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Writing as a career

Writing is my passion

By Diani AlvarengaPublished about a year ago 3 min read
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Writing as a career
Photo by Firmbee.com on Unsplash

It took some time for me to realize that my vocation is writing. If I did not realize back then that a career in anthropology would not make me feel complete, I would have never changed my major. When I applied at North Central College I was certain that my major should be creative writing. I told myself that I would not slack off and focus on my writing career. I feel that because I had this whole misconception that I would have to write every single day to be considered a writer, then I was not meant for it, however, this is not true. Writing does not need to be rushed, it is okay to stop and think about what your next article or poem should be about.

According to Indeed, some of the popular jobs that involve creative writing are English teaching, journalism, author, and freelance writer. Personally, for me, I consider myself to be a writer without working for anyone. In the meantime, I am writing articles online. I have been writing articles on Vocal, and other platforms for quite a while now.

One of the goals for my writing career that I had was that I wanted my articles to be published. I started to write articles on Vocal Media which allows writers to submit stories about anything they want; it can be poetry, book reviews, life experiences, advice, and so much more. The first time I submitted an article was back in 2019, and it got rejected. I decided to join again and I am happy to say that all the articles I have written have been approved and published. I thought been a writer meant being famous, that was another thing that set me back a little bit because I am interested in being known, but I have no interest in being on TV to be interviewed about the work I write about. I had this sense of relief when I learned that people could write stories and have their books or articles published but still be private; it is what I aim for, to be a successful writer without the need to be famous.

To be successful in the career you aim for, you must talk to people who are successful in the same career. It does not have to be that you talk to them directly, but you can look up stories about them and how they achieved their goals. For me, I look at the work of other online writers to be able to understand how I can improve my writing. I also read books that allow me to expand my vocabulary or allow me to see different viewpoints on certain topics. In five years, I hope I can grow a lot in the Vocal platform as a writer. I see myself writing for Vocal because I can write about whatever I want. Money is important to me, so I will have a job on the side, but also Vocal pays writers based on how many views they get. I share my writings with people who are fully supportive of me. Right now, I am taking a course on poetry; apart from writing articles, I do like writing poetry, even though my poetry is nothing like Shakespeare. I would describe my poetry as being vulnerable. When I write poetry, my feelings are obvious. Apart from writing for Vocal, I also have an internship in which I write about things that involve space. I was so proud of myself because I realized that writing involves doing research and I did not have to be a science major to be part of an organization that focuses on exoplanets and space.

Creative writing does not need a degree, however for me, I feel that being at North Central has given me the opportunity to learn about the distinct types of writing.

My dream is to work for an online or print magazine and share what I learned with the world.

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About the Creator

Diani Alvarenga

“I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I'm afraid of.”

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Comments (3)

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  • Mike Singleton - Mikeydredabout a year ago

    Lots of great pointers in here. I am far too indisciolined to be a real writer but I hope you find what you are looking for.

  • KJ Aartilaabout a year ago

    Excellent points! And I applaud you for working toward achieving your goals in a clear and methodical way - and that a degree is not magic, bug can be helpful with effort! :) Good job!

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