Dreaming of Becoming a Writer? It’s Easier Than You Think
Have you ever searched “how to become a writer” online? You’re not alone. A recent study about dream jobs showed that being a writer is the second most coveted career worldwide, with over 800,000 searches a year. From developing your skillset to finding paying opportunities, there are many paths you can take on your journey toward achieving success as a writer.
Here we will explore these different pathways to give aspiring writers an idea of what they need to do to get their start as professional writers.
What Is a Writer Anyway?
Before we jump into becoming a writer, it’s essential to identify exactly what a “writer” is. A writer is someone who creates written content for a variety of purposes. This could include writing articles and blog posts, developing marketing copy, crafting fiction or nonfiction books and short stories, penning scripts for movies or television, and so much more.
I started writing at a young age. In fact, when I was seven, I created a short comic book with my cousin about a crime-solving duck and his mathematician sidekick. I had a teacher in elementary school who made us write every day. She’d turn on The Today Show (with Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric), and we’d have to pick a story to summarize and answer the questions, “Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How?”
Truthfully, I think she wanted an excuse to watch her favorite morning program.
Different Writing Jobs You Can Get Paid For
Even then, I thought writers only got paid for writing books. I never understood that there were many writing jobs in the world–and that MOST of them weren’t about book writing.
Copywriter
I have been a copywriter for almost a decade. A copywriter is someone who writes persuasive copy for advertising, marketing, and promotional materials. The best part about becoming a copywriter is that there are many paths to get there. Some have a journalist background. Some come to copywriting with English degrees. An old boss of mine had a history degree.
I came to copywriting by accident. My degree is in Business Administration-Marketing, but when I first started writing content and social, I had no experience at all. I had created a sketch comedy show, and one of the writers I invited to participate had a job in marketing. He thought I’d be a good fit to work at his company, so he got me an interview, and I’ve been in the marketing world ever since. Later, I’d get my degree and focus more on the copywriting aspect of my job, but it wasn’t a “traditional” path.
To become a copywriter, you need to understand the marketing world and write well enough. But you don’t NEED a copywriting degree–I don’t even know if that’s a thing, honestly.
Content Writer & Director
A content writer develops content for websites, blogs, articles, and more. I started my career as a content manager. Today, my actual title at work is Associate Creative Director–Copy / Content Director. It’s a mouthful. But all this means is that I have the skills to write short-form copy (like you might see on social media or headlines) and long-form copy (blogging and articles).
Today, anyone can be a content writer! You are a content writer if you make TikTok, YouTube, or social videos. If it’s something you want to do as a career, you can become an influencer or get a job with a content development organization. The marketing path is also a great way to get into content writing.
If you create content online, do it as well as you can. Then put those projects on your resume for a potential employer. If you can show that you know how to do the work and get engagement from an audience, someone will want to pay you for it.
SEO Blogger
Blogging itself isn’t very lucrative. Well, I’m sure it is for some people. But those people are rare. Instead, you want to become an SEO (search engine optimization) Blogger. An SEO Blogger optimizes blog content to appear higher in search engine results. Depending on the client and their needs, this can be a full-time job.
You don’t need special skills or degrees to get into SEO Blogging. However, you do need to understand basic SEO principles and have the ability to write compelling copy that persuades people to interact with your content.
Luckily, there are videos galore online that can help you do that. To get paid for SEO blogging, you can go into affiliate marketing or write for a specific brand or marketing agency. You can find work on freelance sites like UpWork or Draft.
There are lots of brands out there trying to gain traffic to their site, and many of them understand that SEO blogging is an excellent way to do that.
Journalist
Even with the death of the newspaper, online news organizations and magazines need good journalists. A good journalist can write compelling news stories and dig for facts. It helps if you have a journalism degree, but many reporters don’t.
You might start by interning at a local newspaper to get into journalism. You could also submit freelance writing to national publications or magazines. Once you build up your portfolio and make connections, you could find yourself a job as a journalist.
To make it in journalism, you need to be able to write fast and accurately. You also need to know how to use various media sources and be willing to dig into topics that aren’t always popular.
Technical Writer
Technical writers are responsible for writing and editing technical documents. They create user manuals, product specifications, software instructions, and more. To become a technical writer, you don’t necessarily need to have a degree in the field. But knowledge of computers is a must, as well as strong technical writing skills.
You can start by taking courses related to technical writing and computer systems. Once you’ve gained a good base knowledge, you can look for entry-level jobs in the field or freelance work.
To become a technical writer, you need to understand complex processes and break down that information into simple and concise language. It’s not the most creative writing work, but if you’re good at it, you can have an excellent career.
TV & Movie Script Writer
Back in the day, the only TV and movie scriptwriting happened in Hollywood or other big cities worldwide. Now, thanks to the internet and the removal of entertainment gatekeepers–okay, maybe not removal, but there are far fewer barriers to entry than ever before–anyone can write a script and watch it unfold before their eyes. You can find scriptwriting templates across the web. And, if you want to try your hand at producing or directing, all you need is some friends, a camera (or phone), and a social media account.
