Help! I am a Writer and I’m Sick of Being Poor

If you want to be able to fund all of your creative endeavors without having to be chained to the responsibilities of a day job, there are ways to make sure your career takes off in a direction that allows you to write full time. The key is being committed to writing, not doing anything else for money. That means being willing to do the writing that is available to avoid having to do anything else, even if that means writing advertising copy for local small businesses because that is what is available. When you are committed and ready to do that, there are a few ways to break into writing for pay.

The first and most well-known route is to go to school for journalism or to find a place willing to hire based on your portfolio. That way, you will be able to make a good appeal for the job based on your merits. Journalism will also have the benefit of disciplining your writing, because you will learn several genres and methods for discerning the rules of new genres of writing fact-oriented nonfiction as you work.

Another route to take is to develop your skills as a technical writer. Technical writers often work for a single company in-house, but if you find an employer who understands the way writers operate most efficiently, you can probably talk about working from a remote location. That will allow you to make your own hours so you have the opportunity to attend study abroad programs and take advantage of other opportunities.

Last but not least, the world of online content is booming, and for those who are disciplined and willing to write in volume, there are careers to be made. The best part about online content is that the work is always available and the pay is per piece completed, so you can work as much or as little as needed, allowing you to fund your writing with your writing.

When you get that opportunity, it gets much easier to take the time you need to focus on your next creative project.