Writing is the art of communication and the ability to strategically string words together to create polished manuscripts, poems, articles, books and other types of written content. Writers often work across a variety of genres including nonfiction, fiction, poetry and satire. In a business setting, they can work as copywriters, technical writers, public relations professionals and editors.
Things to Think About Writer
Top qualities and skills needed for writing careers:
Clearly express your ideas, thoughts and emotions to connect with readers in a voice they can understand and relate to. Listening and asking the right questions will help you establish your unique voice.
Writers must have a deep understanding of spelling, sentence structure, punctuation and various styles of writing. You will need to draft, proofread, revise and finalize your writing samples before they get published.
You could be tasked with writing about topics you aren’t familiar with. This requires research, often online, in a library or interviewing others. Finding, comprehending and incorporating the information into your writing will help your credibility.
Writers have creative ways of organizing their thoughts, ideas and writing space. Notebooks, folders and calendars are tools a writer needs to keep ideas fresh and deadlines in order.
Top Five
There are a variety of majors at CU Boulder that can help prepare you for the future.
Things You Can Do
Seek opportunities on campus to start developing skills.
Almost every club or student organization on campus has a social media, copywriting or communications position. This person may create posts for social media, writes blogs and newsletters or oversee marketing materials. There are also many organizations that bring together other writers. Find an organization that fits your interests.
Understanding how other writers got their start is a great first step to getting familiar with the industry. Whether you’re interested in journalism, creative or technical writing, you can make connections with successful writers and shadow them for a day to see what their job is like. Find these connections at Career Services.
Find opportunities to develop on-the-job skills. You could assist local media companies, faculty members and authors through an internship or on-campus job. Online and local magazines are always looking for writers to submit their work.
Learn about on-campus publications and offices with writing positions, such as The CU Independent and Strategic Relations.
Researching companies and the industry you’d like to work in is an essential step to narrowing your interests while in school. Use Industry Insider to learn more about careers in News Syndicates in the United States and Book Publishing.
Center for Academic Success and Engagement (CASE)
East Building, Second Floor
1725 Euclid Ave.
Boulder, Colorado 80309-0200
303-735-4445
exploratorystudies@colorado.edu
UEACAdvising@colorado.edu
Advising available via drop-in and appointment