Fiction & Nonfiction Writing
While traditional publishing requires a bit of work, luck, and making the right connections, anyone today can be an independent book publisher thanks to Amazon and KDP. Many people have written books, built raving fans, and made their writing dreams come true, without a big publishing house behind them.
To start writing fiction or nonfiction books, you’ll need to know the basics of storytelling–plotting, structure, characters, etc. Next, you should familiarize yourself with writing styles and genres. If you plan on self-publishing your work, you’ll also want to understand marketing and promotion strategies well.
Once your book is out in the world, you can build an author platform and look into other ways to make money from your writing. The possibilities are truly endless.
And Many More!
Truth be told, there are so many different writing jobs out there that no one could list them all. And there are new ones created every couple of years. Heard of ChatGPT?
The point is, if you’re dreaming of being a writer, stop dreaming and become one!
Now, let’s discuss how you can get started and some writing tips and tools you can use to help you.
How to Get Started Writing
Depending on your experience, there are different ways to get started. If you’re brand new to writing, you’ll want to educate yourself on grammar, sentence structure, technique, and all that jazz. Consider taking a writing course either online or in school. It can be pretty boring at this stage of your writing career, but it is a necessary bore that everyone goes through!
Beginning Writers
Assuming you have the basics down, your goal should be to gain experience. A lot of experience! Like a basketball player taking free throws after practice, you must get repetitions and fine-tune your process. You need to write frequently and find ways to improve as you do.
If you want to be a storyteller, look for sites offering writing contests that provide feedback. Reedsy is a great site for this.
If you want to do marketing writing, but don’t have a job yet, then find a local business that could use a social media or website writer. Offer to do pro bono work if you have to. You can also build your own website or a website for a friend.
Whatever job you want in writing, you can benefit from having your own blog. Write blog posts daily and make them interesting, even if no one is reading them. Medium.com is a beautiful blogging platform open to all writers. It’s also an excellent place to start building your audience.
All of this may seem like “work for no pay,” but that might be what you have to do early on. Once your writing is good enough, someone will want to pay you for it. Right now, your “pay” is experience. Focus on getting better and better.
Writers With Some Experience
Let’s say you have experience writing and currently do it pretty often, but you aren’t getting paid for it yet. Or maybe you’re not getting paid enough. It’s time to level up your ability and maybe go beyond the type of writing you’ve been doing.
For example, if you’re a social media writer but want to be a copywriter, you’ll have to move beyond “social” writing and get into persuasive writing. You need to practice headlines and blurbs. Read books on how behavior and consumer psychology. Learn about past marketing techniques and pay attention to ads, magazines, billboards, and commercials.
What language do they use? How do they portray an idea concisely?
If you want to gain experience but don’t have anyone to pay you, you can do “mock” brand work. How would you write for Coca-Cola or Crocs? Can you develop an ad or slogan?
You’ll also want to learn about audiences and building customer avatars. One of the biggest challenges for beginning to intermediate writers is that they tend to write generic copy instead of copy that speaks directly to the person reading it. Learning audience behaviors and actions can help you write with specificity.
That’s where you want to live. You want to get into the mind of a potential buyer.
As a copywriter at a marketing agency, I’ve written for dozens of clients. Each brand has its own voice and a particular way of talking to its audience. Each has its own vocabulary. Writing for a whiskey brand is different from writing for a healthcare client. You want to understand and implement those differences in your own writing.
You’ll learn over time, but if you want to supercharge it, you must study forums or blogs within particular industries. And you need to practice.
Advanced Writers
If you’re an advanced writer, you probably know what you’re good at and where you can improve. The struggle I’ve noticed with advanced writers is they might become set in their ways or stop reacting well to feedback. No one can tell them they’re wrong and that closed-mindedness usually hurts their growth. They also don’t branch out or take risks. They don’t try to write in new arenas.
I’ve heard advanced writers say things like, “I’m a long-form writer only” or “I only do headlines.” If you want to become a great writer, you have to be willing to fail so that you can improve. And the way you fail is to step out of your comfort zone.
I have never been great at fiction writing. I am creative, and I have good ideas. But, I struggle when I sit down to write a fiction book. I can write blogs, articles, and nonfiction all day long and feel good about my output. But that doesn’t quite click when I switch to creative writing.
So, right now, I’m in the process of writing fiction. Fantasy fiction, to be exact. It’s a struggle, and what I write is not very good. But I hope to get better at it. To get better, I’m reading fantasy and watching fantasy shows. I’m learning about tropes and how different authors describe and create their worlds.
That’s what it’s going to take to be better. And I truly believe that becoming a better fiction writer will translate into being an even better copywriter and content director.
