Is writing the new “it” career?

April 6th, 2010

I’m a little peeved, needless to say thank goodness for my site because now I have an outlet to share my frustrations. I digress, is it just me or does it seem like everyone and their grandpa Joe is a writer these days?

Over the past few months i’ve noticed that the number of people claiming to be writers has increased tenfold. This led me to question if becoming a writer is the new “it” career of our time? Long ago it was an actor or singer or lawyer but never have I remembered seeing so many “writers.”

Is it technology that makes it so easy to dictate what you deem as your career? Think about it… the number of people with blogs is absolutely ridiculous. Now before you go ahead and say I’m being hypocritical know this- I do have a blog however, I also have a REAL website dedicated to showcasing my work and projects of the past and present.

Let’s be perfectly honest with one another. If you just picked up a pen that doesn’t make you a writer. People use pens in offices and schools worldwide and majority of them aren’t writers.

Writing is more than just a slash to add to the list of things you do. Writing should be who you are. It should engulf your passion, your words should be your paintbrush to paint vivid images into your readers minds.

Having someone claim to be a writer is like someone claiming to be a singer but all their tracks are auto-tune.

I knew I wanted to be a writer from a very young age. It’s truly my passion and what I truly spend my time focusing on. I am prepared to deal with the harsh realities that is the publishing world and the declining book market because I truly love what I do.

So do me a favor please- stop insulting those of us who truly work our asses off to earn the title of writer. If you want to write by all means do it-just not at the expense of lowering our standards of work.

Xoxo

Elle

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1 Comments

itsthewhiz, April 11, 2010:

Just because someone claims to be something, doesn’t mean they really do it in a professional capacity. I think what you’re observing is more people “openly aspiring” to become things they aren’t necessarily skilled enough to do. The internet plays two important roles in why we are seeing a surge in the number of people aspiring to become bloggers, writers, musicians, designers, and other careers which normally would require a degree/diploma and the necessary skill & experience.

First off, the internet has provided the average person with more examples of how a professional presents themselves, and how they conduct their daily business. Secondly, the internet gives us more access as to what people are thinking, saying, and doing. People may think perhaps that since they type more frequently and express themselves via social media and other online activities – they are improving a skill that they think is sufficient enough to become a journalist, blogger, public relations person etc. (and we know that in 90% of cases its simply not true).

I am not entirely discouraged or frustrated by this phenomenon, because at least people are becoming increasingly aware that they can still become masters of language and expression. There’s nothing wrong with more people getting into writing, as long as they do it responsibly, and take the necessary time to become better at it. If they think its an easy alternative to some other career, they only stand to clog up an already oversaturated industry. Writers are making nowhere near as much money as in the past few decades, because of the death of print (magazines, newspapers, book stores losing sales and closing up shop).

Any how, good article & topic. As you can see it has brought the eloquent side out of me… I always enjoyed and loved writing as a way to put my thoughts on paper, but I never aspired to it because I’ve always focused on other talents & interests. I’d say I’m pretty confident in writing, and I do have intentions to blog and write articles, but not because I aspire to be a writer. It’s because quite frankly, a lot of the stuff I tend to write down is important for others to hear – and writing simply goes hand in hand with my other career activities. Some people need to learn how to harness their voice, instead of just writing because its easy to do in this ‘online’ era…

Whiz

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itsthewhiz, April 11, 2010:

Just because someone claims to be something, doesn’t mean they really do it in a professional capacity. I think what you’re observing is more people “openly aspiring” to become things they aren’t necessarily skilled enough to do. The internet plays two important roles in why we are seeing a surge in the number of people aspiring to become bloggers, writers, musicians, designers, and other careers which normally would require a degree/diploma and the necessary skill & experience.

First off, the internet has provided the average person with more examples of how a professional presents themselves, and how they conduct their daily business. Secondly, the internet gives us more access as to what people are thinking, saying, and doing. People may think perhaps that since they type more frequently and express themselves via social media and other online activities – they are improving a skill that they think is sufficient enough to become a journalist, blogger, public relations person etc. (and we know that in 90% of cases its simply not true).

I am not entirely discouraged or frustrated by this phenomenon, because at least people are becoming increasingly aware that they can still become masters of language and expression. There’s nothing wrong with more people getting into writing, as long as they do it responsibly, and take the necessary time to become better at it. If they think its an easy alternative to some other career, they only stand to clog up an already oversaturated industry. Writers are making nowhere near as much money as in the past few decades, because of the death of print (magazines, newspapers, book stores losing sales and closing up shop).

Any how, good article & topic. As you can see it has brought the eloquent side out of me… I always enjoyed and loved writing as a way to put my thoughts on paper, but I never aspired to it because I’ve always focused on other talents & interests. I’d say I’m pretty confident in writing, and I do have intentions to blog and write articles, but not because I aspire to be a writer. It’s because quite frankly, a lot of the stuff I tend to write down is important for others to hear – and writing simply goes hand in hand with my other career activities. Some people need to learn how to harness their voice, instead of just writing because its easy to do in this ‘online’ era…

Whiz

Is writing the new “it” career?

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