Say you have your MFA or you’re a self-schooled writer. If you want to make a living as a writer, options can seem slim. I believe if you love words, writing can be a career as much as anything else. (Just don’t let the 40 hours pounding the keyboard keep you from working on your novel.)
A couple blogs I’ve been reading shed some light on career options for writing types.
Copywriting
There are some shady operations on the Internet that talk about six-figure incomes in copywriting. You only need to spend $5,000 on their training course to start living the life. Take those options as you may, but if you want to get smart about copywriting and just start doing it without the expensive course, Copyblogger is one of the best resources I’ve seen on smart, business-focused writing. The emphasis is on the reader and on storytelling. Where have I heard about that before?
Freelance Writing
MB Toolbox is a prolific daily catalog of links for those folks who write at home in their pajamas and get paid for it. A dream of mine for many years, I’ve finally realized that I loathe the query process so much, it may never come true. But in the meantime, the Toolbox can keep my head filled with tips, news, fresh markets, interviews with successful freelancers, and a good deal more.
Comments 1
Another option is to mix it up and do some teaching, some editing and some writing. Success in any one area makes you look better in the other two.
If you also have the stamina for a day or night job with benefits, you might just be able to pull it off and live without roomates!
Armand
Posted 30 Oct 2006 at 8:46 pm ¶Post a Comment