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Forum -> Working Women
Being a writer as a profession? Possible?



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amother
Amethyst


 

Post Sun, Nov 13 2016, 3:15 am
I would love to write and write and write. I have a few stories already in mind.
But I want to know if this is something that one can do as a profession or it doesnt make enough money really?
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amother
Cobalt


 

Post Sun, Nov 13 2016, 4:12 am
I've written books, and I write freelance. Almost no one makes a living just by writing. You can try for steady magazine and website work, which are the most likely to provide a steady income. Most writers earn a living teaching, freelancing, editing etc. The writing is just out of love.

Also, if all you have now are ideas, you're not there yet. As I said in another thread, ideas are easy. Getting them down into words is the hard part.

If you love writing, do it. You might become one of the lucky ones. If you need to make a living, find something else.
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amother
Scarlet


 

Post Sun, Nov 13 2016, 4:19 am
You can make a living writing - but it usually won't be by writing fiction.

You can make a very good living as a technical writer or copywriter. Content writing can make good money too. You would need to invest a lot of time to study the techniques, marketing research etc. and sharpen your skills.

Ghostwriters can make nice money too - in the non Jewish world good ghostwriters can command huge fees, but I don't know what the market is like in the Jewish world.

I personally am in the writing field and don't know anyone who writes fiction for a living. Even in the secular world where there is a vastly bigger market, most fiction writers are also English professors or supplement with something else in the writing/literature fields.
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amother
Wheat


 

Post Sun, Nov 13 2016, 4:22 am
As someone with a degree in writing and experience teaching writing, I can tell you that it is not a simple field in terms of making money... However, there is definitely money in ghostwriting. [...] There is virtually no money at all in just writing ... stam stories, unless you are amazing maybe. Writing is really not about money... if you have to write you just do... and then eventually you may make money anyway, despite the odds.Smile Good luck in whatever you choose to do. You sound like a good, honest, sincere person. Hshem will help you in whatever you pursue.Smile
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amother
Amethyst


 

Post Sun, Nov 13 2016, 4:32 am
amother wrote:
I've written books, and I write freelance. Almost no one makes a living just by writing. You can try for steady magazine and website work, which are the most likely to provide a steady income. Most writers earn a living teaching, freelancing, editing etc. The writing is just out of love.

Also, if all you have now are ideas, you're not there yet. As I said in another thread, ideas are easy. Getting them down into words is the hard part.

If you love writing, do it. You might become one of the lucky ones. If you need to make a living, find something else.
Right, I dont have things to write for magazines. I have book ideas.
And some of my ideas are sort of on paper, so Im somewhere in the middle Smile
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amother
Amethyst


 

Post Sun, Nov 13 2016, 4:33 am
amother wrote:
You can make a living writing - but it usually won't be by writing fiction.

You can make a very good living as a technical writer or copywriter. Content writing can make good money too. You would need to invest a lot of time to study the techniques, marketing research etc. and sharpen your skills.

Ghostwriters can make nice money too - in the non Jewish world good ghostwriters can command huge fees, but I don't know what the market is like in the Jewish world.

I personally am in the writing field and don't know anyone who writes fiction for a living. Even in the secular world where there is a vastly bigger market, most fiction writers are also English professors or supplement with something else in the writing/literature fields.
Thanks for your honesty.
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amother
Amethyst


 

Post Sun, Nov 13 2016, 4:34 am
amother wrote:
As someone with a degree in writing and experience teaching writing, I can tell you that it is not a simple field in terms of making money... However, there is definitely money in ghostwriting. [...] There is virtually no money at all in just writing ... stam stories, unless you are amazing maybe. Writing is really not about money... if you have to write you just do... and then eventually you may make money anyway, despite the odds.Smile Good luck in whatever you choose to do. You sound like a good, honest, sincere person. Hshem will help you in whatever you pursue.Smile
I have ideas Smile
I have a semi autobiographical idea, partially written already and an idea for a children's book that I have a bit on paper.
But I have no desire for the other kinds of writing though :/
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amother
Copper


 

Post Sun, Nov 13 2016, 5:17 am
I work as a copywriter for a NY marketing firm and do freelance copywriting on the side. As a hobby, I write articles for magazines and have coauthored books. If you have a knack for marketing and are committed to keeping your skills razor sharp, you can definitely make a living as a copywriter.
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sweetpotato




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Nov 13 2016, 9:06 am
I'm a journalist-- I've worked for newspapers and magazines. As other people have mentioned, making money by writing stories or fiction is not so common. Most people who write books do so as part of another job-- either they are academics, or journalists, or something like that, and work on the book as part of that job, or on the side. Even famous novelists tend to also be professors or teachers in some capacity, or publish articles in between books to make a living.

Have you written professionally before? Have you published some pieces? For most people who end up writing a successful book, they don't just start with a single idea and write it to completion, and then get published. Usually there's a lot of practice, smaller publications, working with editors, working on style, etc. that happens first. If you enjoy writing and want to give it a shot, you can try taking a creative writing class in your area.
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amother
Peach


 

Post Tue, Nov 22 2016, 11:00 pm
I have a relative (not religious) who is a published fiction author. She actually started out by writing screenplays. She actually sold many screenplays in Hollywood, but only one ever got turned into an actual movie. I believe she made just enough $ to cover the tuition for her kids private school tuition.

Eventually she changed to writing historical novels. She's actually had some financial success with some of her novels. But she would not be able to financially support herself with her career. She really was only able to persue this career because her husband has a good established career that pays enough to support the family.
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