what does a creative writing professor earn

Creative Writer Salary in the United States

Creative writer salary.

How much does a Creative Writer make in the United States? The average Creative Writer salary in the United States is $62,114 as of March 26, 2024, but the salary range typically falls between $55,731 and $70,381 . Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education , certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.

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What is a Creative Writer ?

Creative Writer is a word processor released by Microsoft Kids in 1993. Using this program, which is specifically targeted at children, it is possible to create documents such as letters, posters, flyers and stories complete with different fonts, Clip art, WordArt and effects. The interface and environment is especially targeted towards children and is set in Imaginopolis with the main helper being a character known as McZee. A sequel, Creative Writer 2, was released in 1996. Both are now discontinued, but can still be acquired from online stores and auction websites such as eBay. The origina...

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Level of education.

• Creative Writer Salaries with an Associate's Degree
• Creative Writer Salaries with a Bachelor's Degree
• Creative Writer Salaries with a Master's Degree or MBA
• Creative Writer Salaries with a JD, MD, PhD or Equivalent

Creative Writer Salary by State

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How much money can you make with a creative writing degree?

Does your dream degree lead to your dream salary?

After graduation, creative writing graduates typically earn high salaries compared to the national average. Top earners make $ 73,586 , while the bottom 20% make close r to $ 24,269 . The median grad salary is $ 42,259 .

Creative Writing graduate salaries over time

The typical early career salary for someone with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing is $ 30,912 , and within five years of graduation, this average salary goes up to $ 36,468 .

This chart maps the average workforce wage by years of experience:

Wage ($USD)

Years of work experience.

Pro tip Still unsure if a degree in creative writing is your calling? Read our comprehensive guide on choosing a career

Discover what you’ll learn—and what you can do after you graduate.

Creative Writing

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How Much Do Creative Writers Make? – Salary Details

Working as a writer is a job that you may find appealing.

Writing is a career that sounds romantic to many.

It can allow you to express yourself to a greater extent than most people you know, and some writers can make good money.

Of course, writing also has a long association with poor incomes, and the impoverished writer is something of a stereotype (in fictional stories, interestingly). What’s the truth? What kind of creative writing salary do most people in the industry make?

As always, there are a number of different factors that will determine the income you can expect to make as a creative writer. 

Where you live will, of course, be a factor; if you’re living in a major city in California, you can expect (and indeed, SHOULD expect) to make more money than if you live in Nebraska’s rural expanses.

Unsurprisingly, as with many other jobs, the amount of experience you have will also be a factor; more experience in creative writing means better pay for your work.

So what is the usual creative writing salary, and what is a good creative writing salary?

Jump to Topic hide Entry-Level Average High-End

Entry-Level

The price that you demand for your first creative writing job will vary, mostly because you can bring wildly differing levels of knowledge to the field.

Someone who has only a GED may struggle to organize their thoughts, use correct grammar, or craft an interesting narrative.

On the other hand, someone with some education in creative writing is more likely to be adept at the actual writing they do.

So while both the high school graduate and the person with a four-year degree in a topic like English or fiction writing will seek an entry-level job, what they will make can vary wildly.

People without any education or training in creative writing who are applying for their first creative writing position can expect to make around $25,000 a year.

According to ZipRecruiter, 14% of all creative writing jobs currently open pay between $19,000 and $25,000 a year. Incidentally, that makes up the greatest portion of writing jobs currently open.

If you want to make more than that, you need education. You can take classes at your local college, gain experience by working as a writer, take courses like the creative writing course at Stratford Career Institute .

Thankfully, though low-paying creative writing jobs are the most plentiful, the average pay for a creative writer is literally double the entry-level pay.

As of July 2021, the average pay for a creative writing position is about $63,395 annually, which comes out to roughly $30 an hour.

This is the kind of pay you can expect if you’ve spent a few years writing, have a good education in writing, or demonstrate some mixture of the two.

The top 90th percentile can expect to make a bit more than the average. ZipRecruiter reports that the annual salary of those in the 90th percentile is around $78,000, which is slightly better than the average pay.

If you’re considering a career as a creative writer, a professional writer, or really any kind of writer, you need to begin with a basis of knowledge to help you excel.

If you don’t already have that base, you should consider Stratford Career Institute’s course to get started.

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Creative Writing English Professor Education Requirements

The educational requirements for a creative writing english professor are typically a Doctorate degree. According to Dr. Christina Fisanick , Associate Professor of English at California University of Pennsylvania, "English majors are placed in a broad range of fields after graduation...critical thinking and adaptability are key skills." She further mentions that "editing and word processing software will remain in heavy use by our graduates in the workplace, along with social media and other communication applications." This highlights the importance of technological skills in the field of creative writing english professorship.

