Qualifications Needed to be a Writer

If you were to type into your favorite search engine ‘What qualifications do I need to be a published writer,’ it’s going to spew a bunch of phrases at you such as:

• A college degree in English, Communications, or Journalism
• Excellent written communication skills.
• Excellent verbal communication skills
• Ambition and a desire to succeed

Whilke the ability to read and write is helpful in some capacity

Of this list, you only need one of the items on it:

Ambition and a desire to succeed.

Writing is not a job that is for the faint of heart, heck I would even say writing as a hobby isn’t for the weak-skinned. There are sometimes no critics worse than those in the comment sections of a fanfiction posted in jest to a Tumblr page that doesn’t agree with your ship. As a high school writer dabbling in some Harry Potter Fanfic writing, I found this out the hard way.

(Just becuase my ship wasn't canon doesn't mean it was 'utter rubbish' PotterLover493)

Writers need to know how to take criticism, outline and rememeber hundreds of facts about our novels and create worlds from nothing but our imaginations.

A degree is not needed to become a writer especially not a Creative Writing degree. Your money would be better spent on a degree you’ll actually use.

As for these other points, writing skills can be taught, and writers spend more time holed up and awkwardly hunched over notebooks and keyboards to have to worry about verbal communication skills.

My partner often asked me if I’m sure I’m a writer because sometimes he doesn’t understand a word I trying to say. Words are hard dang it and after having to think of so many during the day, my brain doesn’t want to do the work and speak after a certain time of day.

Despite what many may try to tell you, Creative Writing can be taught and most of the time it can be learned for free.

There are thousands of resources available online to learn the craft of writing as well as plenty of resources available for free from your local library.

The best way to learn Creative Writing is through that in which you wish to create.

Books.

Your mind will be taking in all sorts of information as you read your way through any number of stories in any form or genre you care to read. Even fan fiction is a wonderful place to see how other writers take an already existing world and craft it into something entirely different.

Writing fanfiction is a great way to practice your writing skills as well, you don't have to come up with an entirely new idea or characters you have to name. Just drop them into a new situation and practice your dialogue and pacing.

A writer is a writer as long as they write, you can't very well be a pilot if you've never stepped foot in a plane before.

Read as much as you can and write as much as you can.

That’s all you need to be a writer.

A desire to write, a place to write, and a willingness to learn the tricks of the trade will be enough to get you started and will keep you going.

Keep writing, and you've already qualified to be a writer.

B.K. xo

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