Anonymous asked: Any advice for someone looking to write as a career? I majored in something completely different and after I graduated I fell out of love with what I was doing. I've only had a few (non-paid) gigs so I don't even know where to start looking. Any resources you recommend? Are there any you feel are a waste of time? Any help would be much appreciated.
Like I’ve said before, I don’t consider myself a writer. I feel like I’m more of a storyteller. I don’t live to write. Maybe it’s just because I feel most comfortable writing in a conversational, modern tone, and I think that ~real writing~ is intelligent and viscerally referential and… can often be inaccessible. I never want to be inaccessible.
N E Wayz, no matter what you call yourself, if you feel like you’re good at communicating via the written word and you’d like to get paid for it, start doing it wherever you can. What websites do you like? Who’s writing style do you admire? Nowadays you can pay attention to many different writers’ careers thanks to Googling their name. See who the writers you admire work for and don’t be afraid to reach out to them and ask how they got their jobs/what their tips are. If you’re in the same city as them, email them asking to meet IRL so they can brag about themselves for an hour. I have yet to meet someone who writes for a living who doesn’t love that. Plus, let’s start fucking hanging out IRL again, humans.
Write about what you love. Tell the stories you want to tell. Something I always try to tell myself is “Get weird.” Whether it’s professionally or personally, it’s your voice that only you possess. As much as I love Molls and Christine and Caragh and Alan and so, so many other writers on Tumblr, their voices are not mine and I will never sound like them.
My most excited moments when writing down a story are the times when I ask myself, “Oh, I don’t know if I should include this.” That’s when I know I NEED to. Tell your whole truth. #GETWEIRD
