One of the most significant, versatile, and marketable skills in any English major's repertoire is the ability to write clearly and effectively. However, even the best and brightest of us can come face-to-face with the dreaded "writer's block" or feel unsure of how our skills translate into a real-world setting. If you are in need of some writing inspiration and guidance, then take a look at these 14 tips shared by English majors who have made their writing skills work for them in their professional careers.
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Book Recommendations for English Majors
We recently asked our audience for book recommendations on a wide variety of topics, including books about the craft of writing and editing, careers, professional guides, and more. Basically, if it's a book that could be useful to an English major, we want to know about it.
Thank you very much to everyone who shared their book recommendations! Below, you can take a look at the books that inspire and inform the modern English major.
Do you have a recommendation you'd like to share? Fill out our quick and easy survey here!
1. The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
2. The Negative Trait Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
3. The Positive Trait Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
"This tried-and-true trinity is an absolute must-have for any novelist’s library, helping you create dynamic characters by exploring possible personality traits and emotions."
-Denise Leora Madre, English Major, Novelist & Essayist
4. What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles
"This book is an excellent guide when you're feeling lost in your job search. It helps you discover what you have to offer to the world by guiding you in how to translate your passions, talents, and interests into words and phrases an employer wants to hear. It also gets into the nitty-gritty of seeking employment, and how to deal with the anxieties and struggles of the current job market. The most important aspect of this book, however, is the way it helps you understand what type of employment works for you and your personality."
-Erica Lambright, English Major, Administrative Assistant, & Data Specialist
5. The Writer's Options: Lessons in Style and Arrangement by Max Morenberg and Jeff Sommers
"This book was a required text for one of my last classes during undergrad. Each chapter tackles a different element of sentence structure, followed by a few exercises to practice. Readers get to rearrange sentences and really dissect each line. I loved the book, because it made me analyze each and every word I write. Is it important enough to add? Is there a better, more precise way to say what I want to say? If I place this word here, does my meaning change? I could apply the skills from this book to all aspects of my craft - journalism, creative writing, scholarly papers. I'm using those skills right now! It's the grammar book for the biggest of word nerds.
"The book is a bit hokey though; the chapters are presented in a fictive English class, in which the students ask the teacher narrator about sentence structure. The kids are required to say "better" sentences than the ones the teacher presents, and they all get really into it by the end of the book. The exercises, however, are the real jewels of the story."
-Autumn Heisler, English/Creative Writing degree, Editorial Assistant
6. Rise of the Machines by Kristen Lamb
"This book is a veritable Bible for the modern author. Lamb demystifies marketing yourself and your work in the digital age, covering everything from writing effective bios to effectively using different social media platforms."
-Denise Leora Madre, English Major, Novelist & Essayist
7. Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell
"With clear literary examples, brainstorming suggestions, and pointed writing exercises, this book explores the intrinsic connection between plot and structure and effectively teaches how to solve potential problems with both."
-Denise Leora Madre, English Major, Novelist & Essayist
8. Mother Can You Not? by Kate E. Siegel
"Not only does Kate detail how she got into many unpleasant situations with her overbearing mother, but she ultimately discusses how she turned her social media into something big and decided to write her now bestselling memoir/humor book, Mother Can You Not?. For anyone out there who has a parent who says don't get an English degree or that you have to do something specific with your career, Kate will show you that your parents have nothing on her mom and that it is important to do things that you love, i.e. be an English major and writer. When Kate quits her job to write full-time, her mother freaks out, but later supports her daughter's career choices."
-Shira Kipnees, B.A. in English (Creative Writing) and Comparative Literary Studies, Freelance Journalist
9. Careers for Bookworms & Other Literary Types
"This book really opened my eyes to what careers are out there for me. It offers so many careers I hadn't even thought of!"
-Jaci Olson, English Major
10. They Say / I Say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein
"The They Say / I Say series is the one of the best writing texts I own. It clearly defines arguments and also gives numerous examples. If you have difficulty integrating sources into your research essay, this is the book for you."
