How do you become a writer??

[Flamesparrow]

Not novels - I don't feel I have novels in me, but the kind of things you get in papers and magazines where people seem to get paid for writing their musings on the world?

I know obviously it is a start at the bottom and work up, but where is the bottom?

I have only ever done lab work and office work, and wouldn't have a clue where to even start.

I think you are talking about columnists? If so most of them come via journalism and there are plenty of journalism courses out there.

I would guess your best starting point would be on a local paper. Given that you have no journalism experience/qualifications then you would have to start as a junior.

You could just orchestrate a big embarassing scandal and then write something reflective about it afterwards?

no personal experience of course

Thank you

I'm at this stage where I need to do something with my brain, and after sitting down and looking at the things I enjoy doing, writing about anything seems to be at the top of the list (unless I can get a job sleeping??? )

pmsl MP - I'll keep that in mind

Mostly columnists are journalists, or sometimes celebrities - but you can just write stuff and send it off - a lot of people do that but of course you have to accept that you may not have anything accepted/printed for years !

Try your local rag first - they are often please to get bits and bobs in especially if you write well and give a slightly different take on things ! Might not pay you though !

Or do a blog and see if can get some attention that way?

Another thought - why not start your own mag ?

I looked at doing a franchise for the "Families" magazine and very nearly did it - but that would be great as it basically your mag, so you write all the editorial, decide what to put in etc - but they support you and provide articles of national interest etc You can work alone or with a partner if you want to - you fit the hours to your life !

You have to sell your ad space locally - that's where you make the money - if I recall it takes a couple of years to be making a decent salary - but it would be great if you really want to write !

They have a website - I know there are other similar franchises out there too - mymag is one, can't think of the others - could be worth a look though !

Or other internetty type stuff - offer to do some editorial stuff for a website and get some practice?

As you may have noticed from my posts, I'm not a very talented writer
But I have as much writing work as I care to do because I write about a topic I know quite a bit about.
The cliche that you should write about what you know applies very much to entry journalism.
A valid measure of your success if how far away from your core subject you get commissioned to write.
Fringe medicine is very crowded of course as are diets, makeup etc.
I'm guessing, but one area I don't see over-exploited (yet) is net-parenting. There's lots of sites, with loads of info of wildly varying quality. A blog/column on that might fly.

Not many people haved turned blogs into writing jobs though.
What might work is Google adwords, let them sell ads on your site. I know people who make a bit of money that way, though none has got rich.

Daisy Waugh fancies herself a writer and she's cack.

Of course, it helps if you've got well-connected relatives.

yes, good point expat, change your name to Waugh or something similar and make stacks of cash churning out cack.

Dominic but that would mean you would get sucked into about 3000 websites

I can barely find time to have a pee with my involvement with MN

Actually DOC is right, I got into writing through a niche subject I knew a lot about and it expanded from there. I would say though that it is not particularly easy and imo it is a craft that you need to learn.
So if there is an area of your life that you are passionate about/know lots about you may be able to start writing about that first.

I ghost write a fair amount. Essays on topics in the humanities. I have an English degree, so it's not too hard, particularly when someone else has done the research. I charge extra for research.

Cash. Up front.

And the price goes up the closer the deadline is.

But I get good marks and they know it.

expat ? You help students cheat for £££ ?

I'm doing nothing wrong. They are by passing off someone else's work as their own .

I can easily make £100 for a few hours work.

I think it looks easier than it is.....and more often than not, those columns go to friends of the editor or established columnists/writers/commentators. Although, I picked up the Evening Standard the other week and I was appalled at the standard of some of their columns (but then I think they've been going downhill for a while).

There does appear to be a lot of nepotism in the profession, particularly in the UK.

My sister writes an education column in the US - she's also a former teacher - for a newspaper w/a very large circulation, but got the job after slogging away and freelancing for about 15 years.

There are lots of Creative Writing Classes around. I'm doihg one run by the WEA, you could look and see if there is one near you. also, there is a website for women who write called www.mslexia.co.uk
Not sure if writing other people's assignments is legal or honest........

It's entirely legal, Little.

In fact, I also write for solicitors and know many solicitors.

I also work w/academics.

There is NOTHING illegal in selling written work for money.

What they do w/it is their business.

I do NOT ghost write for solicitors. I write other types of reports for their benefit as an ad hoc employee.

I'm so glad you said that!! Apologies - always so like your posts by the way...
hoe you find the other stuff useful

This is great - thank you all so much.

Hello,

I'm an arts writer for a magazine - I write reviews and features. I started out on another magazine writing a weekly classical music column and then moved to get a broader remit.

My advice would be to pick a speciality - something that interests you and that you would be happy to spend a lot of time researching. Any niche area is good. If you can cultivate a business angle that would be great - eg. writing features on small businessness, profiles etc. as there's a lot of demand for that sort of stuff.

Then, start pitching stories to small, local publications, offer to work on spec or even for free. Use the clips you get from this work to pitch stories to bigger publications. It will take time and perseverence but writing isn't as closed a shop as some may think (I have no relatives at all in the biz!)

If you want to write personality type columns, then yes, your personality matters and your connections do too. But there are plenty of other ways to make a living as a writer/journalist. There are also some good manuals and classes that outline the pitching process in more detail than I have here - never used these so can't recommend any but have noticed them in Borders etc.

Best of luck!