130+ Books Becoming TV Series We Cannot Wait to See

Writing Careers: 6 Jobs To Check Out

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.

Key Takeaways

Writing careers are a diverse field, encompassing fiction, poetry, screenwriting and a wide variety of nonfiction genres.

A love of the written word can propel you to a career as a professional writer, editor or reporter. You can also pursue writing-heavy fields such as marketing and public relations.

Along with top-notch communication skills, writers need strong abilities in areas such as time management, organization and research.

Specializations for writing careers include travel writing, speech writing, content writing and copywriting.

Professional organizations can provide support and networking opportunities to advance your writing career.

It was the spring of 1948, and Patricia Highsmith was 27 years old. The budding American author—still widely undiscovered, as her first novel would not be published until two years later—opened her diary and let an introspective question onto the page:

"Shall I be like those people without number who feel a destiny to write magnificent works one day?"

If you harbor dreams of a writing career like Highsmith did, perhaps you've asked yourself similar questions. "Is it possible for me to become a full-time writer? Are there any good jobs in writing to begin with?"

The short answer is yes. Writing is a diverse, wide-ranging field that opens doors to a large selection of career paths. As a writer, you can report for your local paper, craft ad copy or draft technical documentation for tech companies.

For what it's worth, the answer was yes for Highsmith, too; she would ultimately go on to become one of the country's most revered masters of the psychological thriller. But you don't need to author spine-chilling crime scenes to make a career out of writing. Read on to discover six jobs that could kickstart your professional writing career.

What Is the Field of Writing?

Writing is the act of storytelling in pursuit of a specific purpose or goal. That purpose may be to inform, persuade, describe or simply inspire—it depends on the medium and the writer's intent.

Writers wield the power of the pen to communicate news updates, create works of art, drive marketing campaigns and share strongly worded opinions on cultural events. They craft brand messaging, social media copy, technical how-to documents and corporate blogs.

Because writing touches most every aspect of life as we know it, the options for pursuing a writing career are plentiful. Writers work in all kinds of industries, including science and technology, publishing and public relations, and marketing and advertising.

Careers in Writing

Writers assume a broad range of roles in various industries. Here are several examples of common writing careers. The below salary data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Editor

Median Annual Salary: $75,020Minimum Required Education: Bachelor's degree in English or a related fieldJob Overview: Editors read, revise and publish pieces of written work. They review texts for spelling and grammar errors, check for factual accuracy and offer their suggestions for strengthening stories. In some cases, editors may even determine whether an author's submission—such as an opinion piece or a short story—will be featured in a publication.

Technical Writer

Median Annual Salary: $80,050Minimum Required Education: Bachelor's degreeJob Overview: Technical writers break down complex technical processes or products and explain them in clear terms. They create instruction manuals, brochures, how-to guides and articles, often for software and other tech products. Technical writers collaborate with other professionals—like hardware and software engineers—to gain a better understanding of how a product or digital service works for documentation. Medical writers, considered a subset of technical writers, apply these skills to the medical and healthcare fields.

Writer or Author

Median Annual Salary: $73,690Minimum Required Education: Bachelor's degreeJob Overview: Writers and authors develop various types of written content, including books, newspaper and magazine articles, film scripts and blog posts. They work closely with editors to craft well-written copy and drive compelling narratives. Some writers and authors work as full-time staff members; others work as freelance writers or contractors, contributing pieces to various clients or publications.

Reporter

Median Annual Salary: $57,500Minimum Required Education: Bachelor's degree in journalism or a related fieldJob Overview: Reporters keep the public informed about breaking news events and other current information. They research and pitch newsworthy stories, interview sources, write under tight deadlines and analyze data that might inform their reporting, such as court records or video camera surveillance. Some reporters work for newspapers and magazines. Others write and report for broadcast on radio or television.

Public Relations (PR) Specialist

Median Annual Salary: $66,750Minimum Required Education: Bachelor's in public relations or a related fieldJob Overview: Public relations specialists leverage their writing skills to influence public perception about their clients. They draft press releases and pitch stories to members of the media to spread positive awareness about the organizations or individuals they represent. PR specialists also craft messaging for social media to help maintain their clients' image.

Marketing Manager

Median Annual Salary: $157,620Minimum Required Education: Bachelor's degree in marketing or a related fieldJob Overview: Marketing managers plan and execute marketing campaigns. They develop pricing strategies, monitor customer trends, and coordinate their marketing efforts with sales, advertising and public relations teams. Within this field, content marketing managers specialize in building their companies' brands and reaching the public through content-based strategies such as blog posts, website content and white papers.

