2004
Andrew Nattan is first published by the BBC
So, You Want To Be A Writer?
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- You’ll need these for starters
So, you want to be a writer? But what exactly do you want to write?
Earning money by writing words can be a tricky business, but if you’ve got the right skills and found the right niche, it can be a lucrative one.
So before you run down all sorts of wrong paths, take a look at my handy flowchart – you’ll be sure to find your calling.
The Writing Career Flowchart
(Click the image to enlarge)
Of course there are many other paths that prospective writers can follow. Share your path in the comments section below, or tell us about it on Facebook.
8 Comments comments for "So, You Want To Be A Writer?"
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Cracking stuff. People always ask me how I stay disciplined enough to freelance. The answer’s very simple. If I sat around all day in a string vest, drinking light ale and watching the snooker, my clients would soon be on the phone asking where their copy was. And pretty soon I would not be able to buy any more light ale. Freelancing is just like working, except you have lots of little bosses instead of one big one.
Kudos for using the word ‘peon’.
Love the post. Great concept. Great wit. If it’s gravity fed, you’re in trouble!
It might sound rough, but things are a lot better than say just 10 years ago – when half of those options weren’t even on the list. I remember plenty of English teachers who encouraged my writing, but they’d still cringe a bit when I said I wanted to be a writer: “There’s just no money in it!”
Oh and I thought of one other path to writing. You can borrow a quarter million bucks to get a humanities PhD. Then you get crazy deadlines AND you get to babysit for a bunch of undergrads who would rather be at the bar.
Hah. Not for all the tea in China would you catch me teaching. Even if I do have a humanities degree…
Brilliant! One of the finest flowcharts I’ve ever seen (and as a freelance copywriter I’ve seen plenty).
An excellent point, made stylishly and with a good sense of humour.
I always find the motivation angle comes from a combination of ‘do I want to eat this month?’ and ‘writing for difficult clients is always going to be easier than trying to appease my wife and kids for making us homeless’.
Oh, and ‘No pay means no broadband’ too.