Expert: Susan Rand - 1/27/2009

Question
Hi

I fell I have a good grasp of English, and it has always been my best subject. My problem is that I don't know if/how I can apply it to a career. I have tried writing some small short stories, but I lack imagination and don't feel I do very well in that area. Do you have any tips for finding the type of writing you are best suited to?

Thanks.

Answer
Hello Jeff:

The first thing you must learn is to proofread everything before you send it out into the world. "I fell I have a good grasp of English" doesn't make sense, and first of all, you must make sense.

As for finding your niche in writing, I would suggest you practice a number of differnt types: essays, short stories, screenplays, etc. until you find something you feel comfortable with and enjoy. This may take some time: months or even years.

If you lack imagination, perhaps you would feel more comfortable writing non-fiction. There is a good market for articles and essays both in print and online. I write articles and have more than 60 published online (I was paid for each). The problem is, no one wants to pay writers what they are worth. Print magazines pay well: for example, $300-500 for an article of 1000 words, some of them. However, they are extremely difficult to break into unless you are a very good writer indeed, as good as Tim Cahill or P. J. O'Rourke. It is much easier to publish online, but the pay is low: from two cents per word to $10 or a bit more per hour. Once in a great while you may get a gig that pays well, but it may be short term, and with so many people out of work these days, the competition is fierce, even online. This may change in future - we hope!

I would suggest you join a couple of writing forums, where you will learn a lot about writing. Worddistillery.com is a good one, also absolutewrite.com/forums. There are dozens.

I hope this helps. If it does, a nice rating would be greatly appreciated. I am proud of my high scores over 1350+ questions.

And good luck with your writing!