I had an interesting conversation with a relative last night. We were talking about another relative who is home now and disabled. He’s bored and thinking of working at home. My relative suggested he write or blog and I sort of took issue with that. I know it wasn’t meant to be insulting, but was I put off a bit. Freelance writing has become just another “Work from Home!!!” job. We’re now lumped in the same category as envelope stuffers. I don’t know if many people realize how much hard work it takes to be a successful writer and how even more hard work is put into running a successful blog. Sure, there are plenty of jobs for the unskilled and unmotivated, but those are the scammy low payers no one should take. I don’t know about you, but I’d like freelance writing to get back to being seen in a positive light again. Not everyone can be a freelance writer or blogger. There’s a lot of work and skill that goes into this.
Stay tuned to the homepage for more on this touchy topic.
I’m not sure if they CitySearch jobs pay – be sure to check on that before accepting.
Leads…
Web Content Writing Jobs
- Hiking and Outdoors Writers - Trails.com
- Freelance Article Writers – Demand Studios
- Health & Fitness Writers for LiveStrong.com
- Content Writers for Freelance Projects – LimeLabs
- Web Content Editor/Writer – 6 month contract – Princeton NJ
- Spanish Content Writer/Editor – Vancouver
- Wikipedia Writer Austin
- Content for Website Needed
- Content Writer/Editor - Miami
- Health & Wellness Freelance Writers
- Looking for 10 Good Writers
- Freelance Writer for eJustice - $10 – $20/page
- Content Writer Needed – $15
Blogging Jobs
- Freelance Writer/Blogger - Center for Independent Media
- Tax Information Writer/Blogger – Richmond
- Writer Needed for Blog Postings
- Local Writer for Religious/Inspirational Blog – San Jose
- Political Bloggers
Proofreading and Editing Jobs
- Chief Copy Editor – AOL – Contract
- Houston City Editor – Citysearch
- Washington DC City Editor – Citysearch
- Seattle City Editor – Citysearch
- Editor - PizzaMarketplace.com
- Labeling Editor - Canada only
- Writers and Editors for Freelance Projects
- Freelance Jr. Editors – Los Angeles
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- Press Release Writer Wanted
- Short Term Copyediting Gig – Brooklyn
- Part Time Editor
- APA Editor Needed
Technical Writing Jobs
- Technical Writers for Freelance Projects
- Technical Writer - Aurora CO – 6 Month Contract
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- Technical Writer – 12 month contract – Beltville MD
- Technical Writer - 2 month contract
- Technical Writer - Telecommute OK – Pembroke MA
- Technical Writers Needed – Carrollton TX
- Technical Writer for New Software
- Technical Writer – Palo Alto
Copywriting Jobs
Ghost Writing
- Ghost Writer for Tragic Comedy
- Ghost Writer Needed – Boston
- Ghost Writer- Business Web Content
- Ghost writer to finish book
Grant/Business Plan/Proposal Writing Jobs
- Grant Writer for Non Profit - Chicago
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Translating Jobs
- Thai Translator
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- Brochure Translation – English to Spanish
Journalism Jobs
Sports Writing Jobs
- Sports Writing Opportunity
- Freelance Writer – Roseville/Sacramento
General/Misc. Freelance Writing jobs
- Online Magazine Writers – $20/100 words
- Book Marketing & PR
- Cardiovascular Medical Writer
- Content Composition for Various Projects
- Creative Marketing Writer - Seattle
- Freelance Writers for Medical Projects – Austin
- Writing Help – Boston
- Writer Needed – Four Projects
- Writer – Airlines and Aviation – Minneapolis
- Writer for Marketing Material – Twin Cities
- Writer - Vague ad
- Freelance Writer for B2B Magazines – Chicago
- Freelance Legal Writer
- Searching for children’s Book Writer
- Real Estate Writers – San Diego
- Writers for DogWorldTV.com
- Creative Writer for Children’s Clothing Line Website
- Edit Website and Brochure – Gaithersburg
Deb,
I totally agree with you. Last time I was home for a visit, I had a “friend” tell me all about how her husband thought what I was doing was a complete waste since I have two degrees. She also proceeded to tell me that I couldn’t be making very much money. As a side note, she doesn’t work and he makes minimum wage, about a third of my hourly rate. Sometimes it seems like when people don’t understand something, they just invent a story that makes them feel better.
