What Does It Take To Be a Professional Writer? 6 Secrets of the Trade You Need to Hear

Maybe you’ve always fantasized about making a living as a writer. Perhaps you’re thinking about becoming a freelance writer so you can control your own schedule and accommodate things like caring for loved ones. Being a full-time writer has several potential upsides. If you want to write professionally, consider these 6 secrets.

Choose Your Writing Niche Carefully

Two main types of authors are those who write for fun and a living. Not every writer who writes for leisure also writes for a living, but many, if not most, professional authors also write for pleasure and fulfillment. You have many options if you’ve decided to make a living from your writing. Here are some of the most typical pathways taken by writers throughout their professional lives. Participate in relevant online forums. 

Connecting with like-minded people in the professional writing community can boost your enthusiasm for your work and make you feel more at home in your chosen field. Get together with other writers in the group to critique each other’s work, find a mentor, get advice from more seasoned members, get advice on who will evaluate your manuscript, and find out about job opportunities that fit your experience, writing style, and skill set. It is typical practice for organizations serving a specific profession to provide their members with discounted or free registration to relevant conferences and other networking gatherings.

Set Attainable Objectives

You probably won’t write a best-selling on your first try. Similar to how you can’t assume anything when pitching content to websites without expertise. A writing career, like any other, takes time, effort, and attention to develop and flourish. When you’re just getting started, it’s important to aim low. You may be considering making a living as a blogger. Pick a host, create your weblog, and start writing regularly and manageable; a schedule of one or two entries per week is a good starting point. Or perhaps you’re thinking of trying your hand at copywriting. Listening to podcasts is a practical first step for a budding copywriter.

Use Writing Resources

Several applications and other tools may help you structure your writing, take notes on the move, write more quickly, and check your work for errors. Investigate these resources, and if you’re set on a career path that requires a lot of writing, learn to utilize the software and apps that professionals in that sector rely on most. For example, here are some of the most popular resources used by both professional and amateur authors:

Use: 

• Google Documents 
• Evernote 
• Yoast 
• BuzzSumo 
• Wordstream Fre

Prepare a Portfolio

Your ability to demonstrate your writing talents and expertise to a prospective employer might be showcased in a portfolio. That way, they can learn more about you as a candidate and know what to expect from you regarding work quality if you get the job. Create a portfolio of your best-written work to show off your skills. You could want to include some of your best-written work, whether from school, a freelancing gig, or something more personal. You can demonstrate your versatility as a writer by showcasing pieces written in several styles and formats, or you can tailor your portfolio to the employer’s preferred approach to hiring.

Read More

Many famous writers agree that reading is the best way to improve your writing skills. As one’s reading habit develops, so does one’s language, knowledge, and worldview. Furthermore, the more you read, the better your chances of achieving your goals. Take it from me: Warren Buffet reads 500 pages daily, and Bill Gates reads 50 volumes yearly, just two examples. Put down the remote and pick up a book instead of watching mindless TV. Find blogs and articles published in your field of employment or maybe even by the company to which you are applying. 

Please pay attention to how they write, their specialized vocabulary, and their tone. Pick up a self-help book if you find yourself being worn down by that. Reflect on the lessons you learned by reading a book or relevant article and documenting your thoughts in a short review or blog post. It’s a good idea to get into the habit of doing this to start amassing your collection of spark notes. This will help you not only as a writer but also in understanding things on a deeper level.

Keep a Journal

It would be best to take time out of your day or week to reflect on your inner life by writing freely without concern for correct grammar or sentence structure. Follow your interest and write about it. As a career coach, this has been crucial for assisting my clients in identifying their professional calling. Until they are committed on paper, our innermost ideas remain hidden. 

When you need to settle a dispute or find a solution to a problem, you may always resort to good old-fashioned pen and paper. Instead of letting the frustration build up inside of you, writing about the misunderstanding can help you see things from the other person’s perspective, spark new ideas on how to fix the problem, and bring you closure without having to send an angry, hasty email you’ll regret the next day. 

Studies have shown that keeping a journal and writing down your thoughts and feelings might help you heal more quickly and shed light on emotions and thoughts you were previously unaware of. You can learn more about yourself by keeping a journal and developing a stronger emotional connection. The next time you go on the ‘net to chat with a coworker, you’ll be better prepared to express the exact sentiment or idea you had in mind.

Individuals with superior written skills are viewed as more credible and trustworthy. Having these qualities will benefit you not only in your current position but also when you pursue a promotion in the future. It was shown that those with greater grammatical proficiency earned higher wages and more frequently received promotions. Regardless of how excellent an employee may be, if you receive an email with weak sentence construction and multiple typos, you may be more likely to associate those attributes with them. If you want to stand out in a field like technology or engineering, where most people’s abilities lie elsewhere, you should consider honing these skills.