The answer is yes. But to survive as a writer these days, you have to do your homework. That means knowing what markets are available to you and being aware of changes such as going from monthly to bimonthly, decreases in pay rates and more. Now more than any other time it’s imperative that a writer keep abreast of the industry through industry newsletters, magazines and websites. If it weren’t for my weekly subscription to the newsletter the Wooden Horse, I wouldn’t have know that an editor I worked for at a now defunct parenting magazine had started her own parenting magazine. Though only a paragraph was included in that newsletter, I immediately emailed that editor and let her know how excited I was to hear about her new magazine. I asked her outright if she would be using freelance writers. My diligence paid off within a few hours when I found a reply from her asking me if I would please send her a link to the newsletter announcement as well as her saying that she would love to work with me again. That newsletter helped me gain another writing job and on top of that with an editor I had worked with very happily for six years.

There are dozens of writing newsletters and websites out there that will help you as a writer stay abreast of industry changes. There are also newsletters and websites specifically about whatever genre you may write in. Google keywords like ‘freelance writing newsletters’ or ‘writing websites’ and see what you can come up with to get started. At the end of this column I’ll include some of the newsletters that I subscribe to. Valuable magazines that offer writers information about the industry include The Writer, Writer’s Digest, Poets & Writers and Publisher’s Weekly. Newsletters are an excellent place to find new markets, changes in markets and writing opportunities that you might not think of on your own.

Aside from newsletters, websites and magazines, there are also a number of job boards out there for writers. Job boards are sites that offer writers a place to advertise their skills in the hopes of finding jobs as well as search through the job listings on their site to find freelance work. Many of the boards work on a bidding system such as Getafreelancer.com. You can get an idea of how Getafreelancer.com works just looking at their home page. On the home page they list a sampling of jobs and that sampling will let you know the project’s name, the number of bids in, the average bid, job type and the biddding start and end dates. You can bid on as many jobs as you feel you have the skills to work on.

In addition to boards specifically for writers there is craigslist.com. At craigslist.com you can post a ‘writer for hire’ ad and describe your writing skills and the type of work you are available to do. Craigslist.com breaks down the listings by city and state so if you are in New York City, for example, you can list your ad in New York City. Since writing is done primarily via email, you can post your ‘writer for hire’ ad in several cities at the same time. I’ve heard from many writers who have gotten copywriting clients through craigslist.com so it’s worth a go.

Lastly, for the writer who wants to keep a writing income coming in (and for those who are established, perhaps less than what you’re used to), in addition to keeping abreast of industry changes and scoping job boards, it’s important to also expand your writing niche. If you’ve been writing mainly parenting articles for regional parenting magazines (and many are going out of print) it might be time for you consider adding health writing as a specialty. Though the old saying goes “A jack of all trades, a master of none” these times call for writers to have more than ‘one ball in the air’. Consider learning about other types of writing that you have never written before such as essays. And with print magazines closing up shop because of lack of advertising, many ezines still abound because it’s simply cheaper to keep afloat. Don’t disregard writing for the web but learn how to write for online venues. The writing is generally shorter, tighter and straight to the point as we all know how long someone will stay on one page when searching the net. If you’ve been writing for newspapers you’re in luck because newspaper writing is an excellent training ground for web writing. Newspaper writers are generally taught to write tight and to make their most important points in the very beginning of their articles.

Yes, these are tough times. I personally try to avoid the gloom and doom that the media is so happily throwing at us all from every direction. But we writers can still make money. Though no writer I know is getting rich, I know plenty that are still collecting checks and selling their work. I’m sure there were writers struggling long ago during the Great Depression and somehow they made it through. I’m sure the writers of this recession will make it through too. Times are lean and so think of it as a diet on words. Editors are still buying but they’re picking and choosing, carefully counting how many ‘calories’ they can afford to buy. If you know where to look and who to contact, your words can be the ones that fill their plates.

Until next month, keep on writing, and maybe pop in some ear plugs when the media is spewing its doom and gloom at you.

My Newsletter Recommendations:
Funds for Writers - fundsforwriters.com
Writers Weekly - writersweekly.com
Worldwide Freelance - worldwidefreelance.com
Freelancewrite - freelancewrite.about.com

There’s that old adage that says “Write what you know” but with today’s information highway you can become a ‘mini expert’ on just about anything with just a little bit of research. Some novelists claim that when approaching that first novel you write the book you want to read and can’t seem to find. Then there’s that age old debate between writers about whether you need a ‘formal’ education to write. There’s the camp that believes in degrees in literature, creative writing or journalism and maybe even an MFA in creative writing. Then there’s the equally large camp of writers who say you don’t need a degree to write.

So what does one need to be a writer? I can only speak from my own experience getting started on the path toward becoming a published writer. If I had to answer that question the first thing I would tell you that you need in your ‘writer toolbox’ is a desire to write. If you feel yourself being drawn to the keyboard, if you aren’t happy unless you are writing, you’ve got a good start. The desire to write and not so much to ‘be’ a writer is a must. It has to be something you can’t not do.

Secondly, I would add that you must love words and that also means being an avid reader. It still amazes me  today when students in my workshops tell me that they want to write but aren’t really ‘into’ reading. I see the two as intricately intertwined and to remove one from the other would be like separating Siamese twins without each twin having the vital organs needed to sustain life individually. Just can’t be done. Just my own opinion, folks.

Last but not least, my third requirement would be an insatiable desire to learn, to know and to share. In looking over my clips over the years I can see that many of the articles I wrote came from my own desire to learn more about the subject, whether it was about selling my house on my own or ffinding out about gum disease.  This rule may apply differently for the writer who desires to write fiction, but not that much. Perhaps you’re interested in what happens to race horses who retire from the Kentucky Derby? With a little research you might be well on your way to a story about a woman who runs a retirement home for old race horses and the horse she uses to reach her autistic grandchild. Hey, you never know.

And what about that degree? Do you really need a degree to become a writer? I can only speak for myself. I did not get a degree in Literature, English or Creative Writing but I got a wonderful education working as a stringer for a local newspaper for five years. I like to think that that hands-on work provided me with a great foundation for my wriiting career. After five years of stringing I went out on my own and pursued magazines and newspapers alike, winning assignments, paychecks and eventually an award from the prestigious Society of Professional Journalists.

So can it be done? Can you become  a writer without a college education? Yes. If it’s your desire to become a freelance writer and work on your own, to write novels with the intention of becoming a published author, then I believe the answer is most definitely yes. But if you’re looking for a get-rich-quick answer, overnight fame and fortune, and you just tossed a coin and figured ‘why not write?’ then I’d advise you that if there’s something else out there you could be happy doing then do it. Writing is not a get-rich-quick solution. The percentage of writers who meet with fame and fortune are few and far between. Most of the novelists I know make a decent living and even some of those have to continue at their day job until that day when they are earning enough from their books to quit. Writing is hard work that demands you be your own cheerleader, boss and co-worker.

But on the other hand there’s no feeling like it. It’s an undescribable feeling picking up a magazine or newspaper and seeing your byline (name) on the printed page. It’s an even better feeling getting that check in the mail, knowing that you are being paid for your words.

So do you still want to be a writer? If so, then start working on your persistence and motivation because you will need both in order to get yourself in your writing chair every day if you’re going to write for publicatiion.  If you’ve stuck with me this long, then I’ll hope to see you here next month when we’ll contine on that journey toward your becoming a published writer.

See you next month!