Online writing has certainly done a lot to perpetuate that image that anyone can write. In fact, anyone probably can, since blogging and other forms of online writing are more about what’s popular and interesting than proper spelling and grammar structure. I doubt as many people would have thought they could just pick up writing overnight twenty years ago before online opportunities were available, though maybe they still did.
I don’t really take offense to stuff like that–let people think what they want; I think it’s pretty clear when you read a piece from someone that just thinks anyone can write without any background or experience.
I make enough money to be able to shrug off what other people think.
It should be noted that *some* writing jobs take skill. Blogging and content generation take none. Any person who can string together a coherent sentence can get paid to blog and write web content.
Features, journalism, and niche subjects…those are entirely different. But for generic blogging and web content….no skill required. I’ve used the analogy before, but it’s like fast food (and the jobs that are associated with it). Web content is cheap, fast, requires no skill, and doesn’t need to be high quality.
So for your disabled relative, why not? If they want to blog about the good old days or write web content for Demand Studios or something, why not encourage them to do so?
I try and recruit every single person I meet. Why? I’m making a ton of money for little/no effort. Literally. I sit on my arse all day in front of a computer screen and talk into a microphone and write articles. It’s not difficult. It’s not rocket science. Sometimes I have to research an article for a few days, but even then it’s fun, it’s exciting, it’s entertaining, and not once in the past year and a half have I ever felt as though this is a job. It’s ridiculously easy! I honestly wish I would have started doing this 5 years ago instead of just last year. There I was, slaving my butt off to bust 100k a year on the gross end so I could take home 60k a year, and here I am working half the hours, sitting at home, in front of a computer, and I’m taking home close to the same.
I love freelancing. I absolutely recommend it to everyone I meet, because I think anyone sitting in an office as a slave to the 9 to 5 is missing out on enjoying life. This job allows you so much freedom…
This is 100% unrelated, but it’s been weighing on me, and I don’t think there’s a better place to seek a little advice than this community.
I’ve been working a blogging gig for about two months now and I haven’t seen my first paycheck from an invoice sent a month ago. I brought this up with the guy that I’ve been working with since the beginning, and rather than looking into it, he emailed me the email address of whoever it is in accounting that’s responsible for cutting checks and said I could take all payment issues up with her. This really rubbed me the wrong way and to be honest I’m considering putting in notice.
I’ve dealt with one person at the company since I started. I sent all my paperwork, invoices and work through him and I don’t feel like I should have to chase after multiple people to get paid. This person in accounting probably doesn’t know me or my work. The company is a pretty large company and I’m not too worried about getting stiffed, but I feel like handing me off to accounting was rather unprofessional, especially since it’s my first check. I’ve worked hard to cover the topics that he’s sent, make suggested changes and updates and get quality work in on time every time and I would expect that he’d be a bit concerned when I mention that I haven’t been paid over the course of an entire month.
Perhaps it’s just my background–I worked for a large company where I dealt with subcontractors on a daily basis. If they called and told me they had an invoice that hadn’t been paid, I apologized and looked into it, prodding accounting into taking care of it. I didn’t just hand them the number for accounting and tell them the new work that I needed done. Frankly, that wasn’t accounting’s job–it was mine. Every company is different, but I still feel like this should be something that should be taken care of by my one contact.
Anyway, I was wondering if anyone else has dealt with a situation like this and if you have any thoughts. Am I overreacting or is this a sign of unprofessionalism to come?
