HOW TO GET THERE
Typical pathway
A typical path is to finish secondary school with strong English, journalism, and computer-related courses, and build writing skills through essays, school newspaper work, creative writing, or a blog. Some students then take college or university studies in writing, publishing, journalism, English, media, or a related field, while others begin with a strong portfolio and early freelance or volunteer writing experience. Writers often start by practising different styles such as stories, articles, scripts, manuals, or advertising copy. Requirements can vary by employer, province, and the type of writing.
THE WORK
What you may do
Legacy duties
- Novelists, playwrights, script writers, poets and other creative writers conceive and write novels, plays, scripts, poetry and other material for publication or presentation and may conduct research to establish factual content and to obtain other necessary information.
- Technical writers analyze material, such as specifications, notes and drawings, and write manuals, user guides and other documents to explain clearly and concisely the installation, operation and maintenance of software and electronic, mechanical and other equipment.
- Copywriters study and determine selling features of products and services and write text for advertisements and commercials.
- Authors and writers may specialize in a particular subject or type of writing.
SKILLS TO BUILD
Skills used in this Career
PublicationsResearchingWriting