Types of writers – Part II
by Marsha Maung
Sept 28th 2008
This is a continuation from my earlier article on types of writers…as mentioned, there are many, too many, types of writers in the market today and it is considered essential for a writer, be it freelance or full-time, to focus on a topic or type/style of writing. The writing industry is indeed a very simple, yet complicated, one.
This-is-what-I-think writers – Critical Writers albeit reviewers and critics
To tell you the truth, being a Critical Writer is one of the best jobs in the world! You often get free stuff, you get to say (write) what you really feel when you’re writing (as opposed to feeling an obligation to veil the obviously negative and uplift the hidden positive points of products, services and companies).
The time spent on reviewing is often short and the payoff definitely better than many other forms of typical internet writers (like me). Most journalists and website writers double-up as critical writers – in fact, in today’s modern world, bloggers are considered one of the most important critical writers in the world because of the brutal honesty that they’re capable (and is expected) of (them).
This is an acknowledged fact…people believe what appears in blogs more than what appears in newspapers and magazines these days.
Down-to-earth writers – non-fiction writers
Most of the non-fiction writers in the world today start off in the fiction writing world; perhaps because when one focuses on fiction writing, it’s harder to find a footing, these writers move on to become non-fiction writers.
Most of the stuff non-fiction writers do is stuff like memoirs, short stories, essays and anecdotes. Frankly speaking, it’s not very fun (for me) to produce non-fiction materials but I know of some non-fiction writers are apparently born for this genre! So, if you’re a more fact than fiction person, you might find yourself enjoying a life writing, panning out, and selling non-fiction materials to magazines, newspapers and popular websites. Speech-writing and travel article writing falls under the ambit of non-fiction writing too.
Up-in-The-Sky Writers – Fiction Writers
Anyone would automatically assume that it’s the most fun being a fiction writer, but let me assure you that fiction writers have the hardest time when they come nose-to-nose with writers’ block!
Fiction or creative writers feed on creativity and inspiration. The creative juices need to flow like the River Nile as these writers sit down behind their computers churning out the words – if inspiration is negative, steer clear!
Therefore, patience is the key with fiction writers. You just can’t rush creativity – otherwise, whatever comes out is just gonna be a load of %^#%$! When the words DO FLOW, fiction writers often have a hard time stopping.
There is a slight overlap between a fiction writer, poetry writer and a ghost writer. It’s not uncommon to find a fiction writer falling in love with the materials that they produce so much so that persist with producing a series of screenplays and books.
The invisible writer – Ghost writers
The authors don’t say a word about it and if word leaks out, someone’s head is going to be on the guillotine for it! Ghost writers are people hired for novels or books because the author, although have the knowledge (or storyline), does not have the capacity or time to sit down to pen out every single word that is to appear in the book.
Hence, a trustworthy ghost writer is hired to do the task. The author of the book will hand down all ideas and information to the ghost writer – this way, the ghost writer will put in all the meat to the skeleton and some months down the road…we have a book!
Will you marry (give me money) me writers – Proposal writers
Writing grants, personally, feels more like writing an obituary piece than actual writing. Many businesses hire proposal writers to make their proposals more attractive to an investor.
Now, proposal writing is tricky business because the writer needs to discover and learn as much as possible about the facts and figures of the business (in fact, the whole industry) before they can write the proposal. Freelance writers who are not within the same locality are not very popular choices because; one, meeting up will be a problem, and two, it’s hard to trust someone with sensitive insider information when you’re not even sure the person isn’t a serial killer!
As you can, there are many types of writers in the market today – and despite the world being filled with many of them, there’s still room for more! I’m not even done with the list of writers that I have first come up with, so, this is only ¾ of the story told.
In another article installment, I’ll finish it up and hope that you have a better understanding of what kind of writer you have to hire and also if you’re looking to be a writer, you’ll explore the industry and specific area that you want to focus on.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marsha Maung is a Malaysian-based freelance writer with two kids. She spends her time ferrying her kids around, watering her plants, writing web content, SEO stuff, ghostwriting books and also indulges in the occasional Facebook-ing. Visit her blog for more dirty details on the life and times of a mother, writer, designer, housekeeper, coffee-maker, poop-wiper, chef...and just about everything else under the sun.
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<b>Marsha Maung</b> is a Malaysian-based <a href="http://www.marshamaung.com" target="_blank">freelance writer</a> with two kids. She spends her time ferrying her kids around, watering her plants, writing web content, SEO stuff, ghostwriting books and also indulges in the occasional Facebook-ing. Visit her <a href="http://www.marshamaung.blogspot.com" target="_blank">blog</a> for more dirty details on the life and times of a mother, writer, designer, housekeeper, coffee-maker, poop-wiper, chef...and just about everything else under the sun.
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