CAREER IN WRITING

Writer is a person who is engaged in literary composition as a profession; an author is a writer of novels. A poet is an imaginative thinker or writer who is skilled at creating poetry or one who has a particular genius for metrical (the rhythmic arrangement of syllables) composition. Writers may write in a burst of inspiration but even the best writers are concerned with technique, with how to achieve the effects they want. Poetry would come within creative writing. Writing is a broad term that covers the following genres: fiction writing, non-fiction writing, screenwriting, scriptwriting, memoir writing, novel writing, poetry writing, playwriting, children’s books, TV serial writing, humour writing, mystery writing, romance writing, writing lyrics, science fiction writing, travel writing, feature writing, writing book reviews, interviews, film or art criticism and business communication.

The Prospects
If you are considering this particular career the paramount thing is that you must love writing. This is not a career where you could enter with the sole intention to make money. There are opportunities for writers but this is initially not a lucrative area. Hence it is advisable to always start off as a hobby and monitor the growth and response you receive to your work. Once you feel that there is enough work and money flowing in then you may consider going full time in this career. There could come a phase where there is a limited inflow of money for some time, therefore you should be prepared for the same. Solely depending on a career of writing until you establish yourself is not a wise decision.

The Job

There is no particular job description for a writer or a poet. They write on subjects that inspire them. Writing is a flair that you possess and develop. You could be writing for newspapers, magazines, publications, and organizations dealing with specific subjects or as a free lancer. This completely depends on whether you wish to write for someone or for your self.

Personality Traits

• Passionate about writing
• Good writing skill
• Imaginative/creative mind
• Intelligence
• Communicative
• Great deal of understanding
• Patience
• Ability to deliver to the community at large through their writings

Salary

While working as a writer/poet for any organization, it completely depends on the organization as to what remuneration one could start with. You could earn anything between Rs.10, 000-Rs 25,000 per month or more, depending on your qualifications, experience, talent and skills. A writer who is not working full time for an organization but is invited to write on and off for an organization then the payment is based on the paper that is being written. Writers who are well known can quote their price and the ones who have just started usually accept that is being offered to them initially, till they are able to create interest among the readers towards their writing. Free lance writers who write books earn a lot of money depending on the sale proceeds of their books.

Study Route

There is no particular stream of studies that you will need to follow if you are interested in writing. Any person from any field who has the skill, flair, a way with words and interest to write can do so. You must have a good command over literature and the language you write in.  It helps to take short-term courses on writing. You could take short diploma courses in creative writing from institutes like:

• Indira Gandhi National Open University
• British Council Division
• Delhi University
• Kota Open University
• UP Rajarshi Tandon Open University

Source: Compass One

Date: 10th Dec., 2009

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