Mario
I want to establish myself as a writer after college. What might be a viable means of getting my work out there, building my name, etc?
I am an English Major. Although I don't expect to make a quick career out of writing, my wish is to write long after my education is done. #teacher #writing #english #writer #fiction
5 answers
Mark Wagner
Mark’s Answer
Oh yes, Mario, I graduated from LaVerne when our teams competed for victory. In this day and age, screenwriting takes a lot of adventure and hard work to become a member of a productive team. Now I would recommend writing novels because publishers are eagerly seeking more and more best sellers. Then the studio CEOs would be very interested. Connect with them on Twitter. It's like you're dating or drinking at a bar, and you don't have to live in Los Angeles and deal with the stop-and-go traffic. Copyrighting might be another option if you want to earn lots of money by writing the ads to sell products and services on the Internet. Best wishes.
Ken Simmons
Ken’s Answer
Hi Mario!
Congratulations on wanting to be a writer! You are going to be embarking on a very interesting journey! Here are some tips:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9fc-crEFDw
http://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Writer
http://www.how-to-write-a-book-now.com/become-a-writer.html
http://www.hughhowey.com/so-you-want-to-be-a-writer/
You can do it. Many have done it. I am sure that you will be able to create something unique!
Best of luck. I would like to follow your progress!
thank you very much
Keerthana
You are welcome. Best of luck! Please keep me posted. I would like to follow you progress!
Ken Simmons
Kendall Sand
Kendall’s Answer
Hi Mario,
I was also an English major who loved writing. I studied creative writing as an undergraduate, and then, because I was still interested, I went on to pursue a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, with an emphasis in fiction. I really enjoyed my time there. Some people think the MFA in Creative Writing can't teach a person how to write, but I think it can, because it teaches you how to take writing seriously and treat it like the job that it is. You get to work closely with writers who have published books - they have invaluable advice. And, you have the TIME in your life to focus on writing.
All that being said, the MFA does cost money. If you're interested, I would encourage you to look for a program that offers Teaching Assistantships - this means that in lieu of paying full tuition, you teach a certain number of English courses each year. However, many aspiring writers would rather just start working and writing, and skip the MFA altogether, which is also a very fine path. Plenty of very successful writers never earned an MFA.
One way to start getting your name out there would be to submit to literary journals and start getting some publication credits. These places often publish short stories, poems and nonfiction essays. Before you submit to a journal, you should read it so you know the tone and the type of things they often publish, so you can send your material to places that are a good fit. Here's a list of almost ALL the literary journals in the US. http://www.newpages.com/magazines/literary-magazines
A couple of journals I really love as a fiction writer are One Story Magazine and Tin House. The very most important thing you can be doing as an English major and fiction writer is just to keep writing - learning your voice, and practicing your skill. Good luck to you!
Kendall
Susan E. Oser
Susan E.’s Answer
I would say one way to build up your resume is to get into freelancing. It's pretty competitive but if you play up to your strengths and try a variety of projects, you'll find something you'd want to do. In addition if you do good timely work, you'll have some repeat customers. It may not help you live at home but its a good start as a part-time gig.
