? How much one on one time can I get with an educator in my field? Is mentoring available, and what do I need to do to get it? What kind of placement options do you provide? Will there be free funnel cake?

What is your message to parents of high school seniors who are wanting to major in the arts? Let them make their own mistakes. Look how your mistakes ended up not mattering as much as you thought. Unless they did, in which case forget what I just said.

What is your message to high school seniors who want to major in the arts? There is no better calling in the world than to amaze, entertain and capture the imagination of others. Except maybe being a nun in a Third World country, but performing isn't quite as daunting as living in a mosquito-infested hut somewhere.

What are some of the different careers/jobs you have either had or are familiar with? In the writing world, so much has opened up with self-publishing options. Having been down the route of traditional and self-published, explore all options before you make a decision which way to go. Also, there are many blogging opportunities now - they are in many cases swamping the traditional routes of writing columns for newspaper and magazines. Some of them become very profitable, others aren't. But anyone with a great idea can profit financially and emotionally.

What are your tips, strategies, and actions for students to take while in college? Use the apps 'rate your professor' to make sure you are aligning yourself with the professors who are popular with students. A teacher who engages their students is far better and will have a more lasting impact than one who simply teaches by rote.

Is there a resource you recommend? http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ There are many of these type of sites available.