Question: Do you plan to make writing your career?
Do you plan to pursue writing as a career?
Please discuss your responses to this question in the comments. Note: you can respond directly to other comments by clicking the “Reply” link in the bottom right corner of each comment.
(Credit for this discussion question goes to Liz)
March 11th, 2009 at 2:28 am
Almost certainly- hopefully I’ll be able to make my way into a PhD program and then, by another stroke of luck, I’ll end up someplace where I can teach and write books/articles. Truth be told, that’s what I would like most about being a professor. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t love working with students. But I really want to write a book on Kerouac (my guy), and if I could do that then I would feel successful/be happy.
And if I get burnt out along the way, I will steer myself careening self towards work in the blogosphere.
So, in short, my career (whatever it may be) will involving writing, for better or worse.
March 11th, 2009 at 7:40 am
“So, in short, my career (whatever it may be) will involving writing, for better or worse.”
You could be comic writer… =P
March 11th, 2009 at 4:15 am
I don’t plan to make writing the focus of my career, but similar to Tom, I’d like to end up as a professor so I can teach, write books/articles and maybe do a bit of consulting. I’m going to grad school in the fall for Information Management and hope to continue working with Content Management Systems and other technologies that make web development easier for the average person. I expect technical writing to be a big part of that and would love to write instructional books in the future.
March 11th, 2009 at 6:14 am
I do plan on it. I’m a journalism undergrad with a major in public relations. Eventually I want to enter the PR field but I think I’d like to work at a newspaper for the first couple of years after I’m done school for the experience. Whatever career I end up with eventually though I hope to still write on the side doing freelancing etc. I also hope to write a book oneday!
March 11th, 2009 at 6:34 am
Originally I planned on making Music my career. But things change and I changed. I look back and wonder if I would have been different if I would have pursued my love for English instead of my love for music. Who knows.
I would love to write books and not have to do anything else. But I am realistic and know that it may never happen. So for now, I am going to juggle writing, rehearsals, concerts, lessons, work, and a some what of a social life.
March 11th, 2009 at 7:41 am
I think all of us want to write the next “Great American Novel”. We can all dream. Or we can all try NaNoWriMo.
March 12th, 2009 at 5:04 am
I tried that and failed.
March 12th, 2009 at 11:16 am
Same. Well, actually I signed up and then the site wouldn’t work, and I got frustrated and gave up.
March 11th, 2009 at 7:38 am
What I love to do is go back to school and be paid to do sociological ethnography. So my grammar is not the best, but when it comes to writing research papers, I pwn the crowd (at least in the soc dept).
What I would like to do is make YouTube videos and get paid for them like sXephil. My videos are funny and getting pretty slick lately. http://tinyurl.com/bg97w7 The only problem is I don’t know how to top each previous video.
March 11th, 2009 at 9:00 am
That’s a neat idea. I capitalize in odd places, that’s my grammar problem =P
March 11th, 2009 at 11:01 am
I’m horrible with comma’s and comma splices! Grammar is definitely my least favourite part of writing..
March 11th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
The comma can be a friend or foe. I remember I created so many comma errors and they were not needed in places where I thought that were needed. I was wrong the teacher made me look like a failure at being a writing. This was my Freshman English first semester in college. Now.. I believe I am getting better, but there are others who may not agree…
March 11th, 2009 at 7:39 am
Ha! I pepper my life with writing.
That is all.
March 11th, 2009 at 8:59 am
Pepper. Ew. Gross
March 11th, 2009 at 11:00 am
ACHOO!
March 11th, 2009 at 8:59 am
I would love nothing more than to write for my career. I also have a passion for Psychology and Children (not in an R. Kelly way, mind you) I’d love to tie them all together.
March 11th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
… In Da club. Piaget meets Shakespeare… In Da Club…
March 11th, 2009 at 9:12 am
i don’t plan on writing as a career. who knows, i haven’t really looked into it or pursued it. i think it might be neat to be a freelance writer or columnist, and have a book published.. but there are so many things i’d like to do.. most of it is art related (photography, writing, painting etc)
March 11th, 2009 at 9:30 am
I don’t think so. Right now my writing is just for me. It gives me something to do and it helps me process things to get them out on paper.
That said, I have no idea where my career path will lead me (or really, where this so-called path even is) so who knows?
Longer (but similar) answer: http://crayolapen.tumblr.com/post/85580772/career-eh
March 11th, 2009 at 11:10 am
I want to incorporate writing into my career. I also have a dream of writing a book someday. That is something I would do on the side though. There isn’t much stability in writing as a career.
March 11th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
I would like to make writing as an interest/hobby; side thing to do. I guess nothing more. Getting a book published would be an ideal thing I want to happen or at least I dream.
March 11th, 2009 at 11:27 am
I would love to make writing my career. At this point, its the only thing that makes sense. Unfortunately, I have to be good at it. So I will need to practice more. But in any case, it’s what I love doing, so I know that even if it doesn’t pay the bills, it will make me happy!
March 12th, 2009 at 5:03 am
Beth – You are an awesome writer. Don’t doubt yourself.
March 11th, 2009 at 11:33 am
While I’d absolutely love to write a brilliant novel and have it published, I’m not sure it will happen. Writing will never be my career, unless some strange turn of events places me there. I intend on going into the world of web design. I thrive on the creative aspect of web design and want to know more coding. For now, and potentially the future, writing will remain a hobby. I write for myself (maybe my family too).
Good luck to those of you who have the courage to enter the world and focus on your writing! I envy you all.
March 11th, 2009 at 11:39 am
I would love to make writing my career. Unfortunately I’m a realist and know that it’s a long shot. I’ll be happy just having something(s) published and make a living doing something else. Mind you I have no idea what the else is. But doing something else nonetheless.
March 12th, 2009 at 11:19 am
I think that writing will always be a part of my life. Right now I’m doing PR so I’m always writing…but it isn’t really the kind of writing I want to do. My goal in life is to write a book!
March 13th, 2009 at 9:47 am
YES
March 17th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
I have recently opened my eyes (for some reason it was as if they were glued shut for the first 26 years of my life) and realized that write is exactly what I want to do. Somehow, thankfully, I gave into intuition last fall and started applying to PhD programs. I got in only to realize during the application process that this is, in fact, exactly what I have always wanted to do. I write a lot (human interest articles) for my job now and I just started blogging. I wrote a number of article in grad school (the first time around… yeah, yeah, I know… why can’t she just make up her mind) that are close to publishing. At this point, I don’t even care what I am writing about; I just write and write and write. Maybe, someday, it will be worth reading…