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Overview
Writers produce creative work, including novels, children’s books, scripts, poetry and travel and technical writing for things like how to operate a mobile phone etc.
Activities
Your day-to-day activities may include:
- Choosing a subject based on personal interest, or at the request of an agent or publisher
- Coming up with ideas and stories
- Researching information using the internet, libraries, site visits and personal interviews
- Developing your story, article, blog, review or instruction manual
- Submitting your draft to a publisher or editor
- Revising your work after getting feedback
- Uploading your work to websites or social media, or looking for publishing opportunities
- Attending book signings, readings and discussions of your work
- Running writing workshops
Organisations
A lot of work as a writer is freelance, which means you will work for a publisher, or work on your own for newspapers unless of course you could become an author of your own story books and have your own books published for sale to the public.
Workplaces
Writers edit and look at lots of sentences that will be used for newspapers, magazines and other publications including scripts and narrative for film, TV, radio and computer games and animations; and translate spoken and written statements into different languages. You could be working from home or from an office.
Working Hours
37 to 39 varies, and very often you would manage your own hours.
Salary
Variable salary, freelance / self-employed.
Predicted trends +2.5% increase leading to – 2,573 new jobs by 2027.
Qualifications
Most employers will ask for a good standard of English and Maths. You can do several things to develop your writing skills and learn more about the world of publishing. These include:
- Joining a local writers’ group
- Entering writing competitions
- Blogging online