I want to write (professionally)!!! Where do you even start?

[logh]

My only long-term goal that has withstood the test of time has been to write. From when I was about 5, all I wanted was to be an author. I'm mid 20s now and that's still the thing rooted in my dreams.

I regret not getting further qualifications in English. And I've veered away from writing professionally, I think it just almost felt unattainable once I reached adulthood and almost felt like a childhood dream.

I want to get back on it now.
I have always wrote stories for fun, including in adulthood.
But I'd love to move into writing professionally now.

Any content writers out there?
Any advice for getting into it?

I'm completely starting from scratch.

Anyone with knowledge/experience in writing?

I did it for years then moved in a different direction. It’s hard. There’s a big difference between a novelist and a content writer.

Content writing is very competitive and you’ll need to network and get your samples out there. Finding your niche is key to getting work, either with freelancing or finding an in-house position. Most of the work comes from technical sources, so you need to build up an expertise (and portfolio) in something. B2B type technical content probably generates the most work.

I got out of it because it killed my love of writing for pleasure and there was nowhere further to go to earn more money.

This is not the time to get into content writing. AI is killing it.

MA creative writing?

Do you actually have things written that you might want to sell? You mention writing for fun, but not whether you already have work which you would like to publish and consider publishable. That's the first step.

Content writer for what exactly?

Technical writing, online blurb?

Write for fun first - play with fan fiction even!

Being a professional author is fucking hard work, with rejection after rejection and it pays pennies. The top few do well but indie authors are being hit hard and are really struggling. My book on amazon makes less than £50 a month and people don't help by buying it, reading it then asking for a refund.

I am published, have a BA and MA in English/Creative Writing and I honestly wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

It's not clear from your OP what sort of writing you want to get into - can you be more specific?

If you have a job currently are there any writing opportunities there? I write a lot of articles about topics of interest/ market developments etc for my company though its not my job, just to practice and get stuff out there - it gets picked up by journals on linkedin etc. It’s not going to be where you want to end up ultimately but might be an idea/ an avenue into a different type of writing than novels?

Take a look at substack, you can write 'newsletters' and get feedback and paid subscribers.
I adore writing, do my 10 minutes of freewriting every day to 'clear the pipes' and then get stuck in for an hour - would love to do more but - you know - life etc

What's your current job? And what do you want to write?

MA creative writing?

I wouldn't, or at least not until you've produced a substantial amount of work and have a good idea of what you're doing and what direction you want to go in. It's a major commitment in time and money. Try a local writers' group, or a weekend or week long writers' school first - but again, get some stuff written first.

If you want to write fiction, do you have some idea of genre? Romance, crime etc? Really, the only way is to just do it. Start off with an idea or a couple of characters and just get something down on paper and see where it takes you. You might set out to write a romance and find it turns out to be a crime story! But once again, the main thing is to just write.

I take pps' point about being a professional writer being hard, but if you have the real urge to write, it won't go away, and you should give it your best shot.

After all, as a hobby, it's remarkably cheap compared to many - no expensive equipment needed, and you can do it any time, anywhere.

I'm a professional writer. Not content, more technical (being vague on purpose).
I've also had a few novels published. Agee with other posters that you need be more specific about what kind of job you want for us to give good advice.

I agree with everyone else. A lot of my job involves writing albeit it's more technical/academic writing. But I'm also only really in a position to be able to write now because I spent 15 years learning my subject.

Join "Medium"! It's an online writing platform for professional and beginners and everyone in between. You can interact with other writers and get followers.

I'm not overly sure about what in specific I'm looking for. I'm so not knowledgeable about this, hence the desperate ask on MN.

Fiction writing has always been my passion. I toy with fanfiction and have done for 10+ years. I have ideas of novels that I'd love to write. This is definitely something I'm going to do but with the competition, I don't expect to be able to make money off of this, nor am I sure if I want to strive for that. I mean, if it was to happen that would be amazing, but I don't want to write with that aim with the risk of it taking the fun out of it!

But I would like to get experience in writing something? I know I sound really lacking in knowledge (I am!). I've made a few notes of parenting websites that I'd love to possibly submit potential articles for so possibly along those lines.