Key Skills for Writing Careers

Naturally, a successful writer needs strong written communication abilities, but several other skills will stand you in good stead as you pursue your writing career.

Organization. Organizational skills apply not only to keeping track of your deadlines and tasks, but also to your writing itself. A good eye for organization can help you structure your writing effectively, support your points and lead your readers toward the conclusion or experience you're aiming for.

Research. Whether you're a journalist, a technical writer, a content writer or a creative writer, getting the details right matters. Writers need excellent research skills to uncover pertinent information and background context on their subjects.

Time management. The ability to manage your time effectively is particularly critical if you pursue a freelance writing career. The BLS reports that 62% of writers and authors are self-employed.

Openness to feedback. While writing is often seen as a lonely occupation, in reality writers frequently collaborate with many other professionals. The ability to accept and respond to feedback can smooth your working relationships and improve your craft.

Spelling and grammar. Contemporary digital tools mean that writers get some extra assistance in the proofreading process these days, but a computer program may not catch every error. A strong grasp of the nuts and bolts of English grammar and spelling is still essential.

Creativity. Fiction authors are not the only writers who need to be creative. Even if you're a technical writer composing a how-to guide or a journalist reporting on a city council meeting, a creative outlook can make your writing more engaging and relatable.

Writing Specializations

Many writers pursue specializations, focusing on a specific type of writing. Below are a few common options for writing specializations.

Travel Writing

Frequent jet-setters and lovers of language may consider making a career of travel writing. Travel writers write in various formats—including memoirs, journalistic articles, blogs and guides—to inform and inspire readers about popular destinations, hidden gems, local cuisines and global cultures.

Creative Writing

Creative writers use a blend of their imaginations and lived experiences to create works of poetry and prose, including both fiction and creative nonfiction. These writers leverage their expert wordsmithing abilities to invoke emotion and offer readers a unique perspective on the world through their works.

Speech Writing

Speech writers draft speeches for politicians, executives, public figures and other leaders. Speeches are often written with mechanics of the spoken word in mind, and speech writers must use compelling narratives to keep listeners engaged.

Copywriting

Ads, emails, websites, social media campaigns—these all require copy, and it's up to copywriters to craft it in a way that captivates and converts audiences.

Content Writing

Content writers contribute to web-based publications like blogs and media websites. Also referred to as content marketing or content creation, content writing involves the use of storytelling principles and technical SEO to offer customers valuable information and build brand loyalty.

Screenwriting

Behind every film, play or show is a screenplay. And behind that screenplay is a writer (sometimes several) who drafts the characters, narrative arc, plot and setting that drive the story forward.

Professional Organizations for Writing

Many professional writing organizations exist to support writers in their careers. Here are a few examples.

American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA)

ASJA is the country's largest professional network of journalists, authors and freelance writers. Members benefit from career support, networking opportunities and workshops. To become a member, writers must have had clips published in national outlets or published works of nonfiction.

PEN America

PEN America advocates for the protection of free expression in literature and writing. The organization aims to defend writers, authors and journalists to ensure their rights to write freely without censorship.

Authors' Guild

The Authors' Guild is a professional organization for published writers. Its mission is to support working writers by creating community, defending freedom of expression and advocating for living wages for writers.

Mystery Writers of America (MWA)

MWA is an organization dedicated to the advancement of crime and mystery fiction authors. Alongside advocacy and community, MWA offers scholarships, literacy programs and conferences.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Writing Careers What writing careers are there?

Writing careers are diverse in nature. Some examples of careers in writing include copywriting, screenwriting, content marketing and journalism, to name a few.

What career should I do if I like writing?

If you've already established that you'd like to incorporate writing in your career, ask yourself next: What kind of writing interests me? If you're excited about exploring remote areas of the world and logging your findings, travel journalism might be right for you. Maybe you're interested in making software more accessible to all; technical writing could be in your wheelhouse.

Is writing a high-paying job?

Writing can certainly be a lucrative career path, depending on your chosen field. According to the BLS, technical writers make a median annual salary of over $78,000. Marketing managers—who use writing extensively throughout their careers—make a median of $140,040 per year.

Are writing jobs in demand?

Demand varies depending on what kind of writing job you pursue. While the BLS projects jobs in journalism to decline by 3% from 2022 to 2032, and editors are projected to see a 4% employment drop, other writing-heavy careers are holding steady or increasing. For example, the BLS projects a 4% job growth rate (about average) for writers and authors as a whole, along with faster-than-average growth for technical writers, PR specialists and marketing managers.

