Creative writing is a fun degree to pursue if you love writing, but what are the practical implications of getting a degree in creative writing?
Writers are often lumped into the “starving artist” category because people think they can only write books. But the truth is that there are a lot of jobs that require creative writers, and there are a lot of jobs in that people with a creative writing background can excel. You probably already know the obvious: novelist, poet, screenwriter, playwright, teacher, editor. But there are a lot of other jobs that you might not have thought of either as being a creative writing endeavour or a job option at all!
Here are 20 of the most exciting careers and jobs you can pursue with a degree in creative writing!
Best Jobs for Creative Writers
Greeting card author
Back in the day, “greeting card writer” was sort of on par with “hamburger flipper.” That is to say, an unrespected job that was seen as lowly.
These days, however, there has been a greeting card resurgence and they are often very lovely (and expensive). The Australian Greeting Card Association estimates that the greeting card industry experiences about $500,000 in sales each year, and there are about 20,000 employees in the field. You can work with a card designer to make beautiful miniature works of art that people gift to each other every day.
Average entry salary: $50-$300 per card design
Comic book / graphic novel writer
You might think that the main artist behind a comic or graphic novel is the illustrator. And while they are inarguably a huge part of these works, they are only half of the team.
A writer needs to create the story and dialogue to be illustrated! Flashy drawings alone won’t make a story successful; it needs to be well-written and interesting. Hence: a creative writer is needed! You can make this a full time job.
Average entry salary: $60,000 per year
Lyricist
What are song lyrics but poetry set to music?
It takes a lot of skill for a lyricist to be able to write songs that other people can sing. You have to consider the intended singer’s talents, song history, and style. Many songs are written for one particular singer in mind or a handful of artists, and it’s up to the artists whether they’d like to take on the song.
Imagine having incredible musical artists bring your lyrics to life!
Average entry salary: $50/hr
Legacy writer
A legacy writer is someone who crafts stories about people, usually commissioned, so they have a memoir-type document to treasure and share with their families. You’ll likely work closely with the person who commissions you.
You might decipher a family tree into a historical tale, write about the life and times of a certain person, or document the relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren.
A lot of people who are interested in having a legacy writer are expecting to pass away sometime in the near future, so you can be one of the people who helps them feel like they have prepared their family as best as possible for life without their relative.
Average entry salary: Depends on the project; $60/hr
Video game writer
Like comic books, video games also need story and dialogue writers. If you think about it, a video game is kind of like a TV show or movie. The story and dialogue need to be interesting, creative, and well-written or else it will not be taken seriously and the quality of the game might suffer, even if the graphics and gameplay are great.
Average entry salary: $70,000
Speechwriter
While some people are great at performing speeches, they might not be the same people who are great at writing speeches. Or, they might not have time to come up with a speech.
Either way, speechwriters are high in demand for all situations: politicians, CEOs, school principals, small business owners, someone presenting their achievements… anyone who needs to speak in front of a crowd can use a speechwriter!
Average entry salary: $70,000
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Personal poet
Similar to a legacy writer, a personal poet focuses on writing for a specific person. You can expect to be commissioned to attend (or be told about) weddings, funerals, births, mitzvahs, graduations, and other milestone life events, and write a beautiful poem about them!
You can also busk (in places where that’s allowed), or set up shop at a craft market. I’ve personally purchased a personal poem from a man selling them on the sidewalk in Asheville, North Carolina, USA. He typed it on parchment with a typewriter, signed it, sealed his name with wax, and then read it to me aloud. It was a very meaningful experience!
Average entry salary: $20-30/poem freelance, $50/hr for events
Write sleep stories or meditations for a voiceover artist
Podcasts and YouTube videos are a great way to not only make money per project but also earn royalties. You can write for your own channel/podcast, or for someone else’s for this job.
Sleep stories and guided meditations are hot commodities in different parts of the world right now. Essentially, you just want to write calming, soothing, dull content that someone with a silky voice can read and together you help people fall asleep!
Guided meditations are also having a moment, and a lot of places are looking for content to feature on their platforms. If you click with a certain creative team, you can become a full time writer for them.
