So You Wanna Be a Writer?

So you want to be a writer? Think you have the next great American novel in you? Want to express your opinion in articles? Maybe a career in writing is for you. But maybe not. As with everything there are lots of pros and cons to a writing career. Here some of each to help you with your decision.

Pro: You set your own hours
As a writer, you'll most likely work from home unless you write for a magazine or marketing firm. Setting your own hours allows you to reap all the benefits of being at home for your family/household while still enjoying the personal satisfaction or work and a paycheck.

Con: You often work from home
While this seems like a great thing at first, and it can be, it's also very distracting. When you work from home there are constantly things around you that you think of possibly doing instead of work. All this time spent on household tasks takes away from your work time and while it's great to do the dishes and laundry you'll soon find that your work will be suffering.

Pro: You can write about virtually anything
As a writer the possibilities are endless. There are a million different writing opportunities and you can try them all out to see what works for you. Writers are employed for not only books, magazines and newspapers, but press releases, emails, marketing materials and more.

Con: Little job security
Much of writing is freelance work. You most likely won't have a high paying full time job that allows you to have the flexibility you would like right off the bat. You have to constantly be applying for jobs and taking small assignments to pay the bills. All these little jobs may lead to something bigger eventually, but there are no guarantees.

Pro: You get to be creative
As a writer you typically never have to write about the same thing. You get to be creative and expand your mind. There are no boundaries in literature. You get to take risks and create new worlds if you choose. You can educate people with your words, you can enlighten, entertain and frightening. What you write is valuable.

Con: You might not be taken seriously
A lot of people don't take writing seriously. Tell someone you're writer and they might ask you what you do to pay the bills. Many people see writing as a trivial things until they see the actual product or you become a wildly successful novelist like the next J.K. Rowling. You don't have to be famous or rich to be happy writing, but don't expect everyone to think your career is great.