Writer

Writers are generally very creative people who have an innate ability to write quickly and uniquely. They are normally able to express their ideas on paper with ease. It is absolutely essential for writers to have excellent command of the language they wish to write in.

This career is only for people who have the ability to meet tight deadlines and who consider writing as a hobby as opposed to a chore. Different paths within the career look for different kinds of people, and all types of people can settle in as different kinds of writers.

As the job title suggests, this career entails writing. What a writer writes largely depends on what direction he or she opts for within the broader career path of writing. Writers may choose to write for magazines, print or even the web media. Moreover, writers have the option to write books and novels on various genres depending in their interests.

Writers can work for different people depending on what kind of writing they wish to do. People who wish to write entire books often get contracted by publishing firms, or write independently and then seek publishing for their work. Self-publishing often occurs too, but a writer requires contacts and capital up front if they wish to self-publish their work.

Most writers tend to work for print media, writing for newspapers and magazines on a wide variety of topics. Writers who work for newspapers and magazines are often required to do editing as well as proofreading. This job can be done as a freelancer or as a full time employee, depending on who you work for.

One is required, during typical office hours, to write original content. A writer is also expected to think of creative new ideas for topics and then work on producing write-ups on them. Research is a vital part of an average day at the office. Revising, rewriting, proofreading and article spinning are important aspects of some jobs.

Writers do not need any formal qualifications, but news agencies prefer employing writers with degrees in journalism. Many other employers like to see communications or English majors. Authors may not have any formal qualifications at all, but a command over the language they wish to write in is essential.

Writers are generally known to be underpaid in almost all career paths they adopt. However, this myth is only true for entry level writers. For those who work for newspapers or magazines, higher salaries can be earned when ones experience level increases. Independent web writers probably have the lowest earning potential.
Novel writers have the highest earning potential but how much a novelist earns depends on both skill and luck.
The average salary for writers including authors is approximately $55,000 per annum. However, like all other careers, this figure varies greatly depending on what kind of writing you do, who you write for and what your level of professional experience and expertise is.

Indian writers are generally underpaid. Many often work for foreign companies who outsource their work. There is a lot of competition to work as a freelance writer and so payments can be as low as $1 per 500 words. There is more earning potential for people who choose to work at newspapers

Freelance writers and independent novelists make their own work hours and work as much as they wish to. However, life as an employed

writer

is quite different. They generally work during standard office hours. When deadlines are approaching, many writers are expected to work overtime. This is particularly true in the daily morning newspapers, for which night writers and editors have to work overnight every night.

While most people pursue an innate passion for writing in this career, there is a great degree of stress involved that often goes unmentioned. Most writers work under immense pressure to meet tight deadlines. Working as a writer, as a result, is far from a vacation.

Exceptional writers have an opportunity to become famous, which is not that easy in most other career paths. Moreover, writers are generally people who are pursuing something they truly enjoy, and so they generally live fulfilled lives.

Additionally, writers are able to feel a sense of accomplishment when they see their name being published. This is particularly true for novelists, who, after a long journey can see the final product of their struggles in physical form.

While theoretically everybody can become a writer, getting published as a novelist is not very easy, particularly in India. Even if one chooses to write for a newspaper or magazine, entry level salaries are very low, and freelancers who do outsourced work get paid even less.

Another downside to becoming a writer is that one often has to face a lot of unconstructive criticism. Because of the anonymity of the internet, writers often have to face grueling criticism online. People generally claim writers have the easiest jobs. However, this is far from the truth, and in fact, it can be one of the most tedious ones around.

There is quite a lot of competition in the field, but even still, the demand for writers is expected to continuously rise. Technical writers experience the least amount of competition, whereas freelance writers witness the fiercest competition. Only the best writers find themselves getting promoted to more lucrative packages, for which the competition is often cut throat.

In terms of location, writers are at an advantage. Every place in the world with a literate population requires writers in one form or the other. Some locations do offer a comparative advantage. London, Melbourne, New York City, Los Angeles and other major cities are well known for being good havens for writers. In India, there is considerable demand for writers in all major cities across the coun