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Becoming a Writer: Things to consider when choosing a writing career.
Views: 1,825Added: Sat. Jun 20, 2009 11:43am
Posted in: Career
Times are tough. The economy's gone south and taken a lot of jobs and retirement income with it. Most of us were brought up to believe that you work hard, you save money and you invest in retirement funds and real estate, and when the time comes, the company you've been loyal to for some 20+ years will reward your service with a nice pension plan, supplemented by social security. And then the unthinkable happens. Recession. Possibly depression. All that planning and hard work right down the drain. So what now?
Maybe I can be a writer?
If you think you want to try your hand as a writer, there are some realities that you must be prepared for. It can be lucrative or enslaving, and the difference lies in the answer to three questions:
- Do you have talent? Talented writers have impeccable skills and unlimited imagination. Most people, even some making a marginal living at writing, don't. The most difficult challenge is to write authoritatively on a variety of subjects, many of them unfamiliar.
- Is your writing versatile? There are many kinds of writing, and most people are only good at some of them. The ability to write a chatty, interesting blog does not translate to an ability to write grant proposals or press releases...in fact, the opposite is often true. It is your responsibility to know what your limitations are.
- Do you have the confidence to turn down a bad deal? The vast majority of freelance writing listings found on job posting services offer slave-wage pay. If you have talent and confidence, you will be better served by fleshing out a website with samples and building your reputation on social media sites like Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook or any of dozens of other possibilities. If you build it, they will come.
The difference between dreams and goals.
Most writers start out with an idealized dream in mind. I wanted to write a brilliant novel, one so stunningly insightful that it would be required reading in high school for the next 50 years. Like Portnoy's Complaint, except not mind-numbingly dull. Maybe I will someday - it's still the dream. But my immediate writing goals and objectives are far more realistic.
I started writing at the behest of a friend, another writer whom I've known and loved for more than ten years, Christina Gleason. She was the head content editor for Qualitygal.com at the time and was in need of writers. She knew that the hours for my job as a web designer were rapidly shrinking, so she asked me. My very first goal was to earn enough money in a month to pay my car insurance, about $370. I was able to do that easily.
Neither Christina or I currently work for Qualitygal. Christina was laid off, and after a while, increasing time-consuming demands for article detail (15-25 links) and inexperienced editors who would kick an article for a typo instead of correcting it eventually crossed the threshold of what I'm willing to do based on rate of pay. Generating 25 verified links takes more time than writing an article, but the pay scale did not rise accordingly. While I don't harbor any ill will towards them, I feel they are part of the problem...filet mignon taste on a hamburger budget.
What problem?
Here's the problem. It's not easy to find writing jobs that pay decent money and I simply won't write for peanuts. Unfortunately, a lot of people will, so the job boards will continue to be clogged with sweatshop wage offers and amusing responses in broken english offering to do the job for even less (I writing real good for you business, hire me for 20 cents an hour). In a heated discussion about this practice following a great blog post by Christina: The Exploitation of Independent Contractors, several people weighed in that this is the nature of free market economy. That the market will pay what people are willing to accept, and as long as there are people who will work cheap, there will be people clamoring to hire them.
This is true. However, the old adage "you get what you pay for" is also true. Unfortunately, a marketplace chock full of ridiculous offers poses two dangers. First, it makes the job posting board absolutely useless to people looking for jobs. This is not a problem once you have made a name for yourself. I have no trouble finding work, it usually finds me. Second, it gives the impression that this is what a writer must settle for. Believe me, being the lowest bidder is not what you want. At the same time, you can not be so egotistical that you price yourself completely out of the market. Some writers are rockstars and can command that, but it must be earned. You can't just decide to be a rockstar.
I know a lot of writers who turn in hundreds of articles every month for sites like Qualitygal.com, AssociatedContent.com or Brighthub.com, and I will say that it's a great way to get started, provided you consider it laying the groundwork for the future and treat it as such. If you can take time and write quality articles without regard for an hourly wage, then you can use these kind of sites as a stepping stone to a real writing career. Most people just take on as many articles as they can and dash them out without regard for content or writing style. A browse through the database will turn up mistakes, inconsistency, incorrect information, or worse: articles with the requisite number of words but no real value. 500 words that say nothing at all.
