So, every time you pick up a newspaper, magazine, or browse the internet, you are bound to see advertisements, lots and lots of them. Ever wonder who writes all of these catchy ads? The answer is a copywriter. Writing copy for a client basically means creating the best way, through words, to attract a targeted audience. Many people work from home as freelance copywriters and others work for copy writing or search engine optimization (SEO) companies. This is a career that doesn’t necessarily require fancy college degrees, extensive experience, or a large start up budget. There are necessary skills which will ensure a person’s success in this industry and there are steps you can take to build a lucrative career in copywriting.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Copy Writing (Writing Copy), By Melinda Toynton
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
About Memoir and Personal Essay
You're Writing About What....From Where?—by Derek Pettie
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Advertising by Zack Little
Monday, June 7, 2010
The Ghost and the Subject
Ghostwriting has many advantages over other kinds of writing careers. Ghostwriters get to write about an array of subjects, many of which they normally wouldn't, with people that often lead interesting lives. These are people that are largely inaccessible, sometimes great minds who stand at the precipice of the fields they have achieved notoriety within.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Literary Agency by Jeff Fischer
Friday, June 4, 2010
Music Journalism- By Devan Cook
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Beer Career by Michel Entler
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Copywriting; Every Word Has Its Price by Brittany J. Barron
Recently,
we had a guest speaker in class whose “Real job” is copywriting. To be
perfectly honest, I have never really considered copywriting as a job. I just
assumed that a marketing agency handled any and all advertising elements. How
wrong I was. Our speaker introduced us to her career by explaining that she
works side by side with corporations, as well as smaller mom and pop companies.
She described that she does everything from writing in-house memos for large
corporations, to writing those pesky text messages you provider sends you,
ordering you to, “Upgrade now for unlimited text messages,” and so on and so
forth. Although this part of the speech seemed incredibly unappealing and very
much like, “selling out to the man,” it is just one element of her job.
Wikipedia defines copywriting as, “The use of words to promote a person,
business, opinion, or idea.” This demonstrates the wide range of ways one can
utilize their skills in this type of industry. Just like anything else in life,
this career is what you make it, and you can gear your business to your
capability. Plus, there's money in it!!!!
News Papering-- by N Otis Richerson
Maybe you smoked too many cigarettes when you were in High School You sat around, inside dark rooms with your dork friends watching the sliced onion smoke curl up to the dim fluorescents, talking about how great it must have been back then—all high ideals. Maybe, you like the look of the Fedora; you like the look of the dark trench coats with the belt pulled tight against your sides, with the rain pouring down. Maybe, you’re all grand notions of changing the world through noble questions.
Whether it’s your misguided conceptions of temporary cool or your overwhelming need to know–you crave to write for the daily news. Just how do you go about doing that? In the time of free untrafast Internet news, is it even worth the trouble? What’s the gig? Is there a career in daily news? How do you get into it?
Monday, May 31, 2010
Screenwriting - by Craig Looney
The world just came to an end for 199 students.
To say screenwriting is a difficult industry to break into, is like saying the sun is hot. It doesn’t capture the shear enormity of it. But to say it’s impossible would be incorrect as well, because a new legend is growing.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Book Editing, by Jennifer Anderson
Music Journalism- By Justin Hoyt
For musicians, creating a brand for oneself is the most important factor in becoming a recognized and revered artist; the same goes for music writers. However, the art in music writing is a reaction, a gut feeling everyone gets when they listen to a song is put into words and hopefully understood by the reader. In a clogged market for music writers though, being able to define the way one feels about a song or album isn’t enough; you need to be able to define it quickly in an age where new music spreads across the internet at a stellar pace. It’s kind of petty but seems crucial that music writers know about the next big thing before everyone else does. It lends them credibility and in many cases is what defines a music writer’s career, allowing them to ascend in what is an incredibly competitive field. Take for example Seattle Times music writer Andrew Matson and Seattle hip-hop group Shabazz Palaces. Shabazz Palaces (pictured above) was and still is a relatively unknown hip-hop group from Seattle’s Central District. The group has no MySpace page, and were cloaked in mystery for much of their early existence. Matson was one of the first to publicly write about them and has championed the group ever since, even bestowing them the honor of his “Best Album of 2009”. Recently the group was discovered, in part due to some of his Twitter updates, by Larry Fitzmaurice of the mighty online music site Pitchfork. Matson immediately went to work blogging about blogging. A portion of which is below:
Grant Writing: Making a Difference-By Sara Lindsey
Working Your Skills: What does it take to be a fantastic Grant Writer?
Friday, May 28, 2010
Comics-obsessed Kids Grow Up to be Comics-obsessed Adults, and Others Acquiesce
Yes, I know, it sounds like I was an uptight and pretentious youngster. Well, maybe I was. But after hesitantly dipping my toe into adulthood and discovering that it wasn’t as bad as I had imagined it would be, I was able to loosen up to a more sensible and enjoyable openness. I began to notice that there were comics written on myriad topics. Not only this, but there was this new term that I had never heard before referring to comics that had a decidedly more literary ring: “Graphic Novel.” Some of the subjects that graphic novels are written about include autobiography, history, religion, science fiction, romance, and (yup) superhero stories.
