Creative Writing Sweeps America

Posted on July 16, 2004

A recent NEA Report (PDF) was a real shocker. It found that only one-third of adult males read a book last year. And only 45% of Americans read a novel or short story.

But there is some good news. People are writing more. The number of people pursuing creative writing increased by 30%, from 11 million in 1982 to more than 14 million in 2002. However, the number of people who reported having taken a creative writing class or lesson decreased by 2.2 million during the same time period.

Apparently, less people feel the need to have someone teach them the fundamentals of creative fiction.