Category: Storytelling

The third in a series on how to become a writer.

“I work freelance. I have a lot of free time on my hands.”

That line, said by a journalist character from The Devil Wears Prada movie, paints a luxurious picture of life as a freelance writer. When you are looking for work as a writer, you’ll come across two different options on job boards. Employers that need freelance writers, and employers that need full-time writers. So which do you choose? Which is better? Since we have done both in our careers, we’ll give you a pro’s and con’s list to compare.

Freelance Writing

Pros:

• Your schedule is flexible. You can work when you choose and how many hours you choose.
• Your workload tends to be flexible. Most jobs require at least a minimum amount of work per week/month.
• You are not tied to the job. You can freely quit without consequences.
• The work tends to be more independent with minimal to no supervision.

Cons:

• Some jobs cap the maximum amount of work you can do, so you might not have unlimited earning potential.
• Work can be inconsistent. Days or weeks may go by with no work available at all.
• You don’t have access to benefits such as healthcare and vacation days. That means if you want to take a trip, you will be out a paycheck for that time.
• Employers can cut your work load, hours, or job entirely at any time for any reason. They have more flexibility to do so because you’re not a full-time employee.
• You have to do your own taxes from your income.

Full-Time, Permanent Writing

Pros:

• You have a guaranteed amount of work so your hours and paycheck are predictable and dependable.
• You have access to benefits such as healthcare, vacation time, and other perks.
• You possibly have the opportunity for career advancement within the company including salary raises.

Cons:

• There is a lack of flexibility with your schedule and life. You are usually committed to working a certain schedule.
• You usually cannot take on more work for extra money if you need it for a specific week.
• You are more heavily supervised.

The first in a series on how to become a writer.

We get asked a lot by friends, family, and strangers on how we became writers.

“Did you go to school for that?”

“Do you make good money?”

We’ve had our hands in many types of writing. We are published authors, we’ve written many non-fiction pieces across digital and print publications, we’ve done creative writing for a video game, and we’ve written for TV and social media. I teach a course at a university on academic and research writing. I also volunteer as a mentor to aspiring writers through a non-profit website.

So, how do you become a writer?

This will be the first in a series of articles exploring this very question. Perhaps you are an aspiring writer reading this. Or maybe you are seasoned and looking to expand your knowledge of the field, or are just roaming the interwebs. This first post is an overview of what to expect coming up, as well as the types of writer you can be.

What topics will be covered in upcoming blogs?

• What education or training you can pursue.
• How to find your first job.
• Information on writing careers including freelance, contract, and full-time.
• What employers look for on a resume.
• And more!

What Type of Writer Should I Be?

If you’re reading this, you are most likely interested in creative writing and being a book author. But we are involved in various types of writing, and you can be, too. This is not a comprehensive list, but here’s an overview of different types of writing you can specialize in.

• Fiction Author – You publish books or short stories with fictional people and situations. You can either self-publish or traditional-publish. A great imagination, a good eye for editing, and time management are key.
• Non-Fiction Author – You publish books such as biographies and memoirs for clients, academic pieces, self-help, special topic books, and more. Good research skills and having an open mind to learn are essential.
• Narrative Designer – You write for the gaming industry including narrative stories, character creation, dialogue, and world building. You need to have a huge imagination, and the ability to collaborate as part of a large team.
• Journalist / Content Writer – You cover everything from local news, global news, product reviews, lifestyle articles, and op-eds. This field is centered on meeting deadlines and adhering to each business’ unique style of writing.
• Technical Writer – You apply your writing skills to professional documents. This might be training manuals, resumes for clients, grant applications, and more. Specialized knowledge of a certain industry will carry you far in this role.
• Copywriter – You write marketing communications to get people to buy products and services. These might be social media posts, newsletters, slogans, and information on product landing pages. The ability to be creative and think outside the box will set you apart.
• Script Writer – This is adjacent to being an author, but it is its own specialized niche. You write scripts for TV shows, podcasts, or movies. You must be a good editor and able to take a lot of feedback from others.

Stay on the lookout for future posts as we talk more about how to become a writer!

We talk creating characters by using the 16 Myers-Briggs personalities.

We have discussed the Myers-Briggs personalities in the past. In our series of very popular blogs we did a survey of 500+ people regarding their personality type and playing habits with D&D. The results were pretty interesting! We’ve taken the test ourselves and agreed with the outcome. We’ve also taken the test in-character as characters from our Thread of Souls book series and found perfect alignment, as well! So that got us thinking about how writers and creators could use the personality types on Myers-Briggs to help them develop new characters.

When you visit the 16 personalities website, you’ll find an overview of each type. You’ll find the Inventor who has a thirst for knowledge, the Campaigner who is a free spirit, the Executive who excels in managing things, and more. By clicking on each personality type, you get an extremely comprehensive breakdown.

The Breakdown

When we click on the Logician, we get a highly detailed breakdown of this personality type. It starts with a page-long Introduction, which is very useful in getting a feel for this character. It also provides real-world examples of Logicians to put things into context, such as Albert Einstein, Kristin Stewart, and Lord Varys from Game of Thrones.

We have series of pages after that. The Strengths and Weaknesses page is great for developing a well-rounded character. We get pages on how they deal with Romance and Friendships, which is great for inter-character relations. There is one for how they would act as parents for characters that have children. Career Paths and Workplace Habits are excellent references for choosing a profession for them. And finally, Conclusion gives more thoughts for this character.

Using a Personality Profile to Create a Character

Let’s use the Executive one, and say we are going to create a character that would exist in our high fantasy Thread of Souls world.

Introduction: We learn that Executives are “model citizens” in a sense they uphold the law, follow rules, and focus on a democratic community. We will design a character that lives in Sunspire and is actively involved in the community. They take the laws of the city very seriously.

Strengths & Weakness: We flesh out our character with their strengths being highly organized, very patient, and extremely dedicated to the tasks they take on. For their weaknesses, we choose from the provided list that they are stubborn in their viewpoints, not comfortable with new and untested ideas, and never relax.

Romance & Friendships: Learning from the personality website, we put our character into a stable and long marriage, where they are committed, honest, and reliable, but not very romantic or spontaneous. For their friendships, our character has a very wide net of friendships and connections, however, there isn’t much diversity in people or viewpoints. We will have our character socialize in one part of Sunspire and not interact much with different people.

Parenthood: Reading that Executives tend to be strict parents, we think it will be fun to give them a rebellious adolescent child that challenges their way of thinking.

Careers & Workplace Habits: By reading we learn that Executives tend to stay with one employer for their entire career, and like a culture of hard work and discipline. Suggested careers are the military, law enforcement, hospitals, legal firms, and politics. We will put our character as a leader within Sunspire’s military establishment, the Solchens.

Conclusion: Going through the conclusion, we will add the last details to our character. Their story will revolve around having to learn to accept different views and unorthodox approaches in order to overcome a seemingly insurmountable challenge. The solution will be brought to them by their rebellious adolescent, giving them an opportunity to heal a strained relationship.

We hope this helps you learn new ways to create characters and generate ideas for your stories!