After completing a degree in English, specializing in Journalism I found it hard to find paying work as a journalist. The work I did was mainly free-lance and was few and far between. As a result, I turned my skills to creative writing or constructing prose and poetry instead. The problem is there is little to no money in the field unless you are Geoffrey Chaucer or William Shakespeare whom would also, undoubtedly, be poverty-stricken, in today’s age where Mills and Boons and Harry Potter are the art of the new age. In fact I have made only $5 and won one iPod in 4 years of writing.
This is not to say that creative writing is not rewarding in its own right. It is also not impossible to make some money off of your work – normally, though, one must go the self publishing route. There are many companies on the internet such as LULU who can assist you with this, but in order to sell you need to market – and that costs money, so the old adage is true – you need money to make money.
However, the poet and creative writer is not in his or her vocation for the money. He or she is an artist, and hopefully constructs art for art sake – for that is exactly what creative writing is – art. It contains imagery, rhyme, symmetry, rhythm and is normally beautiful or thought-provoking to read. The only difference between a painting and a poem is the medium – a pen verses an easel.
So, for any of you aspiring creative writers out there, do not give up the ghost – there is light at the end of the tunnel, there are many online poetry competitions or creative writing competitions to enter, just Google it and you’ll see.
Some advice from me, a finalist at the 2004 ISP (International Society of Poets) Poetry Competition is the following: Make sure you have something to say – do not just rhyme for rhyme sake, study the classics – Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Pope – decide what medium you are going to write in – open verse, sonnet, rhyming couplets – pay attention to the rhythm of your work – read it aloud – and last but definitely not least write from your heart, get inspired however you can – listen to music sing, read a book watch a movie but be inspired.
So to end with a bang I will end with a quote: “To be creative is divine’ (Osho). For, God is after all the master creator.”
Till next time, good luck and good writing.
Immobilienmakler Heidelberg Makler HeidelbergSource by Graeme Wesley Rossouw