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Career Exploration

Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers

Also called: Author, Freelance Writer, Novelist, Songwriter

What they do:

Create original written works, such as scripts, essays, prose, poetry or song lyrics, for publication or performance.

On the job, you would:
  • Write fiction or nonfiction prose, such as short stories, novels, biographies, articles, descriptive or critical analyses, and essays.
  • Develop factors such as themes, plots, characterizations, psychological analyses, historical environments, action, and dialogue to create material.
  • Prepare works in appropriate format for publication, and send them to publishers or producers.
On the job, you'll need:

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Communications

  • multimedia

Math and Science

  • psychology

Basic Skills

  • writing things for co-workers or customers
  • reading work related information

Problem Solving

  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Verbal

  • communicate by writing
  • read and understand what is written

Ideas and Logic

  • come up with lots of ideas
  • create new and original ideas

Artistic

People interested in this work like activities that include creating, designing, and making your own rules.

  • Persistence
  • Independence
  • Initiative
  • Innovation
  • Achievement/Effort
  • Attention to Detail

Word processing software

  • Apple iWork Pages
  • Microsoft Word

Desktop communications software

  • Skype

Web page creation and editing software

  • Facebook
  • WordPress

Video courtesy of CareerOneStop.

Job Outlook

The job outlook for this position is Average.

New job opportunities are likely in the future.

Median Annual Salary: $73,150

Education

Bachelor's degree or no high school diploma/GED is usually needed.