Using My Degree
By Bryan Cohen
I graduated from college in 2005 and I was determined to use as little of my education as possible. At least, that’s how it looked from the outside. I’m not saying that my degrees in English and Dramatic Art and my minor in Creative Writing were particularly practical to begin with, but it would not have been difficult to channel them into a high school or college teaching career. Instead, I earned money through the computer and common sense skills necessary for temp work and spent the rest of my time doing comedy.
After a few years as a barista (likewise, not using my education), I quit and started to write full-time. At first, I wrote freelance for whatever companies would have me. I wrote “how to” articles or lists of various products like herbal remedies. While I was writing, and I was happy to be using some of my education practically, it still felt empty.
It was then I got to thinking, “What would be the best use of my education?” As part of my English degree, I read a collection of the classic works of fiction and poetry of the last four centuries. I learned about plot and theme and the structure of a well-written book. For my Dramatic Art degree, I was taught firsthand about character motivation: the desires and overarching goals that a character has within a story. In my Creative Writing minor, I did the grunt work of actual writing and having it critiqued in front of my peers.
A logical combination of these three sets of education was to become a fiction writer. This led to the creation of my first book, Ted Saves the World.
Interestingly enough, it wasn’t until I’d been out in the real world for a few years that I was able to truly use this education as a career. When people used to ask me what I did for a living, I’d say something like, “Well, I’m an actor and a comedian that works at a coffee shop.” Now I can proudly say, “I’m a writer” and mean it.
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Description of Ted Saves the World (Available for just $0.99):
A possessed cheerleader. A cursed gang of criminals. Mysterious telekinetic powers. An angry ex-girlfriend in gym class? One second, sophomore in high school Ted endures his first breakup in his favorite place in town. The next, a mysterious blue light turns him into a worldwide superhero sensation for taking down a posse of grisly murderers. As his views on YouTube increase and his friend Dhiraj tries to capitalize on the marketing potential, his dangers increase as well when a presumed-dead cheerleader begins taking a personal interest. Can Ted survive his first week as a superhero in the public eye? This novella is the first taste in a series of full-length novels about the adventures of Ted Finley and Erica LaPlante. The book is also available on Barnes & Noble and Smashwords for $0.99.
Giveaway:
Bryan Cohen is giving away four $25 Amazon gift cards, one for each week of his month long blog tour. To enter, simply comment with your e-mail address (feel free to substitute @ with (at) or other tricks to stop spammers from getting it). Bryan will draw the four names at the end of the tour, picking one entrant at random from each week’s set of blog posts. Entries will be counted through Monday, August 15th, 2011. Enter on as many sites as you want, follow the tour at Build Creative Writing Ideas. If Ted reaches the Top 100 on Amazon at any point during the tour, a fifth $25 card will be added to the giveaway.
Biography:
Bryan Cohen is a writer, actor and comedian from Dresher, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2005 with degrees in English and Dramatic Art and a minor in Creative Writing. He has written seven books including 1,000 Creative Writing Prompts: Ideas for Blogs, Scripts, Stories and More. Contact Bryan through his Ted Saves the World blog, his Build Creative Writing Ideas site or Twitter.
Thank you for the post – I got to know a new author and a new book 😀 Please count me in the giveaway 🙂
mikki-mano AT hotmail DOT com
Thanks Nicole for letting me be a part of your blog today! And thank you Mikki for entering :).
Thank you, Brian, for the great guest post!
Brian I think this is really great what you are doing, first of all following your dream to be a writer and this Blog Tour idea is amazing! Anyway, good luck on your tour and I will be checking out your book.
My email for the Giveaway entry is: true.identity13 (at) gmail (dot) com
“I was determined to use as little of my education as possible” – a great way to herald in a new chapter of your life. Happy to see you got some use, finally, out of your education. Love it!!
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
I hope I can do so well at using as little of my education as possible.
What a great post and thank you so much for sharing ! I like to find new books to read look forward to reading this one! Thank you for the great giveaway and for the chance!
tishajean (at) charter.net
Impressive, I am about to lose my job, layoffs. I would love to start trying to write, but I don’t know if I could actually pull it off.
thegirlonfire27 at gmail dot com
This book sounds great! 🙂 Definitely unlike anything I’ve read before lol, thank you for this generous giveaway.
kate1485 at hotmail dot com
It’s so interesting reading about how someone ended up being an author. Thank you for the insight and the giveaway.
lincalc at gmail dot com
Thanks for the giveaway!
abbydillon16 AT yahoo DOT com
I’d love to play please.
lesly7ch(at)yahoo(dot)com
Mary D
zenrei57 (at) hotmail dot com
Very much enjoyed this guest post!!! Ted Saves The World has everything going
for it, – LOVE the sense of humor along with a truly creative premise.
I really just don’t have a writing bone in my body.
Vivien
deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com
I’d love to be a writer some day but, unfortunately, I’m not sure how much of writing time a career like Industrial Psychology will afford me. I hope to stop waiting for the ideal conditions and the right time and just throw myself into writing that novel some day. This post is certainly inspiring.
Thanks for the great giveaway:)
Sarah
sarahDOTsetarATgmailDOTcom
Thanks for the great giveaway:)
Sarah
sarah.setar@gmail.com
Sounds like an interesting read.
mami2jcn at gmail dot com
Congratulations to Bryan! That hard work is paying off!
someluckydog at gmail dot com
thanks so much for the giveaway!
anjibeane@comcast.net
Thanks for the chance!
spamscape [at] gmail [dot] com
Thanks for this amazing giveaway – I would love to win!
susanw28 (at) mindspring (dot) com
Thanks for the giveaway
fwdsd45 @gmail.com
thanks for the headsup on the tour Bryan. glad to find you doing what you’re meant to do “)
Wow everyone of these is different! Fun in the living room! Good stuff! sallyawolf@gamil.com
This book sounds really interesting!
Thanks for the giveaway!
readingowling AT gmail DOT com
Good luck with your tour and please enter me.
CalifKitties {at} Aol {dot} com
Very generous giveaway! Best of luck with your blog tour!
Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net
Thank you for this giveaway! It’s so generous 🙂 edysicecreamlover18@gmailDOTcom
Woo sounds wicked cool!
Thanks for the giveaway too.
reviewsbyabby at gmail dot com