@T.W.–Those are rather broad generalizations. I don’t think “blogging takes no skill” is an accurate reflection at all. More accurate would be “you could possibly blog with no skill if you have something interesting to say”. But you couldn’t blog anywhere–many blogs require a specific set of writing skills, whether it be clean spelling and grammar, extensive knowledge of the subject matter or just the ability to write in a specific voice, incorporating humor and keeping the audience entertained. Fact is, if you want to succeed you need to have some kind of skills. Do you really think you can blog for say
Gizmodo or another top blog with no skills whatsoever? It’s not fast food at all.
@TW – You said: “. Any person who can string together a coherent sentence can get paid to blog and write web content. ”
Exactly my point. Not everyone can string together a coherent sentence. Now I’m not saying people shouldn’t write if that’s what they want to do, but it’s not true anyone can be a writer. It takes at least a little bit of skill. It’s like saying anyone who can wield a pipe wrench can be a plumber or anyone one who has an expensive knife can be a sushi chef. You have to know a little bit about writing to be able to write.
@chris – I think it depends on the business. When I worked in publishing I had to refer all payment requests to accounting – it was totally out of my hands. However, if the people in accounting weren’t being helpful, then I would take matters into my own hands to see what I could do to get our writers paid. It’s probably a matter of going through the proper channels. Your contact might have been a little nicer about it, but it’s probably out of his hands.
I feel like I’m getting this same attitude from people I know and love. I’m just starting to write professionally, applying for everything I see, trying desperately to get clients and start to figure out how to turn this into a job that can feed me at least and hopefully pay rent eventually as well because real day jobs aren’t thick on the ground either. I’ve been quite prolific in the past few months, I just haven’t gotten paid that much. The people around me are supportive and give me positive reinforcement when I need it, but there’s this constant undercurrent of “Oh why don’t I just give up my real job and do what you’re doing, I’d love to sit home all day…but by the way, you need to get a retail or receptionist job or something and do your little writing on the side” Thanks guys, and I’d love to be able to get a job as a staff writer at a newspaper and work my fingers off in a newsroom surrounded by people all day but those jobs don’t exist anymore! None of us are doing this because it’s easy, right? We’re doing it because we love it and its what we’re good at.
I don’t believe that just anyone could write. I spent the last three months accepting low paying gigs and was just about to give up. In the last week, my income finally doubled. Every time I thought about quitting I realized that I wouldn’t want to do anything else. It’s in my soul to write. That realization lead me back to the computer to try harder. It’s a business. I think a lot of my friends who are out of jobs wouldn’t be able to stand waiting for the income increase that is sure to come if they put in 40 to 60 hours a week. I was only able to do it because I have wanted to see my name in a magazine for the past twenty years:)
A very good friend of mine, a professional writer by WGA standards, told me “You can’t hide good writing.” I think, this is very true.
Professional writers work very hard to hit pay dirt. It’s a craft that requires razer-sharp skill, talent and very thick skin.
I have found that writing is full of opinions, which you all might agree with the above posts, and what is true for you is true for you.
Different strokes for different folks. For doubters who think that “only certain people can write”, you should read Stephen King’s book on writing.
Anyone can write. It’s a skill. Just like learning how to paint, learning how to ride a bike, learning a new language. The more you work at it, the better you get. But EVERYONE has the potential to be a writer. As long as you can frame sentences together in a halfway comprehensible manner, you are good to go and are ready to get started.
As far as blogging goes…you guys are arguing semantics
Yes, I used a generalization, but it’s a fairly accurate one when you look at the broad scope of what “blogging” is. The markets you listed are niche blogs, which obviously take niche skills, but for “general” blogging, my statement stands. It’s fast food. It’s cheap, greasy, fast, and not necessarily the best out there, but it fills the void and performs a necessary function. You may not like it, but them’s the facts.
Speaking purely from the top of my head and without any research whatsoever, I would say that a good 85-90% of all blogging and content jobs I see people advertising they need writers for require little/no skill. Obviously that can be taken with a grain of salt because it’s just a broad number thinking about the last few months of looking. Look at the Craigslist jobs, the GetAFreelancer site, or any of the other bidding sites, and you will see thousands of jobs along the lines of “need someone to write 30 articles on blah” or “need someone to rewrite 15 articles on bleh” or “need someone to blog about lawnmowers” or “if you like fashion, come blog for us about fashion”.