What education do you need to become a creative writing english professor?

What degree do you need to be a creative writing english professor.

The most common degree for creative writing english professors is bachelor's degree, with 59% of creative writing english professors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 37% and master's degree degree at 4%.

• Bachelor's , 59%
• Master's , 37%
• Associate , 4%

What should I major in to become a creative writing english professor?

According to the education requirements, the best college majors for a creative writing english professor are English, Writing, and Linguistics. Postsecondary teachers typically need a Ph.D. or other doctorate in their field, and most Ph.D. programs require students to write a doctoral dissertation presenting original research in their field of study. For some specialties or part-time positions, schools may hire those with a master's degree or who are doctoral degree candidates.

• English , 37%
• Writing , 15%
• Linguistics , 7%
• Fine Arts , 7%
• Other Majors , 34%

Most common colleges for creative writing english professors

Creative writing english professors often get their degrees at University of Miami, Southern Connecticut State University, and New York University. Here are the most common colleges for creative writing english professors in the US based on their resumes.

Best majors for creative writing english professors

Best colleges for creative writing english professors.

Stanford University, Harvard University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill top the list of best colleges for creative writing english professors. These institutions offer rigorous programs that prepare graduates for successful careers in academia. Their high admissions and retention rates, coupled with the impressive earnings of graduates, make them stand out. Additionally, their emphasis on creative writing ensures aspiring professors receive a well-rounded education.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

5. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

20 best online courses for creative writing english professors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for creative writing english professors

The most affordable schools for creative writing english professors are Hunter College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for creative writing english professors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for creative writing english professors.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

Cost of Attendance

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

5. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

6. Baruch College of the City University of New York

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

9. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

10. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for creative writing english professors

The hardest universities for creative writing english professors to get into are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for creative writing english professors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for creative writing english professors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Admissions Rate

SAT Average

2. Columbia University in the City of New York

3. stanford university, 4. harvard university.

5. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

9. University of Southern California

10. University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN • Private

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for creative writing english professors

The easiest schools for creative writing english professors to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, wayland baptist university, and mount saint mary's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a creative writing english professor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for creative writing english professors.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

3. Mount Saint Mary's University

4. our lady of the lake university.

San Antonio, TX • Private

5. Barry University

6. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

7. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

9. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

10. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Average creative writing english professor salary by education level

According to our data, creative writing english professors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $82,251 annually. Creative writing english professors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $65,691.

Creative Writing English Professor Education FAQs

What is the best college for creative writing english professors, search for creative writing english professor jobs.

Updated April 5, 2024

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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The Average Income of a Creative Writing Major

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How Much Money Do Magazine Writers Make?

What kind of job can you get with an associate's in communications, qualifications needed to be a college professor in english or communications.

• Web Content Editor Job Description
• What Does a Fashion Magazine Columnist Earn?

Creative writing majors exist at the undergraduate and graduate level. The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is the field's most common terminal degree program. Following the completion of a master's degree in creative writing, students become eligible for college-level teaching positions. Creative writing majors may pursue careers as published authors, editors, professors, and freelancers. Writers and authors tend to earn above average income, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Starting Salary

Professional writing positions typically require a bachelor's degree, intermediate computer skills, and solid writing abilities. Some colleges offer an undergraduate degree in English, with a concentration in creative writing. Entry-level writing jobs exist at newspapers, magazines, and advertising agencies. Experience is usually necessary in order to advance to editorial positions or higher-paid assignments. According to North Carolina State University, the average starting salary for an undergraduate creative writing major was $37,154, as of July 2010.

Writers and Authors

Writers and authors may work as freelancers that create original books, articles, or technical documents. Some writers work full-time in other industries while they build a client list. As of May 2010, the average income for writers and authors was $55,420. Those in the lowest 10 percent earning bracket had salaries of $28,610 or less. Writers and authors in the highest 10 percent earning bracket had average salaries of $109,440 or more. Industries that paid the highest average salaries were advertising and motion pictures. Average salaries for writers and authors working in these industries were $62,000 or higher.

Technical Writers

Creative writing majors with a technical background may pursue a career as a technical writer. The information technology and scientific research industries need technical writers to compose documentation. Product manuals and procedural documents illustrate technical concepts in a more simplistic manner. The average salaries for technical writers were $63,280 as of May 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Software publishers paid the highest wages, at an average of $76,410 per year. Management and consulting services paid the least, with average salaries of $62,290.

