You’ve been dreaming of this day for as long as you can remember. Ever since that moment when you first realised that your life could be much more interesting if you wrote things down on a piece of paper rather than just living it, you knew that the day would come when you could put your skills to use for the greater good.
The only question was: What would be the best way to get a job using your writing skills? The answer is: a writing sample. We’ll discuss the various types of writing samples you might need to get your foot in the door for a job in the creative industry, and what advantages and disadvantages each type of sample carries.
Traditional Literary Analysis Vs Creative Writing
If you’re reading this, I assume that you’re already considering applying for a job in the creative industry. If not, you should consider doing so; it’s a field that is experiencing a hiring boom at the moment. Whether you’re a natural born writer or discovered your talents later in life, there are plenty of opportunities for you to lend your skills to the greater good of humankind.
Traditional literary analysis is the analysis of literary texts, often including critical discussion of the work in question. While it is a useful skill to have, especially if you’re applying for a job in a field that requires a lot of research, it’s not the most marketable skill on its own. After all, being able to identify and discuss individual words and phrases in a text can only take you so far. What is more important is your ability to show how you can combine those words into structured and engaging narratives that will make your audience connect with the characters and plotlines.
The Short Story Vs The Novel
A short story is a shorter, more concise version of a novel. Think of a novel as the encyclopedia or the academic library of narrative: it’s a massive tome that takes up a significant amount of pages and can be used for reference purposes only. A short story, on the other hand, is like the card catalog you carry in your head, containing succinct entries on all your favourite topics: in other words, it’s what’s called a “nodal point”.
For writers, a short story is a good place to start because it allows you to try out your skills in a concise and structured narrative while giving you the opportunity to explore a genre that you might not have worked in before. Whether you’ve written a novella or are at the very beginning of your writing career, short stories allow you to get your feet wet without risking too much on some epic undertaking. As I mentioned above, academia works in a similar way: short stories allow you to experiment with various concepts and ideas whilst not committing to a complete book project.
NODAL POINT: A short story can also be referred to as a “limited scope narrative”, which might give you an idea of what kind of narrative it is. This is different to a “narrative” which is very much what you would expect it to be: a long and winding story that can be loosely defined as “a series of connected events”. (Note: A nodal point might also be defined as “a turning point or key moment” in a narrative.) It can be either long or short, depending on the needs of the writer.
The “So You Want to Be a Writer” Guide
If you’re just starting out, the New York Times’ So You Want to Be a Writer series of guides are a great place to begin your education. It might seem like an obvious starting point, but getting a book that represents your work as a writer is always a good idea. The more you read, the better you’ll become at what you do, and the faster you’ll be able to put your skills to use for the greater good of humankind. Let’s begin with the basics:
The more you read, the better you’ll become at what you do,
So you want to be a writer, eh? Well, it’s a noble dream. But you have to start by defining what exactly that means. Is it journalism that you want to pursue? Is it commercial fiction? Is it creative non-fiction? Is it screenwriting? Is it novel writing? Is it short story writing? Is it poetry? Is it academic writing? All of these are acceptable routes to pursuing your “so you want to be a writer” dreams, but they require specific training. And it’s not as easy as walking in the door and saying “I want to be a writer”.
The key phrases in the above sentence are “specific training” and “not as easy as”, which is a polite way of saying “it’s not as easy as just putting your feet in the door and hoping that something will happen”.
You have to decide what you want to do, and then you can begin honing your skills. Is there a specific area you want to focus on? Do you have a particular genre that you prefer to write in? Are you planning to write for specific platforms (i.e. social media, online forums, etc.)?
If you knew what you wanted to do, you would be better positioned to start honing your skills. You can begin by getting a notebook and a pen and, as soon as you have a bit of space in your schedule, sit down and begin writing. Doing this is highly beneficial because it forces you to focus on the important things while getting rid of the extraneous thoughts that clutter your head. Writing is a great way to organise your thinking as well as get your thoughts down on paper, which at the end of the day, is what counts – not what you think in your head, but what you can show on paper. (In my case, I would recommend taking a look at Eve Brandwein’s blog called “Word on the Street” – it’s an incredibly accessible and informative source of advice for writers, as well as offers some great suggestions for where to find job postings).
As you get more experience, you can begin to think about various types of writing samples you might need to get a job. There are some things you might need to avoid, and there are some things you might need to include. What kind of writing sample you need depends on where you are in your career. When you are just starting out, the best option might be to use your short story to show your potential employers that you can write well and communicate effectively. Think of an editor at a magazine or newspaper and you’ll have the perfect person in mind to write to. The more practice you get, the more you will be able to determine what specific sample will be needed to secure that all-important foot in the door. Keep at it and you’ll be on your way to getting that job you’ve been dreaming of for so long.
Dealing With Rejection
So you want to be a writer, eh? Well, it’s a noble dream. But you have to start by defining what exactly that means. Is it journalism that you want to pursue? Is it commercial fiction? Is it creative non-fiction? Is it screenwriting? Is it novel writing? Is it short story writing? Is it poetry? Is it academic writing? All of these are acceptable routes to pursuing your “so you want to be a writer” dreams, but they require specific training. And it’s not as easy as walking in the door and saying “I want to be a writer”.
The key phrases in the above sentence are “specific training” and “not as easy as”, which is a polite way of saying “it’s not as easy as just putting your feet in the door and hoping that something will happen”.
You have to decide what you want to do, and then you can begin honing your skills. Is there a specific area you want to focus on? Do you have a particular genre that you prefer to write in? Are you planning to write for specific platforms (i.e. social media, online forums, etc.)?