Again, these are purely random examples, but the thing of it is not one of those jobs requires any sort of experience. If you can Google the topic and read a website and then form some sentences together, you can be a writer. Period. And the same goes for *any* topic out there.
Now, granted, an article on, say, laser eye surgery is probably going to be taken a hell of a lot more seriously if it is written by a professional surgeon than if, for example, I was the person writing it. But it’s very feasible for anyone who has an Internet connection to sit down, spend a few hours researching a topic, and then write an article about it. What we do is NOT hard, it is NOT difficult, it is NOT challenging. It’s simple reading and writing, which is how we all graduated high school in the first place. And while some topics might require specific knowledge, for the most part it’s simply reading about something, researching it, and then putting on paper/email.
I can’t see the low paying bit ever changing. There are too many people from other countries competing who are happy to take a penny a word because their cost of living is nothing like ours. In addition, my high schooler is spending his summer taking lower paying jobs so that he can save up for a new MP3 player. He’s not alone. He has a lot of friends doing the same thing because they aren’t old enough to drive yet, but they are old enough to work per the state laws.
What bothers me more are the increasing number of scams. Of the five queries I sent out today, one person emailed me back asking me to use his name as a reference for Helium and start writing. No real job offer there.
Another was looking for ad writers, sounded good from the ad, but I got back a response saying I needed to buy her software before she would hire me.
The final response stated he had an offer for half a cent per word and was going with her unless I would beat her rate. It’s not worth my time.
@Chris – I recently finished reading The Renegade Writer by Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell and they have a whole chapter about how to get paid and deal with situations like you’re in, you might want to check it out.
I fulfilled my August goal of contacting FWJ leads – so far I have applied for three this week. Thanks Deb for the great lists.
I find some of these posts funny because I have been encouraging some of my under-employed but educated friends to try doing some writing to bring in extra income. They all seem to be terrified by the prospect. Apparently my friends do think writing is difficult. In particular, I have one friend who I know can write, and she rants about politics to anyone who will listen. I’ve basically begged her to start a blog. If she’s going to rant anyway, why not make some dough?
Hell yeah Another Lisa
Why not get paid to talk about what you enjoy talking about in the first place?
Point in case was video games for me. I’ve been playing video games my entire life. All kinds. Console, PC, MMORPG. I took that hobby and started making money with it last year (one of my first writing gigs was writing game guides). Since then I’ve written several features, and starting in June I was hired at the MMO Life Network to write features about the games I play. It’s something I do on a daily basis as a hobby for enjoyment, and now I get paid to write about it.
Similarly with traveling. I travel with my wife to a lot of European destinations. 4-6 trips a year. I took that knowledge and started getting paid to write travel guides for various websites.
Food and drink? I’ve been able to sample dozens of country’s worth of cuisine over the years in my travels, which makes me an expert on food and wine, albeit a self-professed expert. I get paid to write about food and wine to other clients.
My wife likes crafting trinkets and knick-knacks like cutesy clothes-pins and knitting scarfs and stuff. She sells them for money. Bang, another hobby that’s earning us some extra cash.
This is the 21st Century. People need to get on the bandwagon and stop being limited by the brainwashing that tells people you have to be locked into a 9 to 5 job, working for “the man”. ANYONE can get online and make money freelancing, not just as a writer, but as an artist, a crafter, a painter, a sculpter, a photographer, a designer, or otherwise.
My wife follows the blog of a lady who does online consultations for people to design the layout of their house for them. They send her the outline, she designs the space for them, and sends it back. Never has to meet a client. Never has to leave the house. Simple. Easy.
Digital media and the 21st Century rock
I’m extremely enthusiastic about the opportunities available to me as someone taking advantage of the Internet and a global market.
