If creative writing is your zeal, then you would want to pursue a career where you could spend most of the day immersed in doing something that you love. The catch with all creative endeavours is that they are not easy to come by, especially when it comes to making a living.
Writing or creative fields may be an imaginative pursuit, where we can admire the likes of creative writers, poets, and aspire to be like them. But, we give up or are forced by our parents to leave our aspirations behind and settle for the usual nine to five job that offers stability and security. Writing and storytelling are currently one of the least appreciated art forms. When we talk about professional writers, we usually think of journalists or scriptwriters. But there are other jobs one can consider if you want to make a career out of creative writing.
Work culture
The main job of a creative writer is to produce work that is engrossing and appealing. You need to know exactly what you are writing, who you are writing for, and how you will market your content. You have to write as a creative individual but think like a marketer as well.
With the growing popularity of social media and digital platforms, there is a demand for high-quality content creators. And for the content to be of a prime quality, you need good writing skills.
You can write novels, short stories, journalistic articles for digital media platforms, and work as a copywriter, content writer and a freelancer as well.
Job prospects
To get into this fruitful career, it is not mandatory to have a certificate or any sort of degree in creative writing. Anybody with a good command over a particular language can infiltrate in the highly demanding field of creative writing.
Plenty of job opportunities are on hand for creative writers. Specialised creative writers are mixed up in the formation and growth of all types of innovative works, which range from a diverse set of genres such as fiction writing, memoirs, non-fiction writing, science fiction, romance, travelogues and more. All these can also be integrated with script writing for movies and TV shows. There are opportunities for writing feature news, indulging in food blogging and reviewing, working for online magazines etc. In addition, creative writers can also become consultants for creating content for web sites and business portfolios as a freelancing activity.
Some exciting job roles
Copywriters: In the field of marketing/advertising, the job of a copywriter is to create content that highlight the features of a particular product/service in a compelling manner to attract the attention ofthe customer. These people are accountable for writing the brochures, publicity letters, product catalogues, circulars, among more.
Article writer: Article writers create stories on a variety of subjects ranging from fashion, food, travel, health, trade, entertainment, sports, education, politics, etc. for various newspapers, magazines, websites, etc.
Author: One can become an author by narrating a story on any topic or person or event. It can be in the segment of fiction or non-fiction, depending on the story you want to tell for a particular set of audience.
This requires marketing efforts after you are done writing the book. Expecting to just write a book, hoping that it will pick up automatically is futile. Plenty of work goes into the marketing of the book. One can tie up with a good publishing house or choose to self-publish as well.
Scriptwriter: Those with a flair for writing dialogues and engaging narratives can become scriptwriters. They are involved in writing stories for movies, plays, television shows, etc. The writers are expected to research in order to have a convincing yet imaginative plot. Writing genuine, and well-crafted dialogues can make one sought after.
Freelance writer: As a freelance writer, one can choose to write on any topic of one’s interest for a newspaper or a digital media platform. They can also get into the training profession, after acquiring a master’s degree in creative writing. Another alternative is to hunt for jobs in firms that are focussed on producing specialised content.
(The author has written several books)
