The Kind of Writing Job You Apply For Or Shoot For Depends on the Kind of Person You Are

There are two main categories of writing jobs in the literary market. You have technical writing jobs and creative writing jobs. There are editing writing jobs which fall under the technical category, and freelance writing jobs which usually fall under the creative category. So the question is, which one is better? There are pros and cons for both types, so let's figure out what those are.

Technical writing jobs are boring, are they not? You're stuck with writing manuals or editing someone else's work, and you need to follow a schedule. You have to finish that manual by a certain deadline, and manual writing can be one of the most tedious and monotonous writing jobs available. So if you can hardly spend the time reading manuals, you might not want to look into writing them for a living! Editing other people's work might only make you envious of how much better off a writer you are and yet they're the ones getting published. You might feel jealous the entire time you're editing their work and this not only affects your work, but it affects your overall mood. Who wants to spend their days feeling jealous for someone else's job?

On the other hand, writing manuals is a consistent and stable job. There is a sure paycheck at the end of the job and you don't have to worry about whether or not that manual is successful. Maybe it's read by some people, maybe it isn't. There is much less pressure to go along with it. People don't really care how well written it is, as long as they can understand it. There is a little pressure in making sure that it's all easy to understand. That is the point of those manuals: helping people understand the product. So if you don't get that message across clearly, you might be looking for another job soon. But there is a stable income that comes from technical writing job, and you only work until closing time. Once you're done for the day, you don't have to continue working through the night, unless you don't think you'll make your deadline. Other than the pressure to complete on time, you have no need to think about your work when you're home. It is done and you can sit back and relax.

The positive side to editing is similar. You have a sure paycheck regardless of how well the book sells, and you don't have to spend your creative juices working out a plot and storyline that needs to be a marketable product. You can just edit someone else's work and let the author and publishing company worry about that. You're just there to fix any spelling errors they made in the process. As long as you catch everything, you still have a job and a stable paycheck.

For the creative writing jobs, the first downside is the lack of a stable income. Creative writers have a constantly fluctuating income that won't create even the least bit of stability until they're in the "rich and famous" category. Until then, they're scraping by to make ends meet. They have to work on odd jobs to pay their rent and put food on the table while they pursue their dream career. There is a much bigger risk involved in creative writing jobs.

However, there is much more appeal to these jobs because of the reward that comes off a finished product as well as the freedom that goes along with it. Creative writers are free to write about whatever they want. Well, that is unless the publisher has a specific topic in mind. Publishers don't have to publish the book, so creative authors often will have to listen to the feedback and criticism they get from the publishers. However, there is still quite a great deal of freedom in what they write.

There is also a lot more pressure on creative writers. They have to produce great quality material that will sell. If it doesn't sell, they don't get paid. But if it does sell, then they reap a huge reward. Their sacrifice pays off. It is this payoff that gets publicized and the world of future authors bears witness to it. These success stories inspire many students to take up writing. They want to be like JK Rowling or Stephanie Meyer. They want to be a famous author who creates a new world for so many people to get excited over. These jobs are nearly impossible to obtain, but if you get there, then you're on top of the world! That is why so many aim for it and hope to get it.

The kind of writing job you apply for or shoot for depends on the kind of person you are. If you're really creative, then it'd be hard for you to take on a technical writing job. You won't enjoy it, even if you are capable and qualified for the job. If you aren't creative, on the other hand, and have a knack for grammar and spelling, definitions and sentence structure, then creative writing will only leave you perpetually stumped. So you're better suited for a technical position.

Conclusively, it is all a matter of preference. If you like to be creative and feel you have a knack for creating fictional stories and characters, then take a crack at it. Post stories online and see how people respond to them. If you like to correct other people and you like order in everything you read, then try editing some author's work, or try writing a manual for an upcoming product and see how it feels. It might be perfect for you. So there isn't really a better or worse profession on the whole-it's all relative. You need to explore both options and discover that for yourself.