(ThyBlackMan.com) Hey, young world. So, you want to be a writer? Great. Wise decision. Writers are storytellers, truth seekers, wordsmiths, wizards of the world. Everything comes from the spoken and written word, so its vastly important and valuable. Having the skills to pen dopeness on the fly, in any economy or marketplace can land you success in the realm of writing. One of my favorite benefits of being a writer is the freedom it gives you, physically and mentally and creatively. Often times i can create art while getting paid from my bed or from the beach while on vacation. I’ve included in this article FOUR ways my young folks can set themselves up for success as a writer.
One. Always write. And read. Make it a daily habit. Make it a ritual. To be the best or at least successful at anything, it takes consistent repetition. The more you read and write, the easier it’ll be to circumvent writers block and to always have something profound and organic to write about. Even before I become a writer, i was always reading. During my childhood, almost every morning for years, i would run down the stairs and into our gated area of our home and grab the morning paper, The San Francisco Chronicle. In it, I read everything from the sports section to the horoscopes and sometimes id venture off into politics or entertainment. It gave me a well-rounded view on writing and the world. Tip one: always do your craft. Always.
Two. Find your voice. This takes time. And practice. Finding your voice can be the extra nugget that gets you your dream job or assignment, or allows you access and ins to major stories before they happen. There are many, many writers out there. And they are all different. Findinf your voice means being authentic to YOU, not your audience or your employer. There’s a difference in the artistic writing voices of Maya Angelou, Sistah Souljah, Issa Rae. Each has a direct style that makes them, them. Your voice is like the Mac sauce at McDonald’s. Its there to set you apart from all the other good stuff out there. Tip two: find your voice and always be you.
Three. Age cannot hold you back. This isn’t the NBA draft. You dont have to get a degree to be a writer, though it helps and some institutions still make it a requirement to land a job. But the power of the internet and technology absolutely has evened some things out. If you have worked on your craft, have the skills, voice, depth, and consistency, you can start writing and getting paid at almost any age. Again, as long as you are working tip number one non-stop, your skills will rise and your stock will grow. The first time I was ever paid as a writer was in 2000. I was 18 years old and fresh out of high school. I have written for Wikipedia. I have written tv copy, scripts for development, screenplays, books, songs and albums, artist biographies and most recently i was hired to write the autobiography of a very popular San Francisco rap group. Although I don’t technically write full time as a profession, over the years I have made a bulk of my income from the words I put on the page. I didn’t wait until I got a degree or someone gave me permission to elicit freelance gigs. I started at 9 years old writing from the heart and continued day in and day out. 9 years later I got my first check as a writer while still just a teenager. Now here it is more than 18 years later, and I’m still at it. Happily! Tip three: start right now.
Four. Write against your norm. Yup. I said it and mean it. Yes, you should be authentic. Yes, you need to find your voice and stick with it. And with all that said, writing copy on subjects and with styles you are not comfortable with only make you a stronger writer. To use a sports reference: think of playing basketball at 12 against only 12 year old from your neighborhood. You get good. You can beat everyone. But all you do is play against the same talent all the time. You wont advance or excel. Same goes for writing. When I moved to Louisiana i was looking for freelance gigs. At the time i was used to writing strictly entertainment pieces, like short biographies for recording artist. An ad i placed on craigslist elicited a response from a fairly wealthy CEO from California who was looking to get his name and company on Wikipedia. At that point i had a choice: turn down a great gig because i wasn’t comfortable or adapt and write against my norm. Done deal. I took the gig and more importantly learned a valuable lesson on dexterity. Tip four: be flexible with style.
For all my youngin’ out there looking to take a career in writing serious, take note on the tips above to gain a clearer perspective on how to launch and grow from where you are right now. It takes flexibility, consistency, authenticity, and of course, patience.
Staff Writer; Charles Foster Jolivette
This talented young man can also be found over at; The California Creole and also Charles Patreon Page.
