help my career choice

[wantobeawriter]

im a young guy in high school and im trying to focus a career in writing i want a career in writing but i dont want to have the problem of being known to make money i just want to write on my own time and not on a day to day thing got any suggestions thanks

[IWrite]

Hey wantto

A career by definition is almost always a day to day thing. Most careers in writing (i.e. journalist, copywriter, etc.) are full time gigs. You go in every morning you go home every night. You collect a paycheck every week or two. You get a few weeks vacation each year. Writing careers such as these also require that you go to college to learn how to research and write a newstory or an ad and learn about the industry. For a jouranalsim career you often need to start out at small local papers to gain experience. The hours can be long, the pay pretty crappy and the things you are writing about at first are often not very interesting (i.e. writing obituraries). This is called paying your dues. Eventually you can move up to bigger papers, more interesting assignments and better paying gigs. These jobs also require that you write on demand - not at your leisure. You will have deadlines to meet and no say in what you write about.

Supporting yourself as a freelancer in these types of industries is tough and almost always requires that you put in the time in a full-time position to establish yourself and prove your ability.

If you are interested in more creative forms of writing i.e. a screenwriter, novelist or playwright - the chances of making money are slim to none. Well over 90% of all novels written are never published. And even if you do get published - there is no guarantee you will make enough money to support yourself or that your next book will be published.

The odds at success in screenwriting are even slimmer. And once again, selling a script or getting a job writing a script does not guarantee you will have success with future scripts. Also even if you sell a script you will almost certainly have to do rewrites for the producer on demand.

Television writers have the same odds of success as film writers but these are staff positions which means you will have to show up at work every day, meet deadlines and write on demand.

Again careers in creative writing require that you study the craft. That you learn about story, character, structure and theme.

Being known is not a requirement for success in any of these businesses - in fact being known is a long-shot in any of them no matter how successful you become.

You have a far better shot of supporting yourself if you pursue a writing career in an industry where employers hire you for a full time job like journalism or copywriting.

You need an extraordinary amount of passion and persavearence to even attempt a career as a novelist, screenwriter or playwright. If you do not have that passion there's really no point in pursuing a career in any of those areas as the odds are so slim.

If you are unwilling to write on a day to day basis on demand, and you simply want to write what you want when you want, then it might be advisable to consider writing as a hobby and take up another career - or marry someone who is willing to support you.

[JustinoXXV]

"The odds at success in screenwriting are even slimmer. And once again, selling a script or getting a job writing a script does not guarantee you will have success with future scripts. Also even if you sell a script you will almost certainly have to do rewrites for the producer on demand."

Or not. Often producers will get another screenwriter to do the rewrites. As I understand, the WGA rules say that the original screenwriter only has to be given one shot at a rewrite. If the producers aren't satisifed, then they can call in other writers.

Otherwise, I pretty much agree with what Iwrite has said.

As for novelists and screenwriter, after your project is sold the results of it may determine in part how easy it is to get a next sale . If your first manuscript sells well, then you'll easily get published again. If your screenplay becomes a movie that does well at the box office or whens an Academy Award nomination, you'll easily find work.

But if your novel bombs or your script is made into a movie that ultimately isn't distributed, you've got problems. Doesn't mean you can't get another deal, though.

[Nivvie]

I agree with the other two, and think you need to dig deep to discover your writing ambitions, and then decide on your path.

I try and look at it optimistically. J.K Rowling wrote exactly what she wanted after her first two novels didn't sell, and now she has £500 million, which is about $1000 million, which I believe Americans class as billion, but we don't.
Now she has the luxury of writing when she wants, but if you're starting out and really want it to be your career, you'll have to put the hours in.

Although, if Harry Potter hadn't sold, she still be working a nine to five, so IMO the best thing is to find a job you can live with, something that gives you experiences you can use in your writing, and maybe you will have a great book in you and be able to write for your career, or maybe not. Just don't spend years bitterly doing something you hate waiting for the day your work sells. Life happens all the time, not just when your dreams have come true.
Good luck.