Average entry salary: $20-40/hr
Ghostwriter
If you are adept at changing your tone of writing to match someone else’s, you might make a great ghostwriter. Sometimes people are too busy or out of energy to write an article, web content, or other similar things. Other people need full chapters or books written for them, especially for biographies.
You might work closely with a client or you might have free reign on how to go about completing the project.
Average entry salary: $40-60/hr
Essayist
Do you love researching different topics and explaining them to other people, and you want to do more with it, but you don’t want to write a book? Essayist is your answer!
Essayists do just that: they write essays. You might be able to write essays on your own, for your blog for example. Or, you might find people who want to commission an essayist for a specific topic or feature.
Websites, magazines, journals, and newspapers might seek an essayist or columnist for hire. Private clients might like an essayist to write a manifesto or memoir.
Average entry salary: $50-70/hr
Copywriter
Copy is generally text meant to persuade an audience, as in advertising copy and marketing copy. Copy can also be found in places like a business report, grant writing, product descriptions, and websites. Examples of copy in the online environment include:
- SMS campaign writing
- Social media ads
- Landing pages
- Sales emails
Average entry salary: $70,000
Content writer
Content writing and copywriting are very similar, but content writing is intended to inform and entertain readers (like this article!) rather than persuade them.
Content writing is needed for websites, social media, email newsletters, tutorials, and e-books.
Average entry salary: $48,000
Creative writing coach
If you love sharing the art of creative writing with others, why not coach aspiring writers?
Sometimes we all need an outside perspective or fresh ideas to help us get through a block, and sometimes you simply don’t know enough without asking someone to teach you.
When you’re a creative writing coach, you can help other writers overcome writer’s block, practise creative exercises, and help them develop as writers. You can also advise them on what to write for their websites, books, speeches, etc.
Average entry salary: $100-200/hr
Journalist / columnist / article writer
Similar to the essayist above, people in these professions are often hired to fulfil a specific need in content for a company. But, you can also find yourself in a contract with an employer and have an ongoing feature, for example, a weekly column.
Average entry salary: $55,000
Critic / reviewer
Whether you start your own blog or you’re hired by another entity to write reviews, being a professional critic is a real job.
Films, TV, food, art, books, websites, songs, people, culture… basically anything that exists can be written about in a review or critique. Find what you like to review and seek opportunities to do just that!
Average entry salary: $45,000-60,000 depending on the industry
Speciality writer
You can learn a lot about a specific subject and make your mark as an expert in the area, writing for yourself or other publications.
Whether it’s travel, cooking or baking or eating at restaurants, the environment, child-raising, health, pets, or any other subject, you can most likely find an audience in need of a writer. Some speciality writers focus on things like medical writing, scientific writing, case study writing, and technical writing which increases their value as a writer.
Average entry salary: $50-100/hr depending on the industry
Blogger
Need I say more? Utilising any of these other writing gigs, you can write for yourself and make money on your very own website instead of writing for someone else!
Average entry salary: $1000-10,000 in the first year
Public relations
Whether you become a PR officer or consultant, you can help people and businesses manage their public image. Come up with campaigns and strategies that require careful writing to convey the message you want to send.
Average entry salary: $80,000
Content, social media, marketing, or advertising manager or executive
Even if you aren’t the one writing the copy and the commercials and the social media, you can be the one reviewing it to make sure it sends the right message every time. As the reviewer of other people's writing, you can improve the content and watch for errors.
Average entry salary: $100,000
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Commissioned short fiction writer
When you are a commissioned short fiction writer, you might do anything from writing a child into their favourite superhero movie, to writing about the adventures of a beloved pet, to fanfiction.
Average entry salary: $5 per 1000 words to start
What Credentials Do Creative Writing Jobs Require?
Many creative writing jobs will require formal education, like a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Some might not require a degree, but perhaps some certifications to show you have learned about the structures of writing.
Depending on the industry, different levels of education are required.
For things like blogging, poem writing, songwriting, and commissioned writing, your work will generally speak for itself.
You might not have any formal education, but you do have a great talent and can start using that talent to make some money right away!
In any case, you’ll want to have a portfolio of work to show any potential employers or clients.
Being a creative writer is so much more than just writing novels. So even if you don’t feel like you want to write books, you can still be an important and successful writer!
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