Writer and Author

Career Overview

Writers create written content for books, magazines, newspapers, advertisements, songs, scripts, blogs, or an other source of information.

Education

A college degree in English, communications, or journalism is generally required for a full-time position as a writer or author. Experience gained through internships or any writing that improves skill, such as blogging, is beneficial.

Future Outlook

Employment of writers and authors is projected to decline 2 percent from 2019 to 2029. Many news outlets, including digital outlets, are downsizing, offering fewer opportunities for writers and authors. Additionally, employment of writers and authors in newspaper, book, periodical, and directory publishers is expected to decline as the industry consolidates and shrinks and as more people access the information they need online.

Work Environment

Writers and authors may work anywhere they have access to a computer. Many writers and authors are self-employed.

Recommended High School Courses

Journalism
Psychology
Math
Art
Communication
Take as many college-prep courses as possible!
History
Marketing
Foreign Languages
English
Anthropology

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Write material for artistic or entertainment purposes.
Edit written materials.
Determine presentation subjects or content.
Discuss production content and progress with others.
Conduct research to inform art, designs, or other work.
Coordinate artistic activities.
Obtain copyrights or other legal permissions.
Promote products, activities, or organizations.
Collaborate with others to prepare or perform artistic productions.
Train others on work processes.

Schools

Academy Of Art University

Adelphi University

Agnes Scott College

Alaska Christian College-...

Alaska Pacific University

Alfred University

American University

Amherst College

Angelo State University

Antioch College

Appalachian State Univers...

Arcadia University

Arizona State University

Asbury University

Auburn University

Austin Community College...

Ball State University

Barnard College

Baylor University

Beloit College

Bemidji State University

Berea College

Bethel University (indian...

Bluefield College

Bob Jones University

Boise State University

Boston University

Bowdoin College

Bowling Green State Unive...

Bradley University

Brandeis University

Brescia University

Brown University

Bryn Mawr College

Bucknell University

Butler University

California Institute Of T...

California University- Pe...

Carlow University

Central Christian College...

Coe College

Colby College

Colgate University

College Of The Atlantic

College Of The Holy Cross

College Of William And Ma...

Columbia University - Ny...

Corban University

Cornell College

Denison University

Depaul University

Desales University

Dickinson College

Dominican University

Dominican University Of C...

Drew University

Drexel University

Duke University

East Carolina University

Eastern Illinois Universi...

Eastern Oregon University

Eastern Washington Univer...

Eckerd College

Elizabethtown College

Elon University

Emerson College

Everett Community College

Fairfield University

Fairleigh Dickinson Unive...

Fayetteville State Univer...

Ferris State University

Flagler College

Florida Atlantic Universi...

Florida International Uni...

Florida State University

Franklin And Marshall Col...

Full Sail University

Georgetown College

Georgia College And State...

Goddard College

Goucher College

Hamilton College

Hamline University

Hampshire College

Hanover College

Harvard University

Haverford College

Hendrix College

Hiram College

Hobart And William Smith...

Hollins University

Illinois Wesleyan Univers...

Ithaca College

Judson College

Kentucky State University

Kenyon College

Lake Forest College

Lakeland University

Lawrence University

Lesley University

Lewis And Clark State Col...

Linfield College

Macalester College

Malone University

Manhattanville College

Marlboro College

Marymount Manhattan Colle...

Mcneese State University

Miami University - Oxford...

Middlebury College

Mills College

Millsaps College

Minneapolis College Of Ar...

Minneapolis Community And...

Minnesota State Universit...

Monmouth University

Montclair State Universit...

Mount Mercy University

Muhlenberg College

National Louis University

New Mexico State Universi...

North Central University

Northern Arizona Universi...

Occidental College

Ohio Northern University

Ohio State University- Li...

Ohio State University- Ma...

Our Lady Of The Lake Univ...

Pennsylvania State Univer...

Point Park University

Pomona College

Portland State University

Pratt Institute

Prescott College

Princeton University

Queens University- Charlo...

Randolph College

Randolph-macon College

Rice University

Ringling College Of Art A...

Saint Joseph's College -...

Saint Joseph's University

Saint Mary's College Of C...

Salem College

Salve Regina University

San Diego Christian Colle...

Sarah Lawrence College

Savannah College Of Art A...

Scripps College

Siena Heights University

Simmons University

Smith College

Sonoma State University

Southeastern University

Southern New Hampshire Un...

St. Lawrence University

Stephen F. Austin State U...

Stephens College

Stetson University

Suffolk County Community...

Suny Adirondack

Suny At Brockport

Suny At Potsdam

Suny At Purchase

Suny Finger Lakes Communi...

Suny Jefferson Community...

Suny Monroe Community Col...

Suny Plattsburgh

Suny Tompkins Cortland Co...

Susquehanna University

Sweet Briar College

The New School- Nyc Campu...

The University Of The Sou...

Union University

University Of California-...

University Of Central Ark...

University Of Chicago

University Of La Verne

University Of Maine- Fort...

University Of Mary Washin...

University Of Maryland -...

University Of Massachuset...

University Of Minnesota-...

University Of Missouri- K...

University Of Missouri- S...

University Of Nebraska- K...

University Of New Orleans

University Of North Carol...

University Of Pennsylvani...

University Of Redlands

University Of South Dakot...

University Of Southern Ca...

University Of Southern Mi...

University Of The Arts

University Of West Florid...

University Of Wisconsin-...

University Of Wyoming

Upper Iowa University

Vanderbilt University

Wake Forest University

Waldorf University

Wells College

Wesleyan University

Western Kentucky Universi...

Western New England Unive...

Wheaton College- Massachu...

Whittier College

Wichita State University

Wilkes University

Williams College

Wofford College

Yale University

Youngstown State Universi...

Bishop's University

Capilano University- M...

Dalhousie University

Douglas College- New W...

Humber College- Lakesh...

Kwantlen Polytechnic I...

Kwantlen Polytechnic U...

Langara College

Memorial University

Ocad University

Providence College And...

Redeemer University Co...

Toronto Film School

Trent University- Durh...

Trinity Western Univer...

Tyndale University

University Of Alberta-...

University Of Moncton

University Of Regina

Crandall University

Potential Scholarships

5 Strong Scholarship

Agnes M. Lindsay Scholars...

Approx Salary Expectation

Currency:

Low End:

$33,660.00 /yr

Avg/Med:

$63,200.00 /yr

High End:

$122,450.00 /yr

Related Careers

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Audio/Video Technician

Musicians and Singers

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.