I have a question about Suite 101. Has anyone written for them? If so, what is the pay and did you enjoy writing for them?
“Writer needed – four projects.” The title says it all!
lol
@Christine – I took it to mean “for four projects” and not as a typo?
As far as the work available online, blogging or otherwise, I think things are really changing, probably both from the flood of unemployed people trying out writing who think it’s an easy way to make money (regardless of their writing ability) and those in other countries who can accept lower wages. It’s a bad combination for writers, wage-wise. I used to find decent assignments through the web, but that hasn’t been true recently. I thought I would try some of the content sites (Demand Studios), only to be told I was not qualified, even though I’ve been a freelancer for eight years (with the clips and references to prove it). Oh well, like @Kenna said, you have to have a thick skin. It just motivated me to move on to pitching magazines directly, which I’ve always had better luck with anyway.
@Deb–Good advice and much appreciated. I actually talked on the phone and things are on the up and up again.
Emily–I’ll have to check that book out, thanks for the title.
@T.W.–You’re still not giving writers enough credit. Saying it’s a skill that everyone can learn is about as productive as saying being a car tuner, CEO, professional athlete or any other job is a skill that anyone can learn. Sounds great on paper, doesn’t work out in real life. Not everyone can learn to be a great writer, or a capable writer for that matter. There are plenty that have failed at it. Not everyone makes a living doing it. Again, just because you did doesn’t automatically mean everyone can. Frankly, I’m surprised to see such a negative view coming from a writer.
Oh yeah. I get this all the time. The minute someone finds out I write, they want to do it too, because anyone can write…right? Wrong! Oh, so wrong. Sure, you might be able to put together a grammatically correct sentence, but the turn of a phrase depends in large part on talent. Still, I must say there ARE companies that will hire people who have the mechanics down but show no talent.
Agree to disagree. I’m going to side with Stephen King on this one. If you haven’t had the opportunity yet, you should read his “On Writing” book. In it he talks about how anyone, regardless of who they are, has the potential to become a writer, so long as they have the will to succeed and practice every single day.
If I wanted to become a professional swimmer I would need to practice, every single day. If I wanted to become a professional bike rider and participate in the Tour de France, I would need to practice, every single day. If I want to become a master chef, I practice cooking, every single day, expanding my knowledge.
Not sure who Stephen King is, or haven’t read his “On Writing” book? Feel free to look him up and drop the few bucks necessary to read what is considered one of the most inspirational books of the 20th century.
Anyone can be a writer. All it takes is the will to succeed and the dedication to work at it, every single day.
“[anyone] has the potential to become a writer, so long as they have the will to succeed and practice every single day.
If I wanted to become a professional swimmer I would need to practice, every single day. If I wanted to become a professional bike rider and participate in the Tour de France, I would need to practice, every single day. If I want to become a master chef, I practice cooking, every single day, expanding my knowledge.”
Hmmm…that’s a far cry from fast food is it not? In fact, aren’t you saying the exact opposite of: “What we do is NOT hard, it is NOT difficult, it is NOT challenging.” If it’s not hard, not difficult, not challenging, then why is the daily practice necessary? Because practice nurtures skill and skill makes a writer (or professional athlete, chef, Ferrari mechanic, and so on). Not everyone has that will to practice and succeed and not everyone can (talking reality here, not theory) be a writer.
Just go read Stephen King’s book, Chris
I’m not going to argue semantics with you, because it’s a pointless exercise in futility.
Skill is inherent, in each and every individual. We all have potential. Each and every one of us. Blogging, content creation…these are low-skill positions that require little/no thought or talent beyond stringing together coherent sentences. Pulitzer Prize winning prose? That’s the “professional” level that people can achieve over the course of their career through daily practice, just like someone who starts off cooking in their home can eventually become a professional chef.
As I used in another analogy, blogging and content writing is like fast-food. Features and journalism is like a nice steak dinner, or a night out at the Olive Garden, or some other medium-priced place. Pulitzer Prize winning stuff, that’s the 250 dollar bottle of wine and 300 dollar meal cooked by a gourmet chef.
