How do you get paid for writing? - Writers Forum

gen · 02-16-2007, 03:33 PM

This is probably an overasked and/or an illegal question which is probably in the wrong place and now you all hate me for not using the search button and for starting this thread, but I'm currently a desperate, half-starving college student with no sense of shame whatsoever and who is guilty of a ridiculously long run-on sentence.

But anyway, that's right: I want to write for the money, and I don't even mind "selling out." The thing is, I don't know any magazines or websites that would accept the works of an amateur. I am best at writing essays/columns/blogs/random idiocies, I am okay at writing stories, and I am too methodical to know anything about poetry. With that kind of background, does anyone know how/where I should start if I want to get anywhere with writing-to-be-paid? Much thanks.

wmd · 02-16-2007, 06:09 PM

I wish you could see me right now because I am rolling my eyes and shaking my head.

You get paid for writing by getting your writing published. If you don't know where to submit your work than check out Writers Market.

Writing is not a get rich quick scheme, so you probably won't like it.

missmoopants · 02-16-2007, 07:26 PM

If you want to get paid to write, become a technical author. It worked for me. 3 years of a BA majoring in English and doing lots of linguistics subjects to enhance, followed by an intensive grad dip in comp sci (three years in one). It is not fiction but it still requires imagination and the abilty to relate to your audience. Lots of moula but no life. Tis why I'm not a technical author anymore. I chucked that in for the life of a ski bum and now I get paid to correct other writers' errors. All good. I drank too much. Drunken posting here and now.

Peejaydee · 02-25-2007, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by missmoopants

If you want to get paid to write, become a technical author. It worked for me. 3 years of a BA majoring in English and doing lots of linguistics subjects to enhance, followed by an intensive grad dip in comp sci (three years in one). It is not fiction but it still requires imagination and the abilty to relate to your audience. Lots of moula but no life. Tis why I'm not a technical author anymore. I chucked that in for the life of a ski bum and now I get paid to correct other writers' errors. All good. I drank too much. Drunken posting here and now.

No wonder you're not a technical author any more. You're properly over-qualified for the job. I was a tech author as well on aerospace projects. It's far more important that you have appropriate engineering/technical qualifications and experience to be a technical author. I now ops manage teams of technical authors and it's far easier to teach a technically qualified or experienced engineer to write than to ruin years of your life explaining technical subjects in vain to an English graduate.

missmoopants · 02-25-2007, 03:15 PM

I'm sorry: I'm trying to work out what you mean. Are you saying that because I'm an English graduate, it's no wonder I'm not a technical author any more? (Did you miss that I did comp sci as well? Do you have any clue about the years of help desk work I did to understand how to explain technical things in a non-technical way before moving into tech authoring full-time?)

Mate, I was a bloody successful technical author who CHOSE to leave to live a better lifestyle in a ski resort: my finger stays in the IT pie when there's no white stuff on the ground.

I think you'll find it depends on the person when it comes to tech authoring: I've worked with and supervised many a tech author who has a technical background but who cannot explain things in written or verbal form at all well, leading to me re-write half their work. One engineer used to write "he" when referring to the computer or the mouse!

I really disllike generalisations. I particularly dislike yours.

Peejaydee · 02-26-2007, 05:49 AM

Wow. Opinionated, arrogant and angry - all in the same rant. I'm impressed.

What I was actually trying to say was that I didn't think an English grad would want to spend a long time being a tech author as you don't generally need such a high level of understanding of the language to be a tech author. That's if you see English lit as your main area of interest. You generally need a good level of language skills, an ability to communicate clearly and unambiguously and a high level of technical expertise. It wasn't meant to be a slight on you as an English grad.
I agree it very much depends upon the person. I too have met and supervised good engineers who couldn't spell their own names. Equally, I've also worked beside people with excellent writing abilities who couldn't put a nut in a monkey's mouth.
Interestingly, I work in a tech authoring department of over 300 people and you could count the number of English grads on one hand - usually all editors.

missmoopants · 02-26-2007, 06:48 AM

Well, maybe if you were an English graduate, you would have been able to express your opinion in a slightly better way the first time.

