What is your writing style?
When I was in high school, pondering future career choices, I didn't consider becoming a writer. To me, a writer was someone who wrote fiction books or worked at a newspaper. It was only years later, when I started exploring the possibility of supplementing my income with writing work that I discovered the full scope of opportunities open to someone who can craft a good sentence. Although I dream of winning a Pulitzer, or breaking a story as a hard nosed investigative journalist, these goals are unlikely to ever bear fruit because it's not where my talents lie.
There are as many types of writing careers as there are styles of writing, and finding which niche fits your individual creativity can be the difference between excelling and failing to turn writing into a prodigious career. Most writers will have a style that comes more naturally than others, and this style in turn will lend itself to a particular type of client or publication. Perhaps your voice is edgy and irreverent, able to incise articles biting social commentary. Or maybe you can wax lyrical about even the dullest topics, which gives you an edge in copywriting? Although it is true that writing is a skill, and you should invest time and energy into honing your ability to tackle a variety of projects, understanding where your natural ability gives you a competitive edge can not only increase your workload, but can also make your writing career more rewarding.
Dana Prince wrote a great article about this over at Get Paid To Write, focusing on not just finding our voices as writers but also how what we wear can affect how we relate to clients and our projects. "What does it matter what I wear? I work from home!" I hear many of your cry. However, many psychological studies have shown that how we dress does indeedaffect our professional mindset, even if no one else sees us. Although I have to admit to indulging in the odd day of typing away at my keyboard in my flannel pajama bottoms and oversized sweater, I definitely get more work done when I put on my black slacks and white shirt. I immediately feel like there is a more formal structure to my day. But then, on the scale of buttoned up to buttoned down, I am smack in the middle and my choice of which projects I accept reflects this. I neither write edgy, witty copy like these guys nor project myself as a 9-5 copywriter with dedicated office and fax line writing taglines for corporate brochures. I need a balance in my workload in order to not feel stuck in a rut.
It is a well known theory that how you think of yourself can affect how others see you. So the next time you get up and get dressed for work, or revamp the copy on your own website or resume, consider the kind of writer you want to be, and the kind of clients that you want and focus on bringing the two together.