Anyone can write. Period. The only difference between award-winning features and content writing is the level of practice one has put into it. But to suggest that content generation, which requires nothing more than the ability to research a topic and write on it, requires no skill above and beyond the ability to read and write, like you were taught in high school.
I like Stephen King’s view on the subject. “If you wrote something for which someone sent you a check, if you cashed the check and it didn’t bounce, and if you then paid the light bill with the money, I consider you talented.”
That’s just about every single person out there who works as a freelance writer.
Meant to say “But to suggest that content generation, which requires nothing more than the ability to research a topic and write on it, which requires no skill above and beyond the ability to read and write, like you were taught in high school, is difficult is simply beyond comprehension, to me.”
Lost my train of thought due to a phone call
Anyone can write. Not everyone can write well. I read Stephen Kings book too. It didn’t change my mind.
A paycheck is a paycheck. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Maybe writing is challenging for other people here. I personally do not find it challenging, nor do I think that it is something that only the “gods among men” can aspire to.
I’ll stand by Mr. King’s statements and my own views on the matter, which are simply: if you can research a topic, and form coherent sentences, you can be a writer.
I absolutely love how easy this job is, and I’ll continue spreading the message to everyone I meet about what a wonderful opportunity exists if you are willing to simply take a chance on yourself and spread those literary wings of yours and leap out of the nest.
I hope your relative takes the plunge, Deb. I think it’s a great opportunity for a disabled person to be able to find a way to support themselves as well as get some of those creative juices flowing.
Here’s to writing, and the successes that come along with it! Meanwhile, I better get back to it. Two new contracts I’m negotiating through (found on this site, thanks much!), and I’ve got some more research to do. To everyone out there…good luck on your writing!
Talented web writers know the key to success is brevity. Some would do well to remember that.
I agree that anyone can write, but, for most people, it takes effort and practice to write well and support yourself doing so. Most people I know don’t think they could support themselves writing as I do (and maybe they’re right), but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t blog, does it? I certainly wasn’t sure I could support myself writing when I first started–how many of us did?
I personally always encourage people to start a blog; they may just find a love and talent for writing they never knew they had, and what’s so wrong with that? They may or may not decide to pursue professional writing, but they’ll never know if they don’t tip their toes in the water, and a blog is a perfect place to start. The more the merrier, I say; I love reading fresh ideas from different perspectives, and it’s always fun to watch someone’s writing progress.
Besides, I think everyone should write as if nothing else, it’s cheap therapy
Last line first paragraph, “how many of us were?”
How many people out there write every day, hone their craft, submit query after query, or story after story, and yet never succeed? The fact that there are so many aspiring writers who never get to quit their full-time jobs to live the dream suggests not everyone can do it. I’m not great at fiction. Even if I worked at it hours every day, I’m convinced I’d never be able to write something that even came close to Carrie or The Dark Tower books.
@Krista – I can’t write fiction either. I’ve tried – but I’m not good at plot or dialogue. It’s a talent and a skill.
@Deb – I’ve tried too. And then I go back and read it over… It’s no good.:) So much different than copywriting or web content!
What you have to remember about Stephen King is that some of his best books – he doesn’t remember writing. He was drunk or on drugs. His later work, now that he’s sober, I don’t find as impressive. It’s been years since I’ve really enjoyed anything he wrote.
Now some people love Jane Austen or Shakespeare and I can’t stand either of them. Writing is a very subjective thing, you’ll have fans or you won’t.
I have written a short novel for NaNoWriMo and had great feedback from author and publicist friends, but I’m not happy with it so I’ve never sent it to a publisher. Until I feel in my heart that it’s “there,” I’ll keep at it. I don’t think I ever would have done it had I not entered the competition and made a commitment to myself to write 3,000 words per day. It was challenging, but I did it. The next year, I was up to 30,000 words and then gave up because I picked up bronchitis from my daughter and that did me in. Last year, I skipped it because I had too many other deadlines. But this year, I hope to get back into it.