Writing Tips, Tools, and Resources
The internet is chock full of places to turn to for help. I’d like to think my site has some helpful stuff on it. But beyond self-promotion, there have been a lot of books, videos, websites, teachers, and others, who have helped me get to where I am.
Great Writing Books
You can read regular books and be entertained while learning a thing or two about writing. But these are books that will actually help you become a better writer yourself. There is no shortage of these books and opinions on which are best. A quick Google search will give you dozens of options. Here are some of my favorites.
Stephen King On Writing
I became a Stephen King fan far too late in life. I feel like I’ve missed so many great books of his and I’ll never be able to catch up. But that doesn’t keep me from reading him often. Fortunately, he’s still producing like a mad man. His book On Writing has become essential for writers everywhere. I like the audiobook version best.
Hey Whipple, Squeeze This
If you want to get into copywriting, this is the book to read. There are several editions, so grab the latest one. It’s a good book that breaks down what it means to be a marketing writer and how the industry has changed over the years.
The Elements of Style
Simple and easy to understand. A classic on writing better.
Drive by Daniel H. Pink
This is not a writing book. Instead, it’s my favorite book on behavioral psychology and understanding people more. Another must-read if you are interested in marketing or copywriting.
Steal Like an Artist
Austin Kleon is an inspiration of mine. This book is great to have on your desk whenever you feel like you’re not good enough or you’re unsure how to keep going.
Save the Cat!
A great book–now a series of books, really–on how to build story, write scripts, and build believable characters that people will love. Awesome for structure and plot writing.
Must-Have Tools
Everyone loves a good browser extension or site they can use to instantly make themselves better at what they do. I’m no different. I have used or still use each of these almost daily.
Grammarly
Some say there are better programs to help with grammar and editing. I stick with the classic. I use Grammarly every single day, and it’s helped me a ton in writing better.
Hemingway Editor
Hemingway Editor is an excellent tool to help you write less passively, avoid long, drawn-out sentences, and improves your overall prose. It’ll also help you understand the readability “level” of your writing.
AI Writing Tool
The one I’ve used the most is Jasper.ai. I’m a big fan. As of this writing, there are several out there to check out (including ChatGPT), and I assume there will be countless more over the next couple of years. I like to use AI to help me generate more ideas, fill in content (primarily if I’ve written a lot that day), and provide different angles to say the same thing. It’s not replacing us yet, but if it does, I’d like to know how to use it well so I can be its assistant.
My Five Best Writing Tips
I’ve been a writer all my life. I’ve been paid to write for over a decade. I’d like to think I’ve learned a thing or two, but I’m far from the best writer ever. Any writing tips you get, you should take with a grain of salt–or an entire block of it. With that said, here are my five best writing tips.
Tip #1 — There is Nothing New–Get Over It
When I stare up at the stars, I have an existential crisis. We are literally specks of dust riding on a billions-of-years-old floating rock, surrounded by other billion-year-old rocks. It’s really easy to feel like life and what I do with my writing are meaningless. It can be crippling. But you only get one life, and you might as well do what you enjoy. You’ll never create something completely and utterly original. So what? Get over it and keep writing, dammit.
Tip #2 — Never Stop Learning
Complacency is death. Whether it’s your career or you write for fun, I encourage you to keep learning and improving. Then, I encourage you to share your knowledge and experience with others. Remember, to a fourth grader, a fifth grader is an expert.
Tip #3 — Write Everyday, Even If It’s Not Your Job
Journal, write stories, copy other books for practice–whatever you need to do to write every day, do it. You don’t have the luxury of waiting until someone pays you before you start writing. New authors aren’t just given book deals before they put pen to paper. They write first, then try to sell their book second. Before getting my first copywriting job, I wrote blogs, sketch comedy scripts, and self-published a nonfiction book. Do it because you love it and want to do it. Eventually, someone will notice and want to pay you for it.
Tip #4 — Support Other Writers and Creators
When I ran Sketchpad Comedy, I had one rule, “You’re not allowed to shit on other people or their ideas.” I’d say it’s my rule in life. Being creative is not a zero-sum game. You do not have to knock someone else down for you to rise. There is room for us all. Be supportive. Be a cheerleader. Encourage others to follow their dreams and help them along the way.
That’s the goal of this website, and I hope everyone reading this becomes a better writer than me.
Tip #5 — It’s Okay to Suck
Throughout my life, teachers and coworkers have told me I’m a good writer. Yet, every time I look back on something I’ve written, I wonder why it sucks. I firmly believe that if you’re not embarrassed by who you were six months ago, then you aren’t doing life right. The same goes for writing. You’re going to suck, maybe for a little while, maybe for a long while. But it’s going to feel bad and hard. Embrace it. Don’t let it define you. Keep getting better and better, and listen to those around you who tell you you’re awesome.
I’ll leave you with this quote from Ira Glass:
“All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit…We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work.”
Keep writing. Keep creating.
Keep following your dreams.