-Lauren Tubbs, English Major & Legal Assistant
11. Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace by Joseph M. Williams
"For me, Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace by Joseph M. Williams was the best writing/editing bookI've ever read. The best things the book does are show writers what to take out of sentences and how to restructure them for clarity. I always recommend the book to fellow writers because of how much it taught me about the mechanics of the craft. It should be a standard part of the English curriculum for literary folk and tech writers."
-Bart Leahy, Technical Writing M.A. & Freelance Tech Writer
12. Great Courses
"I'm a fan of the Great Courses literature and writing courses. Lectures are delivered via audio and/or video, and each comes with a printable PDF course guide with notes and exercises. I obtain them primarily via Audible, but if you have access to university interlibrary services, you're likely to find what you need on CD."
Courses I've used (since completing my degree! ) include:
Becoming a Great Essayist
From Plato to Postmodernism
How Great Science Fiction Works
Sacred Texts
The Story of Human Language
The Secret Life of Words
Understanding Literature and Life
Writing Great Fiction
-Christina Sanders-Ring, English Major
10 Things I Learned From Teaching English to Non-English Majors
Last fall my school’s English department began a Graduate Teaching Assistant program, which allowed graduate students to teach an English 103 class all by themselves.
What a great opportunity! I thought, I’m in!
I didn’t know what I was in for. Standing there on my first day of school as a teacher, I felt like I wanted to slink away and go back to bed (I thought only students felt that way – apparently teachers can too). Of course I wasn’t allowed to do that, so on that first day I faced my class of 19 students and discovered that none of them were English majors. I had a lot of Business, a lot of Film, a few Bio, but absolutely zero English majors.
This made me kind of sad and a little scared – how was I supposed to teach English to others who might not value it in the same way I do?
But when I pushed through my fear, I discovered that even though my job was to teach others, I wound up learning a lot myself – not only about teaching, but about English too!
The semester had many ups and downs, but by the end of it I knew that the experience was valuable, not only for my students but ultimately for myself. Teaching might not be for everyone, but here are ten valuable things I learned while trying to teach English to non-English majors:
1. Writing is hard for everyone.
I expected that my students would struggle with writing, but I also had a hard time creating responses and assignments myself. It’s one thing to identify a grammar mistake; it’s another thing to explain it to someone else. All of us – my students and I – definitely had to struggle with writing in order to make it work for us last semester.
2. Creating assignments is just as hard as doing them—and may actually be even harder.
Writing an essay prompt is a lot harder than you’d think! There are many aspects to consider: prompts should be rigid enough to be clear, but open enough to give students freedom; they should be short enough to leave room for interpretation but long enough to fully explain expectations – and those are just a few of the requirements of a good prompt. It’s hard writing assignments, and I’m surprised that writing a prompt isn’t a regular assignment itself (Hey! That’s a good idea for next time).
3. You should read the syllabus.
Often when a student would ask a question, I’d point them back to the syllabus or assignment sheet. When a student would miss an assignment I’d be confused, because not only was it often announced in class and online, it was also ultimately found in the syllabus.
I totally understand now why teachers stress reading the syllabus before asking any questions; many of them (including myself) put a lot of hard work into organizing the class, and this can be reflected in the very syllabus you receive at the beginning of the school year. It’s a valuable resource that teachers create especially for you – use it!
4. Your major has nothing to do with how well you write.
As I mentioned, none of my students were English majors, but I was absolutely delighted to see how many of them were already great writers. By the end of the semester I respected every major in that classroom, and I really appreciated how students of different majors provided unique perspectives in their assignments and during class discussions.
5. It’s amazing to see writers grow.
I was absolutely amazed to see how some students progressed through the semester. Even I know I wasn’t the best teacher, but my students really put in the effort, and by the end of the semester I was floored by how well some of them could write.
6. Teaching English is a great way to learn English.
It’s a well-known fact, but if you want to learn something, try teaching it to someone else. I found myself learning so much about English while teaching it because it required me to be able to fully understand and articulate concepts like grammar and analysis. Working as a tutor or a teacher is great practice for English majors – it’ll really help you understand the intricacies of the language better.