Feel free to think I'm arrogant. I earnt my way into my industry and I was rewarded along the way for my ability. If you think that that makes me arrogant, then fine, I'm arrogant.

Opinionated. Everyone should be.

Angry. Yes: your initial post was condescending and presumptuous towards me and towards English literature graduates.

Your department would probably need less than 300 people in it if more of them were English grads. You DO need to know how to use passive vs active sentences and you DO need to know how the English language works to a high degree: you're writing technical information for an audience who shouldn't have to decipher poorly written work when they're already trying to decipher something technical. A good tech author understands this and can write to the required level with no difficulty. A good tech author, however, is not defined as someone who does or does not have an Arts degree!

Peejaydee · 02-26-2007, 07:39 AM

English graduates don't have a monopoly on being able to write. There's a distinct undercurrent to your postings that gives this arrogant impression, rightly or wrongly.
We could argue all day about being successful, I could quote my salary, my Honours degree in Engineering and the eight figure sales turnover my group did last year, but that would be pointless as we would clearly still not be as good as you.
Your assertion that it would take less English grads to do the work is, frankly, laughable. The majority of my team are tech authors with decades of experience - they've probably each forgotten more than you or I have learned about both authoring and complex engineering systems, not to mention doing all of this in SGML and XML.
I'm guessing your tech authoring was purely in IT? Clearly you are therefore an expert in all forms of the discipline and I bow to your superior intellect...

missmoopants · 02-26-2007, 07:44 AM

1. The English graduate work ratio was a tongue in cheek joke, which I thought you'd get by my last sentence about what defines (or doesn't define) a good tech author.

2. You are again being presumptuous that I think I'm better than you. You started the attack on English graduates: I took the opportunity to defend myself as a member of that group. You must have a few inferiority issues if you take my honesty as anything else.

Pook · 02-26-2007, 07:47 AM

I was told by a publisher these exact words:
"Keep writing. Get published in anyway you can, but don't plan on quitting your day job anytime soon."
Best advice I ever got. I went and scratched up a different job that would allow me to take my laptop to work. The job is totally boring, there is absolutely nothing to do, I get paid to sit on my butt and occasionally direct someone to someone who can answer their questions. That leaves me, on average, eight hours four days a week to write, write, write -- at work.
There is something to be said for boring jobs if you're trying to write books.
Hugs,
Pook

aspiring · 02-26-2007, 10:54 AM

Pooks, I am so jealous!

*wonders if she also could get a boring job that allowed her to write 8 hours a day*

tuler · 02-26-2007, 11:37 PM

I write articles on Helium. I'm not sure if you guys have heard about Helium, but it's a service that pays you to post articles on their site. The more visitors the article gets, the more money you make. Here's a link to how to make money with Helium:

http://www.helium.com/tm/180713/ques...ne-wants-youre

mammamaia · 03-05-2007, 01:30 AM

gen... to get back to your question, the way to get paid for your writing is to write work that is marketable quality and keep sending it out till you get some takers... here's a good listing of markets for short works:

www.duotrope.com

no one asks how experienced you are... they're only interested in how well you can write, how good the material is that you send them...

red lantern · 03-07-2007, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pook

IThe job is totally boring, there is absolutely nothing to do, I get paid to sit on my butt and occasionally direct someone to someone who can answer their questions. That leaves me, on average, eight hours four days a week to write, write, write -- at work.

Pook

I am drooling with envy, you would get so much done, even on a bad day.

tiawood · 03-08-2007, 11:28 AM

There are many ways to get paid for writing. I'm a novelist and novel publishing is a long process. While waiting for my first novel to be published, I accept freelance work online.

I used to be a web developer. Using that skill, I write articles and content for websites. I use it as a way to get extra income while I'm waiting to be published and I use it for writing practice. I DO NOT put those blurbs in my portfolio. It's not that I'm ashamed, it's because the internet isn't considered a 'legit publishing medium' to the public (and publishers) as of yet.