The Writer's Life: Respecting the Trade

Everyone wants to be a writer and many believe that all it takes is desire. Friends who work in the sciences, medical and educational realms have all revealed to me their secret desires to write a novel or a column, say, in the NY Times. Dreams carry us through life, and maybe some folks will write that novel. But the thing is, writing is work, and like any other job, it takes training and practice. Those who choose the writer’s life and succeed pursue it as they would any other career. But what kind of training works? Is a Journalism degree mandatory? Not necessarily.

Suite101 writer and freelance journalist, Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen holds degrees in Psychology and Education. She has taken one professional writing course. “I don't believe you need a degree in English Literature or Journalism to be a full-time freelance writer,” she says. “In fact, my editor at Reader's Digest told me that what she's teaching me about writing isn't stuff you learn in Journalism class.”

When she embarked on her freelance career, Laurie found that “learning on the job - and reading tons of writing books - is the best way to learn how to write.” What works for you? Life experiences inform and feed one’s writing, but the skill of writing comes from practice and figuring out how you learn best, be it a through a degree program, online classes, or self-education. The important thing is respecting the trade enough to learn it. Then, go forth, and publish!

-- Fiona Lehn