Working Hard Pays Off: A Guide For The Would Be Short Story Anthology Editor by Colin Farstad
Johnny Temple, Publisher of Akashic Books, approached Kevin because he has collected a body of work that features short stories online and in print, a previously edited anthology and a network of writers from his years at Powell’s. Even though there was someone else that wanted to edit Portland Noir, Johnny Temple wanted Kevin Sampsell.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Writing up a Fortune: the Easy Life of Freelancing - by Fleecy
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Web Content—Writing Is Not Designing
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Writing the Adventures
Writing for Public Health: A Meeting of Manipulation and the Greater Good By Rosie Mckinlay-Mench
Monday, May 24, 2010
Writing as a Music Critic
Is it all about the music as some musicians will put it in their interviews; or is it something else? In the world we live in today, we have hundreds of new ways to discover music and assess whether we like it or not and even more opportunities to hear or read about what other people think. For example, take a band or musician that you like and type their name into Pandora.com, now you have the ability to listen to music based around one band at the touch of a button. If that’s not enough for you, people who want to see more physical evidence in connecting bands or musicians, try mapping your favorite artists with the help of music-map.com by conducting a search of that same artist. Either way you look at it there are many different ways to discover new music other than word of mouth or reading the latest issue of Rolling Stone. With the endless options of discovering new music, there is the need for people to review music as an art since exists since so much music exists that one can listen to and discover but we still have need for unwanted music and genre classifications.
The Day I Decided to Snog the Blog: Wholeheartedly and Without Reservation- by Amber Beren
Bloggers write on any number of things, but some of the most popular topics include: politics, technology, celebrity gossip, fashion, self-help, motherhood, and surprisingly—yes I would posit surprisingly—feminism/alternative female lifestyles (2008’s top 50 most powerful blogs). This got me to thinking, as a soon to be graduating English major with—as some would say—moderate delusions of grandiosity, couldn’t there be a realm of writing that wouldn’t lead me directly into the respectable, bookish, not-so-horrible-but-I-have-way-too-many-creative-ideas-to-just-settle-with-a-way-of-making-money career field?
Sunday, May 23, 2010
A Career In Tutoring
Some people think tutors are like the nannies of the education world. I beg to differ. How come rock stars can offer guitar lessons and still remain rock stars? Tutors can follow that same rule. Isn’t it possible to be a “writer” and offer “lessons” on the side? I think so. With enough diligence and enough know-how, many English and writing majors are able to use their degrees toward productive careers as tutors. There are a number of ways to turn a profit in the field of tutoring.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Public Relations: Why Not
What is an English Major? What can a person do with an English Major, besides teaching, or going to graduate school? Honestly if you have the determination you can do anything with it. Some of the great skills and qualities that an English major has, or that anyone can have, is the knowledge of writing, using words to create a voice that can be understood by everyone and, having a way of putting language together which can be passed to others. Then there is the knowledge of knowing how to read, and how to read fast, which is an amazing skill that is gained through years of studying literature, but there is also knowing the skill of knowing how to skim read, or just being able to look at a piece of writing and picking out the parts that are the most important. These are very useful skills in any kind of business field and any business owner would love to have someone with these skills on their team. Also being able to multi task which is something that is picked up along the way through many long years of studying, having this type of particular skill at hand is very useful in any type of business field. Lastly just being willing to teach yourself a new skill when it’s required, and not turning anything down by just being willing to jump in and take a chance to see what is out there. All of these skills, and qualities, are great aspects to the business world no matter what your major is, if you have any of these skills you can go anywhere you want in the world.
Broadcast Writing
Beth Hyams, editor, newscaster and radio host at Oregon Public Broadcasting, writes and edits her own copy. She studied English and American lit in college but never planned on working as a journalist. “I wrote all through high school and college. I thought I would be a fiction writer. I had always been a writer, but I didn’t know I was going to be a journalist,” she says. Beth has been working at OPB for 17 years, and in radio for 25. She says within that time nothing has changed for writing; the basics are the same, but the technology has advanced significantly.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Shakespeare and the Brand: Why English Majors Understand the Psychology of Branding
Sit, Jessica. Look how the floor of heaven is thick inlaid with patens of
bright gold. There’s not the smallest orb which though beholdst, but in his
motion like an angel sings, still choiring to the young-eyed cherubims; such
harmony is in immortal souls, but whilst this muddy vesture of decay doth
grossly close it in, we cannot hear it.
T
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Music Journalism: Why We Write
My friend Sandra became obsessed with a rising starlet by the name of La Roux last year. She made a cute little fan page on Tumblr in which she aggregated every interview, review, what have you on La Roux and updated it daily. Every picture of La Roux, each single as it was released, and even contests for the fans – it was a very solid, thorough and professional effort. An email soon showed up in her inbox from La Roux’s manager, offering Sandra the position of “official social networker.”
