Opinion

"Dear Writergrrls..."

"How do you know if you should go into the writing field? Is a love of reading or writing enough? How do you know if you will like the daily grind of a writer's job? Then, how do you get started?"
-Danielle R.

This question seems very pertinent right now, with so many reassessing their careers. I asked several writers to share their opinions on this and I received many thoughtful and informative responses.

The most common response I received was "I couldn't imagine doing anything else." Caddie T'Kenye adds, "It's like any other art form—if you find yourself doing it anyway, all the time, in one way or another, you might as well get paid for it! For example, when the new manual needs to be put together at work, do you volunteer? Do you get extra marks on your exams for the great presentation? Do you know you don't actually know the material well enough to deserve extra marks? All of the above are clear indications that you have talent as a wordsmith. Become a writer!"

For me, writing is something I'll always do. The idea of entering the writing field came along after I experienced intense dissatisfaction with a monotonous job. I decided to review everything I'd enjoyed in my relatively short employment history (about five years). I thought about the assignments where I excelled, based on feedback from coworkers and supervisors. I realized I'd kept looking for ways to incorporate writing into my various job functions, so I should remain true to that desire to write. For my future, I view writing as a skill that I can combine with other job functions, so I'll always continue developing my writing abilities. Even if I change my mind about being a writer, the skills will be useful elsewhere.

There are drawbacks to writing careers. Emily Walker warns:

"Writing as a career is not the same as writing for yourself—you often have to be willing to compromise on quality, style, word choice, point of view, and, at times, complete honesty when writing for a company and not your own satisfaction. You may have to put up with editors who butcher your prose, impossible space limitations, deadlines that preclude proofreading, and managers who think you should be able to put together a manual in a week. At work, your writing is not an art form; it is a tool to be used for the good of the company and its bottom line. You need the ability to care about your work, yet not take it personally."

Another common warning was the isolation writers experience and the lack of human contact—especially for freelancers and fiction writers. The desire to write overrides the drawbacks of seclusion, but it is something to be aware of beforehand.

Education and practice are important, and you can take various routes. Some have found college courses useful, while others suggest less formal options like joining local writing groups. Walker also shares this excellent advice about jumping into the field:

"To get an idea of the day-to-day life of a career writer, talk to individuals who do the kind of writing you would be interested in. A technical writer at a software company has a much different workday than a journalist or a ghostwriter of autobiographies. Ask how they interact with people, how much time they spend sitting at a computer versus talking to sources, and how much research goes into each page of work. Ask how much help they get from project managers or editors versus how much they define on their own. Describe to them what you imagine a writing career to be like, and see what their reaction is.

Then, start reading books about technical writing, style guides, grammar, or documentation design, as well as information of the type you may be writing. If you can't get enough, or if you can read the Chicago Manual of Style cover-to-cover, face it—you were meant to be a writer."

Like many other careers, your success as a writer won't be guaranteed just because you have a strong desire to write. Even so, if you combine the desire with determination and practice, you'll have plenty of your fellow writers willing to help you along the way.

Rachel Strawn, a native of Louisiana, is officially a full-time student in web applications and software development. She's worked as a software tester, loves to write and lives just north of Seattle.