Creative writing is not meant for everyone because it is a form of art. And all of us know that a career in arts doesn’t have the easiest path to success. However, if you are passionate about creative writing and want to share your knowledge with someone, you are welcome to go ahead.
A career in teaching creative writing takes a lot of dedication, spirit and hard work. At times you may have to take some huge financial risks because you may have to wait for a long time for that big break.
Fortunately, your student list is not limited to journalists and novelists. These days there is an explosion of writers. Some of these writers write their own books and most of these writers write for other people, i.e. they engage in ghost writing. And when you look at the quality of the stuff that these writers churn out, you may feel that sudden urge to confront them and tell them that there are better ways for them to express their ideas.
Given below are five career choices you have in teaching creative writing. Take up one or more of them and you should be doing well for yourself.
Screenwriter
A screenwriter is someone who converts a book into a movie. It’s not an easy job because it requires extensive skills to convert normal sentences into dialogues. There is a lot of editing that needs to be done and this also requires expertise. These are skills you can teach to a lot of aspiring screenwriters.
Songwriter
Do you know that many singers and music directors have songs written for them? One name that comes to mind is Babyface. Song writing is a lucrative career because no Bollywood movie is complete without song and dance routines.
Writing coach
A writing coach is someone that coaches aspiring writers. Since this role could involve all forms of writing, you may want to identify your niches and coach writers that want to make it big in the writing space.
Creative writing consultant
As the name suggests, this role is that of a consultant. It is somewhat similar to the role of a writing coach, but here you may not engage in actual training. You will work as a consultant. You will go through manuscripts and offer your opinion on their quality.
Legacy writer
A legacy writer is someone that writes bios and family histories. Every celebrity wants to have their bio written. And for this they hire professional writers. The market for this form of writing is huge and you can easily coach aspiring legacy writers.
Remember that teaching creative writing is an entrepreneurial journey. You need the same drive, risk taking ability and aggression to drive your business forward. And since we are talking about arts here, you better be a good writer. Build your credentials in the market and a successful career wouldn’t be hard to come by.
Image credit: US Department of Education on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Profile_Pic_Moumita.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Moumita Goswami is a full-time homemaker and a passionate writer. She stays in Pune with her husband and daughter. After giving up working, she started writing about five years ago and can now be seen using her computer keyboard almost all the time. An MA in Psychology from Calcutta University, Moumita has spent time in Kolkata, Delhi and now Pune. For Moumita, writing started as a sudden chance but she soon discovered her likeness for it. And now she has developed a passion for writing and hardly any day passes without her scribbling a few lines. She dreams of publishing her own book one day and is working towards it.
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