To write or not to write

I've been writing for as long as I can remember. When I was younger I started out writing poetry (I'm sure that's true for many of you), but as the years went on I had a revelation....I'm not a very good poet. From that point on I decided that my writing skills would be put to better use as a news writer. So at the age of eighteen, right out of school, I decided that I was going to be a world famous journalist. I was going to take the media world by storm, but little did I know that Journalism is no easy business to break in to. Everyone with pen and paper says they're a writer just like every black guy in Atlanta is a rapper or producer. So following my dream, I set out to get a job at a newspaper.

I knew that I was never going to get a job anywhere without some kind of published works and most journalist get their works published when they write for a college paper and since I didn't go to college I had to find another route and when I was eighteen, unfortunately, there was no Associated Content so I got a job at a small paper as a stringer. And for those of you that have no idea what a stringer is, a stringer is the bottom of the food chain at any newspaper. As a stringer you cover stories about local fairs and city hall meetings and you make about $15 - $25 a story. My first story was about a frog contest called 'Frog Central'...yeah I know, i wasn't going to win any awards for that piece, but I didn't care...I WAS PUBLISHED.

The story wasn't glamorous. I'm not even convinced it was good, but I was learning the ropes and that was priceless.

After that one article I realized there was so much I didn't know and so much I was going to have to learn. The article wasn't very long, but my editor crucified it and handed it back to me for corrections before being published. It was a humbling experience. At any rate I wrote for that publication for a while, building my portfolio before moving on to another paper and moving to another paper wasn't easy. Although I had some published works I still had to compete for entry level jobs with journalism students coming right out of college. So in time I found another job as a general assignment reporter, still not making much money, still learning the ropes. I decided that if i was going to make enough money to live that I was going to have to get another full time job and write on the side as a freelancer. I wasn't thrilled about it, but I had to eat and for every publication in Georgia and for every position there are a hundred starving writers willing to do whatever it takes to get it.

I found a full time job doing something completely unrelated and found some freelance gigs and to my surprise I found out that freelance jobs can pay pretty good. I made close to $800.00 for an article that I wrote for the Business Chronicle and might I add that I should have made more because the subject was so painfully boring that I almost passed out writing it.

I've had a lot of jobs over the years. Whatever I find interest in I do. My jobs were so varied at one point that my mother said that she thought i was going to run off and join the circus, but that didn't happen, I'm scared of clowns, but no matter what other jobs I've had my one true love is Journalism and although I love writing I hope in the near future to explore other aspects of the field. I would love to break in to some type of Broadcast Journalism and I know that one day I will, because other then my good looks and talent (did i mention good looks) I have determination and sometimes that's enough.

But for you aspiring journalist out there I have some tips:
1. It's possible to accomplish your goal without a college degree, but I wouldn't recommend it. I had to jump threw a lot of hoops just to get the same opportunities that are offered to those with degrees and some doors are still shut to me.
2. Don't go into the business expecting to make a ton of money or your going to be very, very disappointed. Do it because you love it and the money should come. (at least that's the story I'm sticking to)
3. Get Published, Get Published, Get Published....by any means necessary. Sites like Associated Content didn't always exist so take advantage of it and don't worry about how many people read it, it only takes one person to get noticed and the fact that your work was published is an accomplishment in itself. No frog central for you! GOOD LUCK