If you really want to challenge your writing skills, give NaNoWriMo a try.
I understand that the current trends seen in the field of writing can be disheartening; especially for those who have put so much time and effort into perfecting their craft. We have seen this happen with a lot of topics and careers. The current economic climate hasn’t helped this either, and now we are seeing lesser skilled individuals getting gigs because they will work for less. It is frustraiting and stressful for those that rely on writing for their livelihood.
I also agree that working in freelance writing is not an easy job. I have been told by many, that it is a job they do in addition to a regular outside-the-home paying profession. I think that this is something that many people don’t realize. This, in and of itself, will probably weed out a lot of amateur writers in the end. To someone like yourself, this prospect should be good news to some extent. Additionally, employers who want good writing will pay more for it and know what to look for, or learn what to look for soon.
Yet, although I can see your point in this post, I also see the point of some of the comments too. Anyone can write. The first thought that came to my mind when reading your post was ‘what about JK Rowling?’. I know that she had a little writing experience, but she was far from a publised author of novels before Harry Potter. Take away the popularity of Harry Potter (the fad aspect) and she is still a really good writer. Now, she may be an exception to the rule, but it goes to show that there are people out there that have a talent for writing that probably haven’t ever thought about persuing it until now.
Then there are the people who aren’t very good writers. Some will be weeded out, but I’m sure that some will stay. Like anything else, writing is a skill that can get better with practice. I do admit that I look at writers like I look at performing artists. For some, it comes naturally. Others have to work at it. Finally, others can get better but should never consider doing it professionally by any means.
Additionaly, like performing artists, greater improvement and greatness comes out of competition. This is why readers make good writers and why we often see clumps of great people rise above the masses at the same time. So, I am looking forward to what comes of this trend. Will there be some talented writers out there that help push others in their writing skill? I think so. Will it be a frustrating ride for those trying to make a living of it? Probably.
So, I wouldn’t be so displeased at your relative’s suggestion to another relative that they consider writing. I think it is a good thing to consider in that position. I just hope that they look into writing like they would with any other job.
Response One: Talent is a Factor.
I think most educated people can write content or opinion blogs with wildly varying levels of quality. If their writing is so-so they may not be able to get paying gigs.
I do not believe that you can become a great writer simply with practice. I can play the guitar ten hours a day and will absolutely never be great. I love it, but I have zero talent for it and my “ear” is not good.
Likewise, I have tried to help a couple friends of mine to elevate their writing and they couldn’t. These are people who are truly passionate, have read the books, been to the seminars, etc. However, their brains, wiring, what have you, cannot process the information in a meaningful way. They don’t understand that writing is about more than the sharing of information or story. They can’t grasp the most effective organization of the information, how to make their content have style, or how to choose the voice with the maximum impact. In short, they don’t get it and they never will. As I will never write, or improvise, a piece of music like Miles Davis. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!
Everyone should be encouraged to write if they enjoy it. However, not everyone is going to be great at it without some “god-given” capabilities.
I think everyone should explore their passions and enjoy them. It doesn’t hurt anyone that I play relatively crappy guitar for myself. However, it would hurt me, and the ears of innocent bystanders, if my friends encouraged me to quit my job and pursue music. So, at the very least review your friends writing before you encourage them to pursue it. Do they really have what it takes?
Response Two: Overnight Sensations?
I don’t think this is really ever the case exactly. I think most of these people have done a lot of reading and writing before anything gets printed. I think it’s possible to have a great concept without any skill, but to put it on paper in a meaningful way, there has to be some background. If you were to sit down with J.K. Rowling you would find out she has a secondary degree, has studied writing and taught English. She was not ignorant of writing before she started.
I’ve read and like Stephen King’s On Writing. I think he gives some very helpful nuts and bolts info, and also encourages perseverance. Good stuff. However if you read it you will find that his “overnight success” with Carrie came after years of writing and trying to get published.
