Writing is considered a “hobby profession,” by most and people think it’s a nice pastime, nothing more. If you happen to make a living out of it, well, you’re just plain lucky. If you are one of those lucky ones, people assume you can write about whatever you want, and also that you live a carefree, vagabond life that includes wild parties and weird hairdos. The first assumption about writing whatever you want is less true than the second, really.
What most people fail to understand is that writing comes in many shapes and sizes. Journalism is more unlike fiction writing than interior designing is. Even within journalism, reporting takes a completely different skill set than editorial writing does. And for the love of God, just because you wrote a piece in your school magazine, don’t consider yourself a future Pulitzer Prize winner. This piece is not to discourage anyone from writing—it’s just meant as a reality check. This should, hopefully, help you figure out if you really can make a living out of writing.
I’ve worked with different types of writing—reports, opinion pieces, blogs, television scripts, technical writing and e-learning content. There is something that is common to all of them—the ability to write well. Time and again, I have seen that the best pieces are the product of the particular skill set that the genre requires combined with the ability to write well.
And if one wants to do well regardless of genre, adaptability is key. For many of us in writing, specifications are anathema. After all, isn’t writing supposed to be creative, and hence free of shackles? Newsflash: So is life. The real world operates a bit differently. Any writing needs to serve a purpose, and if there are rules to follow, a good writer should be able to follow them and still leave his/her mark on it. Yes, even if it is just a manual for the latest mobile phone.
For significant others of writers: Writers are not necessarily penurious, although the probability of that is higher if they regularly use words like “penurious.” There are a lot of ways that writing can rake in money, especially in today’s world of outsourcing.
Apart from the usual suspects, there’s blog writing, writing for search engine optimization, technical writing, e-learning content development, product literature, and marketing writing.
So, journalism and fiction writing are not the only avenues open to your pen anymore. However, before you consider writing as a career option, ask yourself these questions, and answer them truthfully. Writing is different than a bad marriage—it’s more difficult to live with if you don’t really enjoy it!
1. Whenever you have an idea which you want to write about, what is it that gets you most excited—the idea itself, the organizing your thoughts, or the actual writing? Many people find the actual task of writing the most daunting of all—not an encouraging sign for a wannabe writer.
2. How much do you read? Research has shown that the more you read, the better you write.
3. Do you like reviewing your writing and making it better, or do you like to move on after you’ve done a piece?
4. What most describes your attitude to writing:
a. Writing is like love—you feel it, you do it.
b. Writing is like a wedding—you may feel it, but you have to plan it, extensively.
c. Writing is like sewing a dress—if someone knows what they want, and wants to make it fit, you can sew it.
Now, none of the answers are right or wrong, but people often end up in the wrong kind of writing for their attitude. For instance, if ideating is the most exciting part of the writing process for you, the best fit for you might be a career where there is some creativity involved—like instructional design or marketing copywriting, for example. The answer to Question 3 might indicate your suitability to the role of a copy editor (sub-editor). And as for Question 4, Option A is not a very realistic view of things, and Option C might indicate your readiness to do some writing on commission—say technical writing.
So, take out your pens (or should I say, switch on your computers), and start the beautiful process of creation: It could be a life-long love affair.
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Meera writes for chillibreeze.
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