Dear Dish-it,
My dream is to be a journalist or a writer - someone who inspires young kids to follow their dream and grow up knowing they're not alone. But when I put my poetry, songs and short stories on Tumblr and Wattpad, no one downloaded them. I feel like I can't achieve my dream because I can't grab society's attention with my writing. What do I do?
Writer
Dear Writer,
Don't be so hard on yourself. Becoming a writer doesn't happen overnight. It takes hard work, dedication, education and time just like any other career.
Study Writing
It's one thing to be a good writer, and it's another to be educated as a writer. If you're hoping to get a job as either a writer or journalist, you'll need to study one of the two in university. This will allow you to become an even better writer and learn all the many types of writing careers available, such as journalism, web writing, fiction writing, technical writing, or perhaps, since you're interested in inspiring youth, a speech writer for youth-focused motivational organizations.
Write For the School Newspaper
Before you get to university, there are other things you can do to be heard. The first is to join your school newspaper. You should always write what you know, so find a topic you know a lot about - sports, clubs, community news, gossip, advice - and offer to write a column. This journalism experience will look good on your college application.
Start a Blog
The second way to get your voice out there is to create your own blog. They're so easy to do nowadays, and best of all, they're free. Use social media, like Facebook, Twitter, etc, to advertise and link to your blog. This is a great way to write about whatever you want in any format you want and get society's attention.
Join Writing Groups
Lastly, most communities have an arts center where they host writing groups. Call or check your city's website for specific details. Joining writing groups lets you meet like-minded people, gives you the opportunity to share your writing and receive helpful feedback for free (unlike university), and allows you to network (make business connections) in the writing community. Networking is one of the best ways to get your voice out there because a lot of times who you know will lead you to a job you want.
Have Your Say
Do you have any advice for Writer? Tell us in our comment section below!
