Tracking an Author's Career Path
Posted: May 19th, 2011, 10:48 am
This post appeared a few weeks ago in my blog www.onewritersvoice.com.
Why would I, an unpublished author, write about careers for authors? Rather presumptuous, don't you think!
Well, two sparks collided recently: one spark was Margaret Atwood's speech at Tools of Change, the second spark was a diagram created by Richard Nash titled The Business of Writing and presented at January's Writers Digest Conference. At the heart of both was the notion of writing as a career and of course the need - or at least the hope - to make a living doing it.
And that got me thinking. What are the stages in a writer's career and the needs a writer has at each stage? Given that I've done a lot of reading about the industry and developed several topics on this blog in the category of The Business of Writing, I decided to see what I could find. I found quite a bit about aspiring writers - courses they can take, techniques for querying an agency, ideas about craft, MFA programs and so on. I also found materials about freelance writing as a career. And I found tips like, set aside time every day to write or create a writing plan or join a writers group. A few days ago, with one more Google search, I found Donald Maass' book The Career Novelist which describes three critical stages in a writer's career: Breaking In, Mid-Career Damage Control and Managing Success.
Aha - a seed for my diagram! (I hope inserting this diagram works! If not, the original post is at http://onewritersvoice.com/2011/03/08/t ... reer-path/)
In this diagram I've sketched five stages in a writer's career across the top with a word or two to embody the focus of each stage. For example, very new writers are focused on craft, newly published writers need to focus on building their brand. Down the left hand side are ideas for services and support writers may value. Red check marks map services to career stages.
Caveats:
The diagram represents my opinion. I would love to hear what others think and have experienced as writers.
- I've used red check marks to indicate a strong correlation. For example, writing technique and creativity apply throughout a writer's career, however, I am suggesting that writers in the first two stages have a strong need for support in these two areas.
- I'm sure more service and support areas can be identified. Any suggestions?
- Donald Maass might use the label Mid-Career Damage Control for writers with multiple books instead of Sustaining Brand.
- I find it interesting to see the intensity of services and support for newly published authors. When I began building the diagram, I had no preconceived notion of where the check marks would fall. It's also interesting to see that writers with a long term career require less support - although I suspect that the real answer is that they require different support than the list I've built.
Thinking about your career needs could help you plan ahead. On the other hand, it does look rather daunting, doesn't it?
What do you think?
Why would I, an unpublished author, write about careers for authors? Rather presumptuous, don't you think!
Well, two sparks collided recently: one spark was Margaret Atwood's speech at Tools of Change, the second spark was a diagram created by Richard Nash titled The Business of Writing and presented at January's Writers Digest Conference. At the heart of both was the notion of writing as a career and of course the need - or at least the hope - to make a living doing it.
And that got me thinking. What are the stages in a writer's career and the needs a writer has at each stage? Given that I've done a lot of reading about the industry and developed several topics on this blog in the category of The Business of Writing, I decided to see what I could find. I found quite a bit about aspiring writers - courses they can take, techniques for querying an agency, ideas about craft, MFA programs and so on. I also found materials about freelance writing as a career. And I found tips like, set aside time every day to write or create a writing plan or join a writers group. A few days ago, with one more Google search, I found Donald Maass' book The Career Novelist which describes three critical stages in a writer's career: Breaking In, Mid-Career Damage Control and Managing Success.
Aha - a seed for my diagram! (I hope inserting this diagram works! If not, the original post is at http://onewritersvoice.com/2011/03/08/t ... reer-path/)
In this diagram I've sketched five stages in a writer's career across the top with a word or two to embody the focus of each stage. For example, very new writers are focused on craft, newly published writers need to focus on building their brand. Down the left hand side are ideas for services and support writers may value. Red check marks map services to career stages.
Caveats:
The diagram represents my opinion. I would love to hear what others think and have experienced as writers.
- I've used red check marks to indicate a strong correlation. For example, writing technique and creativity apply throughout a writer's career, however, I am suggesting that writers in the first two stages have a strong need for support in these two areas.
- I'm sure more service and support areas can be identified. Any suggestions?
- Donald Maass might use the label Mid-Career Damage Control for writers with multiple books instead of Sustaining Brand.
- I find it interesting to see the intensity of services and support for newly published authors. When I began building the diagram, I had no preconceived notion of where the check marks would fall. It's also interesting to see that writers with a long term career require less support - although I suspect that the real answer is that they require different support than the list I've built.
Thinking about your career needs could help you plan ahead. On the other hand, it does look rather daunting, doesn't it?
What do you think?