Writing for a Living: Modern Careers in Writing

Being a famous author has long been a part of the professional fantasies of civilizations around the world. Writers are exalted for their texts, their prophecies and their cherished works of fiction. They are in essence literary celebrities that have the ability to shape how the world is viewed at any one point in time. Historically, to make a living as a writer, you needed the skills and talent to create and deliver marketable works of literature. However, today this is changing. There are a multitude of opportunities to be a paid writer in the modern world. The work is not always glamorous or richly rewarded, but it is available to those who thirst for the creation of copy.

Skilled Writing Jobs

When you are building a writing career, you need to determine which type of material you have the best shot at making money with -- technical, creative or marketing materials. Each of these fields requires special skills and special insights. Many people that make a good living at writing are technical writers. These are the people that write training manuals, users manuals and fact sheets. This work is in high demand and it pays well; however, the topics that you write about are assigned and generally not very interesting.

Marketing writing is another skilled option that you have as a writer. This genre of writing focuses on creating copy that sells products and services. Copywriters can make a good living if they are good at their job; however, this is a highly competitive market that requires skills that include marketing, business management and writing.

The most coveted type of writing career is the creative writing career. Creative writers produce novels, screenplays and teleplays. These careers can be very lucrative; however, it is very difficult to break into these markets. Also, there is no guarantee that if you sell one project you will find another one. Work in these markets can be very spotty and temperamental; however, if you find your niche and a steady stream of work, you can really build a fortune with your writing.

Unskilled Writing Jobs

Skilled writing jobs are the most juicy and popular; however, if you want to earn a living as a writer but you do not have the best writing skills, you still have other options. The Internet has opened the door for writers of all skill levels to produce materials that make money. To write for the Internet, you do not need a degree in creative writing or literature; all you need is the ability to follow a formula and to follow basic rules of grammar and spelling.

Writing copy for the Internet can be very rewarding. However, you need to be prepared to write in bulk to get your cash flow going. Most Internet writing gigs are going to pay based on page views of your work. As your work gets more popular and well-known, you can then find writing jobs that pay you a stipend per piece written that can range between 1 cent and 5 cents per word, on average.