So You Want To Be a Writer

I have good news for you.

There has likely never been a better time in history to be a writer than right now. Whether you’re writing fiction, nonfiction, novels, scripts, ad copy, or travel blogs — this is the time to do it.

Why?

Several reasons. For one, there are fewer gatekeepers. There are also more opportunities around. And, if you do it right, you can even make some decent money at it.

A lot depends on your goals and expectations, but I maintain that it’s better to be a writer these days than it was, say, twenty years ago.

Fewer Gatekeepers, More Opportunities

If I wanted to write a novel twenty years ago, I’d have to find a publisher — one who took unagented manuscripts because few agents took on authors with no sales history. Finding a publisher would have been tricky.

Now, I could publish it myself or seek out any number of mini or micro presses if I didn’t feel like doing the work. The trade-off is that many small publishers don’t have the advertising dollars for a media blitz. Still, advertising online is inexpensive, and many small publishers will help you with the social media push.

Ebook publishing makes it even easier for you to get a book out there. And while we’re not expecting considerable advances like there may have been in the old days, a book that can appeal to a particular audience stands a good chance of earning something each month, which, added up over a year, can end up being a pretty sum.

An author friend of mine who wrote a lot of urban fantasy discovered that after his mainstream publisher dropped his series, he ended up making more money by publishing the new books in the series as ebooks than he ever had through the more traditional route.

Although she never had a mainstream publisher, another friend who writes erotica discovered pretty much the same thing. She decided to ditch the small presses who never promoted her work adequately in favor of self-publishing and self-promoting herself.

Writing erotica is her only job now.

Nonfiction writers are discovering large audiences for ebooks as well. Self-help has proven to be a popular genre for self-publishing success, as have been how-to books on topics ranging from real estate and writing to freelance strategies and gaming.

Always a Need For More Content

We live in a very media-heavy world. Content is everywhere, and content is king.

Hey, someone has to write all those web pages for lawyers, real estate developers, tech firms, manufacturing concerns, and so forth.

Why not you?

Some of this work is available on Upwork, but if you can get your foot in the door of a digital advertising agency, or with a large company itself, you can easily earn a couple of hundred dollars for a thousand-word article on, say, cloud servers, property management, plastics, or… or pretty much anything.

Businesses that focus on video presentations still need people to write scripts and slides. They need someone to help put together infographics.

The work is there.

As for more creative endeavors, there is a growing hunger for more fiction. More stories. Independent film has become less expensive to produce, so if you write film scripts (long or short), you have options there.

Heck… web series need writers. Some YouTube channel personalities even hire writers to help with their content.

Twenty years ago, many of you would never have even known about opportunities like this because you’d need to have lived in a city. Now you can write from almost anywhere and discover jobs almost anywhere.

More Tools At Your Disposal

Once upon a time, you had a quill, some ink, and some paper. If you were lucky, you had access to a library or an excellent education to draw upon.

Now, you have relatively inexpensive computers, mobile devices, and Internet access.

Resources are only clicks away.

You have a wide choice of word processing programs. Some of them are free.

You have grammar and spellchecking software around.

You have online communities that allow you to work with other writers and give each other feedback.

Mobile devices make it easy to write virtually anywhere.

Even if you don’t have easy personal access to technology, many local libraries have resources on-site you can take advantage of.

And, of course, pens, ink, and paper are still around.

A Few Quick Tips

If you’re new to writing, here are a few simple suggestions to keep in mind:

• Make writing a daily habit if you can. If not daily, then almost daily. Ten minutes a day is a good start. Before you know it, you’ll build that habit up to hours a day.
• Explore topics and ideas that are new to you.
• Learn the basics of grammar and punctuation. Learn how to write a beginning, middle, and end.
• Be yourself.
• Keep at it. It takes time. Most people get better with practice. It’s hard to get worse.

It’s a Big World

For writers, that is.

Whether you’re looking to write novels, poetry, screenplays, blogs, whitepapers, research papers, how-to’s, or whatever… there are loads of opportunities to do so professionally.

Some pay better than others. Never think that there isn’t room for you to join in the fun.

And if you’re writing for fun, then all the better.

As pastimes go, it’s a pretty inexpensive one when you come right down to it. Anyone can do it.

With practice, anyone can do it well.

It’s up to you to say, “I’m a writer.”

Then go ahead and be one.

Cheers!

About John Teehan

John lives in Rhode Island with his wife, son, and dog. He specializes in tech, health, business, parenting, pop culture, and gaming. Visit wordsbyjohn.net for more info and rates. Twitter: @WordsByJohn2