After you’ve figured out what satisfying writing life looks like, there are many decisions about how to navigate through the writing world that need to fall into place.
When most people think about professional writers, they imagine someone in a cabin in the woods, typing away on an old-school typewriter.
All successful writers started their writing career having certain strengths and weaknesses.
We all have hurdles. And we all have techniques to overcome them. Not everyone jumps over. Some walk around. Others move the hurdle. There are those destroy the hurdle. Or you can turn and walk the other way. A writer might not be particularly good at writing dialogue. Knowing where you shine can help a person figure-out what they need to be.
You might be surprised at the different options available for professional writing. Not only are there a wide variety of career options but there is a wide variety of styles as well. The possibilities for becoming a writer are truly endless.
How to Become A Writer
There are different niches and paths you can take where different types of writing will overlap. You could be a freelance blogger or a freelance writer. Finding ways to mix and match can also help you stand out as a writer as well.
Let’s identify how to get your foot in the door so you can learn how to become a writer.
Freelance writing
With freelance writing, you’re pretty much able to get your foot in the door of any industry.
In the world of freelance writing, you’re caption of your own ship and need to treat your work like a business. This means, you’ll need to find clients, learn how to keep track of your own finances, and stay on top of your deadlines.
If you want to get into freelance writing, you’ll need to be self-disciplined and feel excited about the thought of pitching clients and networking. You might also consider finding a niche or specialty so you can stand out from other freelance writers.
Blogging
Bloggers have two main choices: you can run your own blog or write blogs for other companies. If you choose to run your own blog, you’re going to have to learn a lot more skills than you would just as someone who writes for blogs. You’ll need to learn SEO, you’ll have to buy a domain and hosting, and you’ll need to learn general marketing skills to get your website off the ground.
On the flip side, writing for blogs means you’ll need to be able to find clients and you’ll have to have some kind of initial portfolio to show off.
Nonfiction writing
Nonfiction writing includes a wide variety of writing industries from journalism to nonfiction books. You could write biographies, historical books, instructional-type writing, humor, life stories, philosophy, and more. Essentially, nonfiction writing includes all writing that doesn’t have a fictional narrative. It’s based on real events and real people.
As you can imagine, this covers a lot of different industries and types of writing out there.
If you want to get into nonfiction writing, you’ll have to love the art of research and putting true stories together in a way that is interesting or helpful to other people.
Fiction writing
Fiction writing is narrative writing that often includes a story. you want to get into fiction writing, you will need a creative mind and a story to tell.
If you are that person who dreams about writing a story that inspires others or lights up someone’s imagination, this is where you’ll focus.
You’ll have to write out your story and start putting it together piece by piece. Once you do that, you’ll need to either start finding a publishing company or choose to self-publish.
Children’s books
Writing children’s books might be a great fit for you if you have a creative mind and you love to tell children’s stories.
Similarly to getting into fiction writing, you’ll need to come up with unique stories, ones that children love to read. You will also need to either have some kind of artistic skills or pair up with someone who can draw your story to make it come to life.
Almost all children’s books have art or pictures inside of them, so that’s an essential piece you’ll need to include.
Technical writing
For anyone who loves to deep-dive into software, products, or services, technical writing might be a good choice.
This will include breaking down complex topics, such as how to install software on a computer, into understandable, easy steps that the average person could follow.
To break into this type of writing, you’ll need to study technical manuals and possibly pick an industry or type of technical writing you want to cover.
Creative writing
You could do anything from poetry to short stories to even creative advertisements.
There’s so many ways you can use creativity. The joy of storytelling falls into every style of writing. Identify if you’d rather be a creative writer or a more professional writer.
Proposal and grant writing
Proposal and grant writing is rewarding because you are often helping nonprofits raise money through grants.
If you want to get into grant writing, one of the best ways to get your foot in the door is to network with nonprofits you feel passionate about so you can get on their radar.
Focus on formatting proposals and grants correctly. It is a strict industry where even the slightest error can disqualify a nonprofit.
Business writing and copywriting
If you have an interest in business, marketing, and psychology, you might succeed in the world of business writing.
Business writing is a bigger umbrella for all kinds of writing that a business could need.
Copywriting consists of persuasive writing with the goal of getting readers to take action. Both of these types of writing will require you to understand marketing and buyer’s psychology.
If you want to get into this type of writing, you will need to study marketing and sales. Along with that, you’ll need to start networking with companies to get your foot in the door to write for them.
Conclusion
There are so many ways you can get started as a freelance writer. What will you choose?
Don’t be afraid to try a few or all of them out to find a good fit!