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What are the best internships for those who want to be authors
For those who want careers in poetry and book writing, what are the best internships or routes to go in general?
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3 answers
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Bryan’s Answer
If you’re interested in a career in writing, a great start would be creating your own blog. Write about anything. Write about EVERYTHING.
Think beyond the internship role. Pay attention to the details of job postings. You’d be surprised to see that a lot of companies accept unpublished writing samples when they’re asking for a portfolio.
Start out small. Especially if you’re still in school. Try to find options for freelance or contract writing positions. Some positions will allow you to go at your own pace by giving you relaxed deadlines. Some will let you take on as much or as little work as you want to.
Familiarize yourself with authoring and content management systems. Learn about the many different roles associated with writing (author, copywriter, editor, proofreader, publisher, etc etc).
Don’t give up. You WILL find what you’re looking for.
Most importantly: Dream. Believe. Become!
Think beyond the internship role. Pay attention to the details of job postings. You’d be surprised to see that a lot of companies accept unpublished writing samples when they’re asking for a portfolio.
Start out small. Especially if you’re still in school. Try to find options for freelance or contract writing positions. Some positions will allow you to go at your own pace by giving you relaxed deadlines. Some will let you take on as much or as little work as you want to.
Familiarize yourself with authoring and content management systems. Learn about the many different roles associated with writing (author, copywriter, editor, proofreader, publisher, etc etc).
Don’t give up. You WILL find what you’re looking for.
Most importantly: Dream. Believe. Become!
Updated
Amalya’s Answer
Hi Jasmine,
Internships are necessary for gaining professional skills, especially if you don't have relevant experience in a given field. However, it depends on the field: In case of creative writing, you can practice and improve your skills by yourself. Write as much as you can, read books of literary theory, get education in the philological field if possible.
What refers to getting internship opportunities, you can read various announcements on the internet and apply. What's more, journalism is also related to the field you are interested in in terms of polishing your writing skills. So you can also find journalistic internships.
Good luck and all the best
Internships are necessary for gaining professional skills, especially if you don't have relevant experience in a given field. However, it depends on the field: In case of creative writing, you can practice and improve your skills by yourself. Write as much as you can, read books of literary theory, get education in the philological field if possible.
What refers to getting internship opportunities, you can read various announcements on the internet and apply. What's more, journalism is also related to the field you are interested in in terms of polishing your writing skills. So you can also find journalistic internships.
Good luck and all the best
Updated
Caitlyn’s Answer
I've never heard of interships for poets. Most commonly, to really succeed as a poet, you'll need an MFA in creative writing. Even without an MFA, you can still write as much poetry as you want and self-publish it, even though it's not the same. The benefit to being picked up by a publisher is there's an element of quality control that's missing from self-publication. Let's face it, any schmoe can publish any kind of dreck they want, no matter how bad. But you can also self-publish really good stuff! Publishers do not pick up authors based on quality. They picl them up based on saleability. Is there a market for what you've written? If so, you'll get picked up at some point, even if it takes a few years.