Here in Canada they dropped Grade 13 some years ago but added Junior Kindergarten so the total years of education remains at fourteen. Then there’s college, university or a trade apprenticeship. Probably 18 years of one’s life will be devoted to education. That’s enough, right? Nope. If you’re in a profession, you need to stay current.

This is also true for technical careers like computer systems analysis. Most HR departments will emphasize the importance of continuous learning and many companies will subsidize much or all of it. In-house programs are another means by which corporations attempt to maintain a well-educated workforce.

As a writer, continuous education is even more important. The more you learn, the more you have to work with when you write. A study of History can generate any number of plot ideas. If you write fantasy and like to build worlds, geography can provide a solid base on which to build. Economics can teach you how you might implement trade and commerce in your imaginary world and just about any of the sciences can provide fodder for science fiction.

It’s difficult to think of any subject which isn’t helpful for writers. Some might argue math can take a back seat, but consider a planet on which the dominant race has a thumb and only three fingers instead of four. They might use base eight for all their calculations. I realize that’s not overly complex but it’s still math of a sort.

Therefore, I believe continuous education will benefit writers. How might you go about acquiring it? First, you need a plan. Ask yourself a few questions. What is your genre? Are your stories plot or character driven? If the latter, you might want to start with Psychology. Alternatively for a broader scope, Sociology might be best. Choose something you think would be useful.

 

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Next drive a stake in the ground, so to speak, and decide how much you already know about the subject. If you studied it in University, you can proceed to an advanced level. For those with little prior knowledge, an overview course would be better.

The beautiful thing about education is there is a LOT of free material available. Many top universities provide free courseware. An internet search for ‘subject’, ‘education’, and ‘free’ will generate plenty of hits. In addition, you can try YouTube. You might be surprised by how much material on any given subject can be found there. Just be careful. Not all of it is reliable. Alternatively you can find books at your local library but there is a risk of being overwhelmed by their number.

To simplify selection, check out courses provided by universities. For example, if you want an exposure to psychology basics, search for Psychology 101 and see if a syllabus has been published. Frequently you will find one and this can direct your choice of reading. For those wishing to learn at a more advanced level, journals are helpful. Articles written in them will be specialized so you may need to search for papers related to your interest but they are frequently available. Recently JSTOR began offering a number of free articles per month to those who are new to it in hopes of obtaining paid subscribers. Some libraries also offer access to academic publications for their patrons.

Although learning should be continuous, it doesn’t need to be odious. Pace yourself. Don’t attempt to take on a full academic workload when you’re trying to carve out a career, possibly maintain a relationship, care for children, and write. When it comes to learning, regular nibbles are better than huge bites you can’t swallow.  Maybe you can find only fifteen minutes in your day for this pursuit. That’s fine. On the other hand, perhaps you can do an hour’s studying on Saturday and Sunday. Determine what works for you and then go for it.   

 

 

This guest post was contributed by Doug Lewars. Doug is not necessarily over the hill but he’s certainly approaching the summit. He enjoys writing, reading, fishing and sweets of all sorts. He has published thirteen books on Smashwords.com.