streetsurfer
Ex-Bluelighter
I am pretty good at expressing myself through the written media and I enjoy it alot so I'm thinking, is there a way I can make a living doing it? Writing articles maybe, thoughts?
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How can I make a living writing
- Thread starter streetsurfer
- Start date
Psychedelics_r_best
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2004
- Messages
- 2,049
I think I'm pretty screwed over as well. I want to get a degree in English and Literature as well, and if my musical talent goes no where thats what I have vowed to rely on to make a living. I'm fairly good at poetry and writing, but I don't know what the hell this consumerist nation wants to read, besides Tom Clancy novels and relative bullshit. Erm...fuckshit.
There are many, many ways to make money from writing. Working on staff at a paper or mag is one way, but many people prefer to work freelance, selling articles, columns and the like to papers, mags and websites. That way you can pretty much come up with your own ideas and write about what you're interested in, but you'll have do all the legwork and research, and be a pretty smart operator when it comes to contracts and legal issues.
There are also many specialised fields: academic writing, technical writing, educational writing, copywriting, scriptwriting... just to name a few. And within each one of these categories there are a raft of specialised knowledge areas.
Try doing some research on the subject - there should be books on the subject of writing at your local library, or else go nuts with Google (but watch out for writing scams)!
The best resources will be country-specific, since the marketplace and legalities differ from place to place.
There are also many specialised fields: academic writing, technical writing, educational writing, copywriting, scriptwriting... just to name a few. And within each one of these categories there are a raft of specialised knowledge areas.
Try doing some research on the subject - there should be books on the subject of writing at your local library, or else go nuts with Google (but watch out for writing scams)!
The best resources will be country-specific, since the marketplace and legalities differ from place to place.
EntrenchdMentalist
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2006
- Messages
- 106
I decided this is the way to go as well. I quit my bullshit corporate job 3 weeks ago - NEVER AGAIN. I was lucky enough to find a job really quickly, proofreading court & police interview transcripts (hee hee!) which I hope will a positive step towards the writing/publishing industry. Hopefully the next job I get (once I have some experience under my belt here) will be proofreading something a bit more creative lol.
I'm starting a communications or arts degree (still undecided on the fine details) in August, too. I always said I didn't want to be taught how to write, because I didn't want to be a copycat of every other writer. Now, though, I'm thinking that broadening my skills can't be a bad thing, and I'll always be me and write like me. I think, too, that really it's less of "write like this," and more like "have a think about how xxx did this and what it could mean," plus a whole lot of useful technical stuff that I probably never would have thought of.
Once my course is done, I'm looking to support myself doing some sort of writing and/or editing while writing novels and screenplays on the side.
Good luck to all aspiring professional writers!
I'm starting a communications or arts degree (still undecided on the fine details) in August, too. I always said I didn't want to be taught how to write, because I didn't want to be a copycat of every other writer. Now, though, I'm thinking that broadening my skills can't be a bad thing, and I'll always be me and write like me. I think, too, that really it's less of "write like this," and more like "have a think about how xxx did this and what it could mean," plus a whole lot of useful technical stuff that I probably never would have thought of.
Once my course is done, I'm looking to support myself doing some sort of writing and/or editing while writing novels and screenplays on the side.
Good luck to all aspiring professional writers!
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Congrats on your new job, EM! I didn't realise you'd said goodbye to corporate whoredom. Good move.
Definitely sounds like a plan. Next year I'm hoping to do freelance writing / editing work along with some sessional teaching. And doing "my own" writing whenever I can, of course.
Definitely sounds like a plan. Next year I'm hoping to do freelance writing / editing work along with some sessional teaching. And doing "my own" writing whenever I can, of course.
ColdSoreSuperstar
Bluelighter
This is my dream.
Working on an English Literature degree at the moment.
Working on an English Literature degree at the moment.