Launch your writing career with these 7 steps and get answers to the top questions aspiring writers are asking about their career prospects. 

By Julie Tyler Ruiz

Contents:

• How to become a professional writer: 7 steps
• Additional strategies for launching your writing career
• Frequently asked questions (FAQ) 

How to become a professional writer: 7 steps

Professional writing is a diverse and competitive field, with many opportunities to make a living doing what you love. There are many paths you could take. Some people start in another career and then transition into writing, while others train for a writing career from the start and then upgrade their skills, job titles, and income over time. 

For more background on what it means to write professionally, including essential skills, industry trends, and career paths, read my article, "Your 2024 Quick Guide to Professional Writing." 

Let's explore the main steps for launching a writing...

Get your start in professional writing or advance your writing career with this 2024 quick guide!

By Julie Tyler Ruiz

Contents:

• What is professional writing?

• What are the genres of professional writing?

• What is a professional writer?

• What sets professional writers apart? 

• Writing professionally: what to know in 2024

What is professional writing? 

Professional writing refers to any type of writing that you compose in the professional world to earn a living. As we'll explore in more depth below, professional writing encompasses a broad range of content for academic, business, and creative purposes. 

To be effective, a piece of professional writing should do the following: 

• Meet the needs of a specific audience. 
• Exhibit clarity and credibility. 
• Inspire action, effect change, or enable specific outcomes. 

What are the genres of professional writing? 

Professional writing comes in many forms. In...

Discover what it means to write creatively and the best methods for actually doing it. 

By Julie Tyler Ruiz

What does it mean to write creatively?

Writing creatively is the act of turning your original ideas into a written piece, a unique reading experience that will inspire your audience. 

Unlike professional or academic writing, writing in a creative way means you use a special set of techniques and styles to infuse your work with emotional texture, innovative use of language, surprising forms, and aesthetic qualities. 

Let's look at a comparison example:

• A legal textbook: a piece of academic writing that defines laws in a straightforward manner, describes historical cases pertaining to those laws. By studying a legal textbook, students gain an understanding of laws to uphold them in their practice.
• A legal thriller: a work of fiction that tells a story about someone wrongly accused of a crime. To write the novel, the author...