To pursue a career in writing or to become a professional writer is gratifying. People who are passionate about writing and find it easy to play with words can indeed have a rewarding career in this field. Writing is an extensive domain and it comprises several types of writers including authors, copywriters, bloggers, technical writers, business writers, creative writers, content writers, and more.
Over the years and with the advent of social media, the role of writers has become all the more prominent. Many new opportunities have come up for people to become professional writers and make a good living out of it. In this post, let us consider writing as a viable career option and discuss how to become a writer to help aspirants try their luck in this field to become excellent writers.
Is writing as a profession a viable career option?
Pursuing a career in writing is lucrative and promising depending on the particular genre you opt for. Being a writer allows individuals to showcase creativity, flexibility, and the opportunity to try their hand at different categories of writing. Writing as a profession allows the writer to try different types of work in a varied medium.
Over the years, writing has emerged as a viable career choice for many people because of their passion for writing as well as the avenues that writing as a profession has opened. You can write for publishing houses, digital platforms, and literary magazines, or you can do creative writing, content writing, blogging, and so on.
All these mediums allow writers to make good money to pursue writing as a career. Also, writing allows individuals to work at liberty from home or anywhere they want. They are not bound to sit in an organization in a 9 to 5 setting to pursue their writing career.
How to Become a Writer?
To become a successful writer requires determination and interest in writing. Below are some steps to follow if you want to pursue writing dedicatedly:
· Consider the type of writing genre or niche you want to follow
Writing is a broad area and it has many aspects to it. Depending on your area of interest, you can narrow down the specific genre of writing you want to pursue. There are so many options like creative writing, technical writing, academic writing, blogging, business writing, and so on.
Identifying it will help you focus on the area you want to pursue a career in. Also, you can take up a course to hone your skills in that particular area.
· Practice regularly by writing anything of your interest
Writing is a skill that gets better with practice. So, you must make it a habit to write regularly. You can start writing on any topic, anything that interests you. Regular practice will help to hone your skills and make you a better writer.
· Enroll in a higher education program
Although you can start writing even without completing any formal writing course. However, pursuing a degree in English language, mass communication, journalism, or fine arts will help you gain confidence and skills to take your writing career forward.
· Read more to improve vocabulary and skills as well as get more ideas
Reading is another important aspect of writing. It is good to have the habit of reading if you want to become a writer. Reading helps in expanding your vocabulary, it helps in getting new ideas for writing, helps with research, and self-improvement.
· Start professional writing: Start as a freelancer
Once you get into the practice of writing, you can start taking up freelance writing tasks to start with. This way you can gain some experience which will help you pursue important assignments later in your professional life.
· Create a Portfolio collating your experiences
With experience and exposure, you can create a portfolio for yourself by collecting your previous work. This portfolio will help you land better jobs with prospective companies.
· Seek feedback from experts and well-wishers
Honest feedback always helps. If you want to improve your writing skills, it is good to have honest feedback from people who have a knack for writing.
Also read this blog:- How to Write SMART Goals Effectively?
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What are the Different Kinds of Writing Jobs Available?
Below are some options to pursue for professional writers:
1. Content Writer – Content writers write for websites, blogs, informal articles, guides, and so on. As a content writer, you can freelance or you can join a company to work with.
2. Technical Writer – As the name suggests, these writers write technical content that teaches people how to use equipment and applications, instructional manuals, and how to do guides, among others.
3. Copywriter – These writers write different taglines, ad copies, and product descriptions. They also write business copies, business emails, brand copywriting, and more.
4. Journalists - These individuals cover news, interviews, and media-related writing. They work for print, digital, television, and radio media, among others.
5. Ghostwriter – Ghostwriting is a profession where your writings are not attributed to you but to someone else. Many businesses hire ghostwriters to write their books and other writing assignments.
6. Grant Writer - Grant writing is mostly writing proposals to request funding from organizations, both private and public. They prepare grant requests on behalf of organizations seeking funds.
Conclusion
Depending on their specialization or genre, writers can apply for professional writing jobs in the industry. The demand and popularity of writers in India and worldwide have seen a huge surge in recent years. Genres like technical writing are likely to grow further in the coming years.
Depending on your location, years of experience, and qualifications, you can earn a competitive salary as a writer. If you are interested in this profession, you can pursue different online courses available at Amity Online University. We have online courses on mass communication and journalism, degrees in languages, and creative and technical writing courses, among others. Visit Amity Online for more information.