Of course, she readily accepted the offer and her website was given official endorsement. She was also charged with making and maintaining an official Twitter account for the singer. A box full of stickers, posters and even an autographed CD and too-large T-shirt soon arrived at her door. Sandra even got to hang out with her backstage after she played a concert in Seattle – an event she described as “feeling very uncute next to her and really awkward as I didn’t have anything to say beyond ‘I liked your show.” Sandra still updates the social networking sites frequently, but she’s never gotten paid for it and is under the obligation to devote a lot of time.
This seems to be the common first step in making moves towards being a music journalist – cutting your teeth anyway you can to get exposed and validated for your efforts.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Editing in the Publishing Industry
In a world of increasing technology and screen-oriented media, the publishing industry may seem in peril. Publishing houses produce books in hard copy: bound pages with covers and margins, illustrations and carefully considered fonts, of a certain size and weight with a tangible nature important to English majors and other literary connoisseurs. The emergence of ebooks from Amazon and Apple spurs some of us into a preservationist tirade. We like to dog-ear our pages, scribble our notes in the free spaces and collect more than one edition of a favorite text. Or for those who prefer their library pristine, carefully preserved and leather-bound works may be a bookshelf staple considered an essential element of one’s personality. It’s tempting to see the world in black and white: with the dawn of ebooks, real books are doomed. In fact the issue presents daunting complexities, but nothing indicates that the publishing industry and the iPad or Kindle cannot find a way to live in harmony.
Careers in publishing persist. Authors are getting published; editors have plenty of submissions to consider and the resources to produce them.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
The Joy of Self-Publishing by Colin Cowden
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Industry Coverage
More than any other medium, print journalism had to adapt-to the new technologies of the Information Age. Among an already elite corps, journalists now distinguish themselves by their online sophistication. That trend will continue while print-media becomes more interactive. ‘Bloggers’ serve a unique niche between print and internet media, and are the latest members of the civil press. They can be the most controversial, too. They often represent only their own views or concerns. So far, blogging has demonstrated the effectiveness of ‘civil media’. Like traditional print journalism, bloggers can have to answer to their content. Their accountability is usually limited to the extent of its exposure though. So is their influence.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Travel Writing-Justin Hoyt
It's not all a lark through exotic treasure lands or late-night dance parties with women clad in bikinis made of seashells. Not that luxuries can't be enjoyed but your there to write and if distracted and a poor article is submitted, that will probably be your last trip. Focusing on the writing involves being aware of your surroundings, look for the features other writers may have missed. This includes avoiding cliche travel writing at all costs. Everyone knows what to expect from the Eiffel Tower, not everyone knows the really dark, secluded but charming pub around the corner.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Narrative Justice
Historically, radio journalists and correspondents have been on-air personalities. In the days before television news and AP feeds, leads were tracked and reported on by radio journalists. The internet has allowed listeners to access news on their terms. Like newspapers, radio news has changed. In radio’s case, it has shifted to talk radio and intellectual forums.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Content Providers
Content Providers work to provide businesses with information in the form of text and graphics. People hire Content Providers to enhance the professional look and appeal of their websites and print materials. Often times, organizations feel that they can get by without hiring someone to provide them will quality information. Usually, these people fall back on their own inferior skill in order to create this content, which sometimes falls short of professional quality. It is generally the stubbornness of business owners that lead to websites having poor written content, documents having a second-rate look, and manuals looking like an uneducated individual assembled them. It is for this reason that a Content Provider's job is very important to the business world. In that same token, a Content Provider's job is recession proof (in theory) for as long as there are businesses and organizations in need of good content to provide to the masses, there will be a need for someone to create it.
Generally, a Content Provider's job involves research and an ability to learn quickly. More often that not, the content being provided is something that the Content Provider isn’t familiar with or well versed in. For this reason, a Content Provider must be able to think quickly on their feet. They must be able to quickly adapt to each new job, which will require them to invest their time and energy in a subject or area that they may not know much about. In most cases, the information is provided to them by the business or organization that employs them and they are expected to assemble that information into a coherent whole. The ideal Content Providers are also Technical Writers and they are able to amalgamate their writing and common sense skills to form slick, concise, succinct information for the business world.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
News Writer for The News
News writers write and edit news stories from information collected by reporters and correspondents and sometimes, if they’re chatty enough, get promoted to reporters or correspondents. Journalists are naturally curious animals. They research, write, omit serial commas, and produce reports for newscasts and news & information programs as well as the internets.
Broadcast journalists are responsible for investigating, gathering and reporting on news and current affairs. They are expected to present this information in a fair, balanced and accurate way through news bulletins, documentaries and other factual programs for radio, television and online broadcast.
Writers generate ideas for stories/features and follow leads from news agencies, the police, the public, press conferences and other sources.
A list of fun and games for journalists:
Grant Writing - The Need for Green
Grant Writing is one of the most in-demand skills for independent contractors today. The organizations that require the services of a grant writer include non-profits, community-based organizations, universities and colleges, and other institutions that utilize grant as a funding source.
The keys to a successful grant proposal lie in comprehensive advance planning and preparation. The more organized and concise the proposal, the easier it will be for a funder to determine whether or not its goals coincide with the goals of the grant seeking organization. This process can be tedious and arduous but can provide a lucrative compensation for a skilled grant writer.