The bottom line is that if your goal is to be a professional writer, every word you publish is your resume. Define your writing objectives and goals, make a plan, build a loyal readership, and carefully consider every word you write - even on your personal blog.
Sondra Sez
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Posted 7:41am March 12th, 2010I resent your putting down freelance writers who write for Associated Content, Demand or other well known writing sites. I write for them and my articles are not meaningless. I fill 500 words with actual and accurate information, depending on the title.
You make us all look as if we were useless and only work for the money. This is not true and if you took the time to read the articles you will find some very interesting and well written ones.
A writer is a writers whether they write a book or put it into an article. Read some of mine on Associated Content, Demand and Textbroker before you put down those who spend their day writing for $5.00 articles. That money adds up at the end of the month. Also reseaching to write an accurate article about a topic I do not know about, is mental stimulation and life long learning about topics I knew little about.
Not everyone wants to write a book - sharing life's experiences in my blog and on writing sites helps more people than writing a novel about something someone thought others would like to read.
http://alonglifepath.blogspot.com/
Moonlight Skywriter
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Posted 9:45am November 3rd, 2009Anyone can become a writer, you need alot of good editors there and also post or write who is talking to whom.... its very important. also here is somthing else to know. place people and characaters where they want to go. pray about it, let the characters talk to you. mine talk to me all the time they say things to me about where they are going and what they are doing
most of all if you think that you got a great book, publish it yourself promote yourself because the publishers out there have no time to do this for you, I know I tried, and failed Now I am self published and my books will all be out soon. One of my last books came out last year and it took off like a rocket. Penguin wants it but I said. Okay under my terms they agreed. paid me good until the enconomy went down hill and I had to buy back all my books that did not sell.
Well, what can we tell you, if you do the footwork and its alot out there yourself you keep most of the money. if you let someone else do it, it will cost you big$$$$ and its not cheap I know my one kids book now its at the printers is 2000.00 and up maybe more. the average book kids or adults are self publishing world is from 800.00 for 100 books to up to 30,000.00 for 1000 books, do the math.
becareful who you send your books too, not everyone is honest and they do steal the authors words, or subtitles and idea from the book, take away your plot make it theres and change the story to their liking and make it their own. it has been done to me plenty of times.
also have fun with writing. I started a discussion on Writing, I did not kow that that there was so many of us alike on here. I will come here instead. thanks Midnight
sherisaid
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Posted 7:43am June 21st, 2009cookingirl....I'm sorry, I'm having a hard time figuring out what you're trying to say. Did you think I was trying to discourage people from writing (or reading?) books with this article? If so, that is certainly not the case. I love books, but unless you're already established, book writing is not a good way to feed your family in the short run and is not the subject of this post.
COOKINGIRL
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Posted 3:56am June 21st, 2009There have been times when I thought my life had so many interesting stories, funny situations that would make Erma Bombeck a dollar store reject. Now that I think about it, talking is my style not writing. I can go anywhere and engage people in the most interesting dialoge.
How do you explain "Debbie Macomber"? When Grishom, Nicolas Sparks. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings were all read by myself and other numerous authors devoured on long nights. There was Debbie Macomber, I read a few of her books and nothing that I had ever lived in my life was on her printed page. Nothing that I connected with at all and still during this recession , she is a success. Why? What is your answer? Are there so many people who are so disconnected and living in a dream world ? Do they some how find solace in her girly chick lit. Maybe with the recession you need to make up fantacy. In other words something, continuing like a "Harry Potter" which is another, and I say it litely "Book" that takes readers to a dream land that will never exisit. Oh yes, there is money out there if you take your reading voyagers on a trip to "Never, never land.
Terry
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Posted 7:55pm June 20th, 2009A dynamite piece, Sherry! Great! So much pertinent info for would-be writers and a reality check for dabblers like me. Everything you write is so concise and packed full of insight. I've learned quite a lot from this one. Keep up the wonderful writing you do here on GB. Best to you always.
Terry