If you can point to an uneducated person who hasn’t written for their own pleasure, academia or business prior to their “overnight success” (ah, and I don’t mean people like Paris Hilton who have “books” written for them), it would be interesting to hear about them.
Not everyone can learn to write. Or learn a foreign language, sing, or to do any number of creative things. I can play instructional tapes all day knowing I’ll never come remotely close to using the language as would a native speaker. But I’ve always been able to string words into sentences that make sense. The ability seems to come from deep within, as if one is born with it. Everyone can do at least one thing based on this instinctive feeling. You know it when you feel it. At least you should. The best advice I can offer some would-be crafters of fiction whose work I’ve read — who’ve been seduced by one of many how-to guides promising that yes, YOU can be a great writer — is to gently suggest that they find another creative outlet.
“Skill is inherent, in each and every individual. We all have potential. Each and every one of us.”
Yes, but not everyone has the same skills or the same level of potential. Not everyone can practice and become a MLB all star that hits 30 HRs and bats .300 + per season, no matter how hard they try. Not everyone will become a world-renowned chef. And not everyone can be a good writer, or for that matter, make a living doing so. You don’t need to limit yourself to Mr. King on that one, go talk to any of the millions of people that have practiced hard, put their all into their desired profession and came up short. Hell, when discussing athletics, there are many entire leagues full of such people–a lot of talent, a ton of hard work, but still falling short.
Sure you can string together halfway coherent sentences, and practice doing so–you may even get paid a few bucks–but it doens’t mean you’ll be a writer. Without some penchant and natural ability for what you’re doing, be it writing or something else, you’re not going to succeed. Everyone has their own unique skill set. The formula you cite, regardless of the source, only goes so far.
Everyone’s quoting the Stephen King book (On Writing), but many seem to forget that he actually says that bad writers exist and cannot be saved. Here’s a quote from the book:
“I can’t lie and say there are no bad writers. Sorry, but there are lots of bad writers.”
He then explores the hierarchy of bad writers, competent writers, good writers, and great writers.
Later, he writes:
“…while it is impossible to make a competent writer out of a bad writer, and while it is equally impossible to make a great writer out of a good one, it is possible, with lots of hard work, dedication, and timely help, to make a good writer out of a merely competent one.”
I’m with him on this one – there really are bad writers that cannot be saved with practice, workshops, or even degrees in Creative Writing. I’ve met them. Heck, some of them even work in the web content business. No matter how much they try, they can’t come up with a coherent original thought. Even when they do they can’t seem to string it into a decent sentence. It’s beyond knowing proper spelling, grammar, and usage. Sometimes the problem lies in the inability to learn from one’s mistakes or pick up new skills. Sometimes it’s making “sounding like a writer” your constant priority rather than getting the message across as clearly and concisely as possible. There are bad writers, and there are many reasons why they exist.
At the same time, there are those people who haven’t had much training but can write reasonably well. Sometimes their work needs to be more polished, but you know that with practice they can get better at it – as Stephen King noted. Unfortunately, not everyone falls into this category.
I think it’s also unfair to tell the “bad writers” that anyone can be a good writer. Then again, they might not care either way – as long as they’re typing something or getting a paycheck.
Chris.
The only person standing between you and success is you.
Best of luck in your career. I know I’m rocking in mine
Archie:
I loved this statement:
“Sometimes it’s making “sounding like a writer” your constant priority rather than getting the message across as clearly and concisely as possible.”
I’m working with a very bright econ/stat guy who wants to blog about the economy. I think he has what it takes once we reign in his need to use big words (that are lost on the average reader) and quote endless stats.
I also have a friend who, no matter what he is writing, tries to elevate it all to match the tone of a Pulitzer-prize winning New Yorker piece – and therefore never finishes anything.
There’s so much to be said for finding the middle ground and just communicating!
T.W. – I think your optimism is great, and hopefully a large percentage of those reading this do have what it takes to be great writers.
Lisa
Cheers.