Introduction to Professional Creative Writing, Part 1: Getting the Work Done

So, I've had a few people at school express interest in making money as creative writers. Some of them asked me specifically for information; some of them simply expressed their interest during general conversation in my vicinity, so I offered my encouragement that it is, in fact, possible to earn a living by writing.

Now, these interactions got me to thinking, "Y'know, I've done enough research into this topic that I guess I am qualified to give advice -- or at least point folks in the right direction."

I'll admit I feel a bit weird offering advice on how to earn a living as a writer when I haven't exactly made a buck at this myself, but I am confident in the advice of other, successful writers I've read and listened to for years now.

So, here I am, presenting the advice of wiser men and women for your digestion:



Today, it's all about getting the work done. You can't make money by selling a product that doesn't exist. (Okay, I'm sure you can, but let's not talk about that right now.) There's far more to say about this than I can fit into a single blog post -- even with the majority of my information being presented through links. But hopefully this'll be enough to get you started.

You'll notice that (for now), the majority (all) of my resources come from the Writing Excuses podcast. If you haven't listened to Writing Excuses yet, you need to. They have an easily-digestible style that makes it feel like you're in the room listening to friends have a chat.

This selection of episodes from the 'cast talk about the simple act of getting the writing writ. They've talked about a variety of topics, from the mechanics of writing to the business of writing to the various forms of writing, so if you like what you listen to here, head over to their site and browse through some of the topics. In the meantime, I'll try to update this page with some more resources as I find them throughout the coming weeks.

Writing Excuses - Season 5, Episode 27: Perseverance

Writing Excuses - Season 1, Episode 16: Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard
Writing Excuses - Season 1, Episode 17: This Sucks and I'm a Horrible Writer

Writing Excuses - Season 2, Episode 14: Writing Habits

Writing Excuses - Season 4, Episode 34: Q&A at Dragons & Fairy Tales

Leave any comments or questions below.

Until next time...
-josh k.

UPDATE! (27 October 2011)

As you know, this is part one of a multi-part series. For the next part, go here.