Careers In Writing - Freelancing And Creative Writing

Do you idolize Stephen King? Are your fantasies filled with scenes of writing the Great American Novel, maybe being revered as the next Steinbeck or Morrison? Would you rather clutch a Pulitzer than an Emmy any day?Writing has a reputation, deserved or not, for being a dream job. At a party, if someone asks an author what they do for a living, the answer is likely to cause eyes to glaze over and jaws to drop in awe. There is just something about the idea of spending your life serenely turning out exquisitely crafted prose that’s appealing. Yet most people haven’t a clue what a writer’s life is really like. What they do all day behind closed doors is a mystery. You’re sure that a writer is someone who gets to sit on a window seat drinking a leisurely cup of coffee over The New York Times while all the lesser beings are battling commuter traffic on the way to real jobs. And you may wonder, how did they get so lucky?Luck has nothing to do with it. And there’s nothing mysterious about becoming a freelance writer. Anyone with a modicum of talent for translating ideas into words or communicating information in a clear and concise manner can be a professional freelancer. “But my creative writing teacher said my stuff stinks, ” you may say. That’s exactly what happened to Max Woosley. He’s the author of the best seller, Holy War. He has been writing for 30 years now. “But I can’t spell to save my life.” That’s what spell checkers are for. You don’t have to be a straight-A student in English class or have the imagination of Dean Koontz to be a professional writer. What you do need is a love of the craft and a determination to make it your career.