Writing is fun. If you want to make a career of it, this is what you need to do:
- read a lot
- write whenever you can
- start a journal of ideas and happenings
- carry a notebook with you so you can write down interesting things, ideas and descriptions of people you meet
- decide what sort of writer you are – if you like reading a certain kind of writing, (for example, sports pieces or vampire novels) then this is probably the sort of writer you will turn out to be.
- volunteer to write articles and fiction pieces for local community or club newsletters
- join a writer’s group, or start one of your own
LOOK AT STORIES AND ARTICLES IN MAGAZINES YOU READ
- How long are they? (How many words)
- What sort of style are they written in…lots of facts, or do people give their opinions.
- What sort of topics are in the magazine?
- Who are the types of people that are likely to read this kind of magazine?
TYPES OF CAREERS IN WRITING
- Journalist (includes newspaper, radio and tv)
- Copy writer (writes advertisements for newspaper, radio and tv)
- Screen writer (writes movies)
- Playwright (writes plays)
- Corporate Writer – writes newsletters and things for businesses.
- Technical Writer – writes instructions, computer manuals; technical stuff.
- Author – writes fiction and non-fiction books for kids.
- Performance writer – writes things they perform themselves
- Comedy writer – could write for yourself or for television and film
- Internet writer – work on websites etc for businesses and organisations.
SOME USEFUL WEB SITES
- http://tips4youngwriters.wordpress.com (THAT’S HERE!)
- www.deescribe.com.au
- www.sallyodgers.com
- www.expressmedia.org.au/voiceworks.php
- www.expressmedia.org.au
- Victorian Writers Centre – www.vwc.org.au
Letters to Leonardo took more than ten years from first idea to published book.
WHAT YOU NEED TO BE A WRITER
To be a writer takes more than talent. You will also need to persist, keep writing, keep trying to get your work published; if you love your story don’t give up until you find a publisher who loves it too.
FOLLOW SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
If you are submitting for a competition or to a publisher, make sure you read the submission guidelines first (usually available on the publisher/competition website)
General guideline to follow are:
- 2 spaces between each line
- Times or other easy to read font – 12 pt
- 3 cm margins all the way around
- pages numbered with title of piece included as well
- Clean white paper (no tomato sauce or coke stains)
Once your work is ready to submit:
- Read it out aloud to yourself – this will help you pick up some mistakes that you haven’t noticed. If spelling isn’t your strong point, make sure a good speller has looked over your work and helped you get rid of any mistakes.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Does the piece make sense?
- Is the piece attention grabbing?
- Does the piece have an original slant, idea or angle?
BUILD A PORTFOLIO
A portfolio is a folder of things that you have written and had published. Published work will add to your resume and help you get into writing courses and writing jobs.
To build up your published work, you might have to volunteer first; write for local newsletters. You could even volunteer to write ads or your community radio station. The more published work you have to show people, the better.
Most importantly, enjoy your writing and persist with it. Most writers don’t get published the first time they try, but many go on to make it their career.
My novel, Letters to Leonardo took more than ten years to write. In that time, I did more than 30 drafts and around 1,000,000 words. But when I held the published book in my hand for the first time, I knew that every hour I’d spent on it (around 1800) had been worth the effort.
Good luck with your writing.
Dee