I'm not 100% sure of the possibilities of professional jobs within the writing sector though. It seems incredibly vast and daunting with no formal experience.

Fiction is something you do for the love. It may or may not make you money but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing.

Most professional writers either write for the internet or for professional/trade purposes. I was a professional writer for 15 years, focused on environmental issues. My portfolio is made up of things like analyses and commentary on different countries’ environmental policy changes, op ed pieces that I wrote on behalf of public figures (company CEOs, politicians, etc.), advertorial content for charities and NGOs that went into print publications and the bread and butter was web copy.

I moved into an NGO in the end, a PP is right about AI ruining the copywriting industry.

I'm a professional writer. I think you need to combine your interest in writing with an interest in something else (politics/ travel/ beauty/ fashion/ film/ fitness/ art etc.) and then that is what you write about. Then, know that it's super competitive, and remuneration is poor. Really poor.

You can go the blogging route, if you’re interested in parenting, food, travel, culture etc but you need to be a all-round content creator (social media strategy plus video, photo, graphic design and copy) to succeed in any way and the market is just saturated at the moment.

The other way would be to look at entry level communications jobs. You’d get to write a lot, and there is career progression available. You’ll mostly be working on press releases, social media posts, web copy etc. Most need a degree in something (not necessarily English) but it’s a good way to break in to a writing job. I know lots of people in those types of jobs and the money can be decent, but you should aim for a field you’re interested in, lots of nonprofits have comms positions.

I went to a local writing class which I really enjoyed. We were all at different levels, different kinds of writers, a good number of us frankly not ‘publishable’ (I include myself in that!) and a lovely course leader who was all about enabling us to write and develop our ideas. One in the class wrote in English when it was her second language.🫡 Sadly I had to give it up when my working hours changed, but I realised this writing lark was all about self-expression and social contact, and nothing to do with careers at all.

I know a man who writes science fiction online (as a side hustle to his high level IT job) and runs his own platform to publish his own and others’ work. Writing is one skill, selling your work is quite another, and it’s fair to say that side of things has changed since the days of paying to get your book printed.

Have a read of the Creative Writing section in All Talk Topics on mumsnet.

Won’t all be relevant to your question but from memory some threads will have ideas and/ or may interest you.

Honestly it sounds like you want to be a novelist so enjoy not just go for it

Right a plan book plan, right a book, (edit, revise etc.) send it to agents.

Just see what happens. Don't fanny about being a b2b copywriter, (of course I can't say for sure but) I don't think that's your dream.

My partners a writer. He'd like to write screenplays and books at some point, but for now (and for the last 10 years) he writes articles for national papers. He's freelance.
He started by pitching non stop. Pitching his article ideas everywhere. It was brutal, and looking back I can't believe how much he persevered. Eventually one editor commissioned him, and eventually another. Until he built up a network of contacts. He loves what he does now and earns well. But he worked hard for it.

The thing that really helped is he has specific interest in film, tv and culture. He had a very clear idea of his style and tone which really helped. So he knew who to pitch to and how to present his ideas.

So I think you need to get your niche down, and then start small and work up. And keep ploughing on!

I write content, mostly ghostwritten op-eds or articles about product launches.

I give it five years (tops) before AI kills my revenue stream and I need to find something else to do.

I'm a full time author, with more than twenty novels published and I earn a 'good' living, but it is hugely competitive and royalty rates over the past year have been affected by both the cost of living and the impact of AI content,

I love my job and, like you OP, it was my dream from childhood. I started writing for fun, and wrote my first novel as a form of therapy after going through some major trauma.

If you want to write because it's your passion, and not for the money, then my advice would be to write what you love. One of my friends is hugely successful and started writing the books she wanted to read, as there just weren't enough of them out there. If you write for that reason, and to follow your passion, you will never 'lose' or 'waste your time.' Any income it generates will be a bonus and who knows where that might lead? As you've said, I thought it was unattainable for someone from an ordinary background like mine to become a novelist, but it happened.

Two pieces of advice I was given are that a writer writes (nothing will happen if you don't start), and the difference between a published author and an unpublished one, is that the former never gave up.

Good luck OP, follow your dream or you'll always wonder what might have been.