Why do you want to be a writer?
Why write?
What do you get out of writing? What if no one ever published your writing?
Do you feel so strongly about writing that you would proceed to write whether anyone ever published your works or not?
These are all questions you must answer. Are you interested in writing for reasons that have to do with hope of professional recognition, perhaps even on your current job? Or perhaps you desire to write for money, as a freelancer, novelist, reporter or author of non-fiction books or periodicals. For whatever reason, you have made a commitment to learn more about the craft of writing.
Some years ago, before journalism became popular as a college major, journalists were considered tradespersons. They talked themselves on to the payroll of a newspaper or magazine, struggled at odd jobs, probably starting out writing obituaries. Then they worked with general assignment reporters until they were reassigned to work with feature writers or investigative reporters. They learned to verify facts, do copy editing and assist editors. All these things took many months and even years to learn but were necessary before the editor would allow the new reporter out on their own beat. Times have changed.
Reporters are no longer thought of as tradespersons or craftsmen. They are considered professionals. Although there are those who disagree with turning journalism into a profession claiming it all can be learned in classrooms, it is nevertheless, the way it is. Newspapers today rarely hire reporters who have not been schooled in journalism.
This is also applies to those who aspire to writing for magazines or even books. Regardless of how cleverly written or well documented the work may be, an editor will not publish the work until the writers qualifications are reviewed. If the editor has a great magazine article about the cost of medical malpractice insurance, he or she wants to be sure the writer is credible, experienced or educated to write about the subject before it is published. In other words, professional credentials are needed to open the doors of the editors and publishers before they will even consider publishing writing from unknown authors.
For success, you must earn those credible credentials.
But as you may be aware already, having credentials and writing ability are two different assets entirely. If you are to succeed, you must have both. Unfortunately, having both may not get you published. In the end, it all still depends upon how good you are at what you do. It is, in other words, the same in this profession as it is in most others. Those who succeed are usually the ones who prepare the best and work the hardest. It is the same with professional writing.
What do you want to write?
Perhaps you have a strong desire to write a great novel about love or war; or maybe just a book to be read by children. If you do, all you need to do it is the desire and commitment, along with the ability to tell the story. Many writers write in order to give expression to dreams and imagination that for them will never become reality. It is far easier to imagine and then express the heroics of a great athlete or hero, but it is far more difficult to attain their status. Writing makes it possible to share their triumphs.
The world created by the writer can be very real or it can be a world of fantasy, dreams fulfilled and happiness or sadness beyond belief. All the beauty and rot of the world become theirs to behold and to capture as they see fit. Writers are the masters of their world. Their creation can be a world of peace and harmony or can be a horror, full of violence and hate. It is a world where everyone is equal or no one is. It is the world as created by the writer.
Thus it is that you now enter that world. What you see there, what you do there and how you write about it is up to you.
Writing for Success
Writers who intend to be successful writing must first define what they see as success. Is your version of success publishing an article in a magazine? Or is it writing and having published a novel of epic proportions? Perhaps you will be satisfied with nothing less than fame and fortune! Either way, you must have a guide to help you along the way.
There are different paths to follow to reach varying goals. Your roadmap to a successful freelance career should be personalized by you to take advantage of your unique talents, background, education and experience. Every writer who has achieved publication has found the way that was best for him or her. This is what you must do.
Finding your Niche
You must find your subject of expertise or define your area of interest. It is difficult to be a ‘generalist’ as a writer. Writers, almost by definition, are thought of as authorities or even experts on the subjects on which they write. Think about it. When you read an article in a magazine about a specific subject, let’s say you have an interest in movie making, that you expect the person authoring the article is extremely well informed at the very least. More than likely, you want to know what the author’s qualifications are before you weigh the opinions expressed in the article.
As your career as a freelance writer blossoms, opportunities to expand your interest shall arise. When they do, you can determine whether to change roads or stay on the one you had already chosen.
After you have written news stories, non-fiction, fiction, proposals for movies and books, you should have a strong grip on what area is of most interest to you. This does not mean that you will never take a creative risk to follow a different roadmap for a while, but it does mean that you intend to stay within an area so that you can try to establish your credentials. |