College Professors

The Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) reports that the number of tenure-track teaching positions in creative writing are far below their demand. Part-time, adjunct teaching positions are more common and are becoming increasingly competitive. A growth in the number of master's degrees and Ph.D. graduates in creative writing is partly to blame for the increase in competition. Creative writing majors who obtain postsecondary teaching positions may earn between $30,720 and $130,510, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average income for postsecondary teachers was $62,050, as of May 2010.

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook: Postsecondary Teachers
• Association of Writers and Writing Programs: Annual Report on the Academic Job Market
• North Carolina State University: What Can I Do With A Major In English?
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook: Writers and Authors
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook: Technical Writers
• Degree Directory.org: Creative Writer Salary and Career FAQs

Helen Akers specializes in business and technology topics. She has professional experience in business-to-business sales, technical support, and management. Akers holds a Master of Business Administration with a marketing concentration from Devry University's Keller Graduate School of Management and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Antioch University Los Angeles.

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Official 06 Set 5

Character sketch.

A. how to keep a reader’s interest

B. how to create believable characters

C. key differences between major and minor characters

D. techniques for developing short-story plots

NARRATOR:Listen to part of a lecture in a creative writing class. MALE PROFESSOR:Alright everybody, the topic for today is, well, we're gonna take a look at how to start creating the characters for the story you're writing.One way of doing that is to come up with what's called "a character sketch", I don't mean a sketch like a drawing, I guess that's obvious. It's um... it's a... a sketch is a way of getting started on defining your characters' personalities. To begin, how do we create fictional characters? We don't just pull them from thin air, do we? I mean we don't create them out of nothing.We base them, consciously or unconsciously, we base them on real people, or we blend several people's traits, their attributes into one character.But when people think fiction, they may assume the characters come from the author's imagination.But the writer's imagination is influenced by... by real people.Could be anyone, so pay attention to the people you meet, someone in class, at the gym, that guy who is always sitting in the corner of the coffee house, um... your cousin, who's always getting into dangerous situations.We're pulling from reality, gathering bits and pieces of real people.You use these people, and the bits of behavior or characteristics as a starting point as you begin to sketch out your characters. Here is what you should think about doing first. When you begin to formulate a story, make a list of interesting people you know or have observed.Consider why they're unique or annoying. Then make notes about their unusual or dominant attributes.As you create fictional characters, you'll almost always combine characteristics from several different people on your list to form the identity and personality of just one character.Keeping this kind of character sketch can help you solidify your character's personality, so that it remains consistent throughout your story. You need to define your characters, know their personalities so that you can have them acting in ways that are predictable, consistent with their personalities.Get to know them like a friend, you know your friends well enough to know how they'll act in certain situations, right?Say you have three friends, their car runs out of gas on the highway. John gets upset. Mary remains calm. Teresa takes charge of handling the situation. And let's say,both John and Mary defer to her leadership.They call you to explain what happened.And when John tells you he got mad, you're not surprised, because he always gets frustrated when things go wrong.Then he tells you how Teresa took charge, calmed him down, assigned tasks for each person and got them on their way.Again, you're not surprised. It's exactly what you'd expect.Well, you need to know your characters, like you know your friends...if you know a lot about the person's character, it's easy to predict how they'll behave.So if your character's personalities are well-defined, it will be easy for you as the writer to portray them realistically... er... believably, in any given situation. While writing character sketches, do think about details.Ask yourself questions, even if you don't use the details in your story, um... what does each character like to eat, what setting does each prefer, the mountains, the city, what about educational background, their reactions to success or defeat, write it all down. But, here I need to warn you about a possible pitfall.Don't make you character into a stereotype.Remember the reader needs to know how your character is different from other people who might fall in the same category.Maybe your character loves the mountains and has lived in a remote area for years.To make sure he is not a stereotype, ask yourself how he sees life differently from other people who live in that kind of setting. Be careful not to make him into the cliché of the "ragged mountain dweller". Okay, now, I'll throw out a little terminology... it’s easy stuff.Major characters are sometimes called "round characters".Minor characters are sometimes called, well, just the opposite, "flat". A round character is fully developed; a flat character isn't, character development is fairly limited.The flat character tends to serve mainly as a motivating factor.For instance, you introduce a flat character who has experienced some sort of defeat...and then your round...your main character who loves success and loves to show off, comes and boasts about succeeding... and jokes about the flat character's defeat in front of others... humiliates the other guy.The flat character is introduced solely for the purpose of allowing the round character to show off.