Paramount Rounds Out A Grim Month For Media Preservation By Nuking 25 Years Of Comedy Central Video

The video archive on the Comedy Central website hosted footage from every episode of The Daily Show since 1999, clips from all 11 seasons of The Colbert Report, bits from Key & Peele, South Park, and Workaholics, and more. Yesterday, Paramount removed the video archive and its 25 years of footage from the site, where a popup now tells you "most Comedy Central series are no longer available," but "you can sign up for Paramount+ to watch many seasons of Comedy Central shows."

While we can assume some of that archive will make the transfer to Paramount+—presumably whichever shows seem most profitable to Paramount Global's trio of CEOs, who recently declared a cost-cutting campaign to address the corporation's failing finances (via Hollywood Reporter)—the erasure continues what's been a dire month for media preservation. Earlier this week, Paramount shuttered MTVnews.Com and culled its two decades of news coverage, as reported by Variety. Last week, the Internet Archive removed access to 500,000 digitized books, following a lawsuit from major book publishers.

These losses of media stores evoke the same long-held concerns that motivate proponents of game preservation—namely, that once access to a piece of media is lost, that media too often becomes impossible to recover. In addition to its library of digitized books, the Internet Archive hosts upwards of 20,000 PC and MS-DOS games, many of which would otherwise be in danger of being lost forever to outdated tech standards or failing hardware and storage media.

Once digital media ages out of immediate relevance, it requires deliberate effort to ensure it isn't lost. Unless it'll deliver shareholder profits, that effort isn't one we can safely expect corporate media stewards to invest in. Out-of-print games languish waiting for remasters that may never come; live-service, digital-only games evaporate into the aether once the plug is pulled (Marvel Heroes RIP, I miss you every day). Meanwhile, as The Verge reported in 2023, companies like Warner Bros. Discovery are so profit margin-poisoned that they're willing to cancel shows for a tax write-off, leaving anyone who worked on the production with nothing to show for it and no way to access what they'd made.

I'd like to trust in the internet as a distributed bastion of human knowledge, but frankly, the signs aren't reassuring about what we stand to lose without supporting archival efforts. According to a Pew Research study, 38% of webpages that were accessible in 2013 are gone in 2024, 54% of Wikipedia articles cite at least one website that no longer exists, and more than 20% of news and government web pages have broken links to nowhere. Chin up, though. Some of that stuff will probably end up on Paramount+ eventually. 

Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.

Winners Revealed! Discover The Top Creative Companies Of 2024

Ever wondered which creative companies offer the best workplaces? How many organisations are promoting flexible working hours, generous holiday allowances and plenty of parental leave? Which teams are nurturing new talent, and providing inspiring, supportive management structures?

Today, our sister company If You Could reveals the winners of its Top Creative Companies award. Designed to celebrate organisations that are providing inspiring, supportive and brilliant workplaces, it highlights 25 companies that have cleared the benchmark as a top creative workplace.

Within that, two honorary winners have been selected in three key categories: culture, craft and leadership. Culture – awarded to Driftime® and We Are Tilt – considers the work environment, and how collaboration cultivates a team's creativity. Craft – awarded to Boyle & Perks and Artiq – is all about how creativity is valued within the team, the final outcome of the work, and the impact of these ideas. Finally, leadership – awarded to Mashmob and Nice & Serious Ltd – judges the impact of management to champion creativity, transparency, and purpose within its teams.

The methodology behind the award was devised with Part & Sum, If You Could's strategy partner. The award was free to enter, conducting two surveys that contributed to the final score. The first survey was completed by employers, gathering information on the policies and practices they provide. The second survey asked employees about how these policies supported their professional life and, most importantly, how they enabled a better quality of creative work.

With this anonymous data – collected from a total of over 800 participants – If You Could has produced two insight reports. The Creative Industry Benchmarks report provides statistics on workplace standards, such as working hours, pension contributions, parental leave, and more. It contains countless revealing insights – on how companies conduct pay reviews, for example, or what's most commonly offered as part of its health and wellness benefits. Not only does this report detail the best practices in place today, it also shows us the areas in which the industry as a whole can improve.

The second report – the Individual Evaluation Framework – enables companies to learn from their own employees. Organisations can use this to gather feedback on the policies and practices they have in place, actively informing a new framework across culture, craft and leadership. Both reports are available to purchase – independently or together – today.

---