7. Most teachers grade to help you improve, not to make you feel bad.
I really detested giving out grades lower than a C, and by the end of the semester I was tempted to just give everyone As because I knew they were putting good effort in. After getting to know my students and grading their work, I know now that grades should considered a way to see areas you can improve, not as final, personal judgements.
I know there are many teachers out there who probably do have hidden agendas behind their grading system, but I also know from my own experiences that at the end of the day, I gave out low grades because I knew my students could do better and I wanted them to know how. I think this is why it’s incredibly important to read your teachers’ comments on your papers if they give them, or even ask why a grade is what it is if you’re not sure. If your teacher is an honest grader (and many are), then a C doesn’t mean that you’re a bad person; it more likely means that your skills can improve.
8. Teachers want to help you—let them!
Teaching keeps you very busy, but I always made sure to give help to those who asked. In fact, I was really excited when people took my offers to meet with them outside of class to discuss essays or projects. I’d never be able to develop helpful relationships with my students unless they also made an effort to talk to me and let me know their needs.
It never hurts to talk to your teachers one on one and make sure they know what you need – chances are, they really want to help you.
““To all teachers out there: thank you. Your hard work and care for your students are an undeserved blessing.””
9. Teachers don’t get paid enough.
There is absolutely no way I would’ve been able to live off of the salary I received that semester, and I can’t even imagine what it’s like for adjunct professors who have to teach not one, but five classes just to be able to make ends meet. The ratio of work put into teaching to how much compensation teachers actually receive is staggeringly uneven; I still can’t figure out how teachers have the patience and the skill to navigate students, planning, and other academic work on the lowest salary imaginable.
To all teachers out there: thank you. Your hard work and care for your students are an undeserved blessing.
10. Teachers are only human.
Teaching is an incredibly hard job: incredibly rewarding, but incredibly hard, and as much as I wanted to make sure every student got the attention, lesson plan, and learning style they needed, I simply didn’t have enough time to cater to everyone’s needs. I could only do my best to make sure I taught as clearly as possible – the actual act of learning, however, was ultimately up to my students.
Teachers are only human, after all, and I believe that treating them as respectfully as possible can really result in some great learning.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tami Orendain has a B.A. in English, an M.A. English, and pretty much just really likes English. A reader from an early age, she chose English on a whim on her college applications, and discovered that what was just a quick checkmark on a list of majors soon became a lifelong passion. With an interest in helping others discover the joys of reading and writing, Tami has worked as both a teacher and a tutor, and currently heads content for the online magazine DisneyExaminer to help others realize how important English is in modern culture. Her literary interests range from 18th century British literature to modern YA lit and beyond, and when not reading or writing she can often be found serving at her local church, exploring libraries, or watching cartoons (current favorite: Avatar: The Last Airbender). Feel free to feel free to view her portfolio and contact her at emtami.wordpress.com.
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How M.A. Classes Differ From B.A. Classes
Towards the end of their undergraduate career, many people turn their sights towards higher education and consider getting an M.A. – I know, I was one of those people!
While getting a master’s degree seems like a logical step to take after graduating with a B.A., there are some major differences between graduate and undergraduate classes that all students should reflect on before making any commitments. I hadn’t really considered these differences until after I joined an M.A. English program, and was in for a big shock when I realized how different M.A. classes can be!
While each program will vary between schools, here are a few general things you can keep in mind when considering another degree:
English Majors: Avoid Making These 3 Common Mistakes on Your Resume
For most people I know, there is a great deal of dread and anxiety around creating or updating a resume. What should I include? How long should it be? What should it look like? And really, it’s not an easy answer—there is no clear-cut way to create a resume. In my experience, they’re all a little different.
But in going over hundreds of English majors’ resumes —whether it’s for Dear English Major or my writing business—I’ve noticed a few mistakes that are made over and over again.
Here are the 3 most common mistakes English majors make on resumes:
