Part Four - The Work of Professional Writing
Summary
Being a professional writer means not just being a writer, but behaving as a professional. In other words, the writing is necessary, but it isn't sufficient. You must also be a businessperson as well— and if you intend to freelance, you must go still further and become an entrepreneur.
But even if you have a stable job as a writer at a large media corporation, such as a television network, you still need to keep records of your expenses, pay your taxes, stay updated on your tools and market yourself to potential future employers. If you choose to be self- employed you need to understand that you are running a business, with all that entails, including licensing, bookkeeping, employee tax withholding— and most of all, billing. Fail at this work and it won't matter how good a writer you are.
In this final section we look at the details of the work of a professional writer, from the “finishing” work of editing, to the business work of pitching ideas and invoicing and, finally, to the life's work of creating a happy and successful career.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Craft of Professional WritingA Guide for Amateur and Professional Writers, pp. 275 - 276Publisher: Anthem PressPrint publication year: 2018