旁白：听一段关于创意写作的课程。 教授：好，各位，我们今天的话题呢，就是我们来看看怎样着手为你在写的故事创造一个角色。其中一种方法就是想出一个“人物草图”，我并不是指像画画那样的草图啊，这个你们明白的。嗯，一个草图呢，是一开始给你的人物性格下定义的一种方法。 首先，我们怎样创作一个小说角色呢？我们并不是空想出来一个角色，我是说我们并不是凭空捏造一个角色。我们有意或无意的会把我们创作的角色建立在一个真实的人身上，或者融合好几个人的特点、性格集中在一个角色身上。但当人们提到小说时，他们可能会认为这些角色都是作者想象出来的。但是作者的想象受到真实人物的影响。可能是任意一个人，所以，留心你们所遇见的人，班里的、健身房里的、经常坐在咖啡馆角落里的、还有经常处于危险境地的你的表兄弟。我们从现实中采集素材，收集真实人物的零星片段。你利用这些人，利用他们行为特征的点点滴滴作为你构思你人物草图的起始点。 下面是你首先应该考虑的。当你决定开始策划一个故事的时候，列出你认识或观察过的有趣的人。考虑一下为什么他们很独特或者很讨人厌。记下来他们的不同之处和他们身上显著的品质。当你在创作小说人物时，你经常是把你列在单子上的那些不同的人的一些性格特征结合在一块儿，来塑造一个人物的身份和性格。用这种人物草图的方法能帮助你巩固你的角色性格，就能在你整个故事中保持一致性。 你需要使你的人物角色明确，了解他们的性格特征，这样你就能让他们以可预测的方式行动，与他们的性格保持一致。像一个朋友一样的去了解他们，你对你的朋友很了解，知道他们在某些场合会如何行动，是吧？比如说，你有三个朋友，他们的车在高速公路上没有汽油了。约翰很生气，玛丽很平静，特丽莎负责处理这个情况。咱比如说，约翰和玛丽都听从她的领导。他们给你打电话说明发生了什么事。当约翰告诉你他很生气的时候，你并不吃惊，因为出问题的时候他总是很受挫。然后他告诉你特丽莎是怎么处理的，怎么让他平静下来的，又是怎么样给每个人分配任务然后又从新上路的。你还是一点都不吃惊，因为这些和你想到的一样。嗯，你需要了解你的角色，就像你了解你的朋友一样，如果你对一个人的性格了解的很多，对他们接下来会做什么就很容易预见了。所以，如果你的人物的性格定义明确，那你作为一个作家就能够很轻松的把这些任务描述的很逼真，嗯，无论在什么情况下都很可信。 当你们在写角色草图的时候，一定要想想细节。自己问自己一些问题，即使你在你的故事里用不到这些细节，那也还是考虑一下。比如说，每个人物都喜欢吃些什么，他们都喜欢什么样的环境，山啊，城市啊，教育背景怎么样啊，他们对于成功与失败的反应啊，把这些都写下来。 但是，我也得提醒你一个可能的陷阱。不要让你的角色变得老套。你一定要记住，读者需要知道你的人物是怎样和其他那些类似的角色有所不同的。可能你的人物热爱高山，在一个遥远的地方住了很多年。要确保你的人物不是老一套的，问问你自己，他是怎样与生活在同样环境里的人有着不同的生活观念。一定不要让他成为陈词滥调的一个“衣衫褴褛的山居者”。 好的，现在呢，我来讲点术语吧，这是个很简单的东西。主要角色通常被叫做“圆整人物”次要角色通常被称为，正好相反，“扁平人物”。一个圆整人物是需要充分描述的，而扁平人物却不是，他们角色发展是相当有限的。扁平人物大都是作为一个激励因素而存在。比如说，你引出一个扁平人物，这个人经历过一些失败，接下来，你的圆整人物，也就是主角，一个爱成功爱显摆的人出现了，在众人面前吹嘘自己的成功，并且笑话扁平人物的失败，羞辱其他人。单独引入这个扁平人物的主要作用就是为了让圆整人物吹嘘炫耀。

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All right everybody. The topic for today is, well... we’re gonna take a look at how to start creating the characters for the stories you’re writing.

教授在课程开始就介绍了今天的主题：怎样创造character，对应答案B。

A选项，interest未提及。C选项，differences未提及。D选项，short-story未提及。

如果对题目有疑问，欢迎来提出你的问题，热心的小伙伴会帮你解答。

预计练习时间：17min14s