The joys of professional writing

I knew from childhood that I wanted to be a writer. Even before I could write, I presented my  mother with a page of squiggles and informed her that it was a story and that I would write stories when I grew up. Little was I aware of the hundreds of other forms of writing available through professional writing.

I honed my writing skills throughout my formal education, always proud of turning in an "A" paper in K-12 and later in college. My first job after college was working as a paralegal, where I "digested" lengthy dispositions.  This activity consisted of taking long documents and summarizing them as concisely and elegantly as possible.

Graduate school provided another opportunity to receive academic feedback on my writing, and I completed my two-year M.A. program a better writer than when I started. My first job after graduate school was working as a technical writer at the United Nations. I remember pouring through pages of screen shots of computer applications and determining how best to explain the workflow of an application to its intended users in print.

Following a three-year stint at technical writing, I moved on to journalism. Reporting news stories required a whole new approach to writing, and my editor sat me down and showed me the ropes.

Next! Educational writing for a large nonprofit: Newsletters... technical manuals... grants and grant reports. Each new challenge brought with it an expanding skill-set. 

I could continue to lay out a twenty-year history in professional writing, or I could conclude with some words of advice. I choose the latter: Seek out writing experiences that expand your skill-set. You can't make mistakes when you are being paid for your writing, but you can work with your employer -- asking many legitimate questions -- to ensure that you create the final product that s/he needs. 

Also, keep a portfolio of your writing. You can turn to this portfolio for your own uses when you need ideas or inspiration. You can also share the portfolio with potential employers or clients to sell your services. More on developing a strong portfolio can be found at The Well-Fed Writer. You can also follow this link to see an example of my online portfolio at Apple Pie Writing.

Being a professional writer does require some innate talent. At the same time, you also need to practice your craft, to study, and to seek out professional opportunities to build upon your skill-set. Like me, you may have dreamed of writing stories, but fiction writing is not the only creative outlet for someone with an active imagination and a keyboard. Meeting the challenges of professional writing assignments can be fresh and satisfying too.