How to Become a Writer in New Jersey with a BFA, MFA or Similar Creative Writing Degree

Creative Writing Classes, Courses, and Workshops in New Jersey Can Prepare You for a Creative Writing Degree

Becoming a creative writer in New Jersey means looking beyond your pages of your journal and getting comfortable with the creative writing scene. Sharing your work, reading and studying others, and becoming part of a community of writers is one of the best ways to explore your craft and take your writing to the next level.

Lucky you – New Jersey has no shortage of opportunities to kickstart your writing journey.

With a goal of bringing together a community of people who love writing, The Writer’s Circle hosts weekly creative writing workshops and special events where you can meet with authors and other industry professionals and get inspired. Best of all, they plan events and workshops in Summit, South Orange, Maplewood, Montclair, and Morristown and offer online workshops for those limited by time or geography.

Madison’s Women Who Write is a regional women’s writing group with groups that meet throughout the state. The organization, which hosts critique groups, workshops, and discussion groups with women across all genres of literature, offers a sense of community, whether you’re a professional writer or simply write as a creative outlet.

Jersey City Writers is a nonprofit in Hudson County that’s dedicated to building a community of writers who inspire and support one another. Poets, novelists, writers of short stories, memoirs, and more are welcome to attend the organization’s workshops, writing marathons, and special events throughout the year.

When you’re not about town participating in writing events and workshops, you can stay inspired through literary journals. Black Fox, an independent literary magazine, was created by three students who completed the same MFA program at Farleigh Dickinson University. They publish the work of both established and new writers and are always keen on submissions from writers representing new and hybrid genres and styles.

The Paterson Literary Review is a big name in poetry, not just in New Jersey but throughout the country. They’ve been up and running since 1979, featuring works of poetry, along with fiction, essays, and memoirs. Get a subscription for frequent inspiration and then join in on the fun and start submitting your own work for a chance to get it published.

The literary magazine, StoryQuarterly, has been the voice of new and emerging writers for more than 30 years, and it’s been at Rutgers University – Camden since 2008. Edited by the director of their MFA program, this well-known literary publication encourages submissions of previously unpublished literary fiction and creative nonfiction.

Writing Colleges in New Jersey Offering Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Creative Writing Provide a Path to Becoming a Writer

Once you’ve been bitten by the writing bug, you’ll likely consider taking your love of the craft to the next level. While there are no set-in-stone rules or prescriptive paths when it comes to embarking on a career in creative writing, arts and fine arts degrees have become the gold standards in the field. Whether at the undergraduate or graduate level, creative writing programs provide emerging writers with the tools, knowledge, and know how needed to turn a hobby into a successful career.