A pursuit engaged in outside one’s regular occupation especially for relaxation is what is referred to as a hobby. The term hobby is a derivative of ‘hobbyhorse’: a mimic horse that was made for children to play with. In the 17th century hobbies were thought to be childish but by mid-18th century with more leisure time available due to the industrial revolution a variety of hobbies came up. Hobbies tend to follow trends of technological advancement and societal activities. For instance, in the past stamp collection was a favorite hobby for many as letter writing was the main means of communication but nowadays videogames have become a new favorite following technological development. Hobbies are also known as pastimes.
Over the ages hobbies have been practised chiefly for enjoyment and not for financial gain. However, recently hobbyists have opted to turn their leisure interests into their dream jobs. A lot of pastimes can be engaged in as nine-to-five careers and one such pastime is writing.
Many a people are fascinated with writing. Writing is an art and just like any form of art it occurs in various genres each varying with a writer’s interests and creativity. While some enjoy narrative writing, others find great interest in informational writing and others in argumentative writing. These are the three main genres of writing.
Narrative writing is writing that puts real or imagined situations and experiences in words employing features such as storytelling, characterization, plot and dilemmas to convey a message. A lot of narrative writing is documented in short story books and novels. An example of a narrative piece of writing is ‘The Ruins’ by Scott Smith, a story of survival of a group of friends who venture into a new environment and battle with the conditions to remain alive.Poetry is a form of narrative writing as well.
On the other hand, informational writing is objective and nonfictional giving detailed information about a particular subject based on facts about it. Unlike narrative writing, there is no involvement of narration of experiences or presence of fictional characters in informational writing. Illustrations of informational write ups are autobiographies on famous political figures or articles about various subjects, most of which are found in newspaper columns, instruction manuals, science and history books.
Argumentative writing is factual writing as well only that instead of using facts to convey information they are used to validate and prove points hence make the writer establish stance on a particular subject. Consider this topic: ‘Technology has done more good than harm’. The writer has to give authentic points and explain why these points are true, while referring to facts, in order to support his/her stand concerning the topic.
Based on these three main genres, one can choose to turn their passion for writing into a career. Some very high paying and marketable jobs that involve writing include technical writing, blogging, journalism, novel and story book writing and screen writing. Technical writing involves writing directions, instructions or explanations concerning a particular subject. Users’ manuals and medicine inserts are examples of technical write ups. Journalism is the production of reports on current or past events or trending topics in order to provide information to the public while blogging is freelance sharing of views on an online platform.
Novel and story book writing is writing of stories of either actual or unreal situations and experiences. Screen writing is similar to this albeit one writes the stories for films and mass media productions. Screen writers therefore have to bring to visualization the thoughts and emotions of characters through words, actions and symbolism.
Every person who writes is unique in his/her own way. This leaves many people wondering if adding a scholastic appendage to their writing hobby is worth it. It is not necessary to hold a Bachelor’s Degree in English or Communication but one has to note that the writing field is a competitive one with the majority holding degrees.
Occupations such as technical writing, journalism and screen writing however require mandatory training. For one to become a technical writer he/she has to take a bachelor’s degree course in either journalism, English or communication and also has to have a bachelor’s degree or knowledge in a particular technical subject. For example, one has to be familiar with a microwave and how it works in order to write a user manual for it. This is also the case if one wants to become a journalist. Journalism and technical writing courses are available in a lot of universities and colleges worldwide. On the contrary, a bachelor’s degree in screen writing is offered in very few universities. One can therefore take a course in creative writing or film production alternatively.
Nonetheless, one has to consider a number of factors before taking up writing as a job and not as a hobby. Key among these considerations is the ability to generate enough income from writing alone. Unlike writing as a hobby writing as a job needs more time input and self-marketing skills so as to sell your services and publications. Therefore, one has to be persistent to reap from the job. As Alexandra Stapelon-Smith, a crafter who turned her hobby into a career, says as she speaks to Authority Magazine, nothing comes overnight.
Another critical factor is whether you will still enjoy writing given that when one writes for monetary reward, they have to work with deadlines and have to struggle to meet market demands. Some people argue that taking your hobby to the next level by doing it as a career ruins the whole idea of it being a hobby as little or no enjoyment is achieved. However, doing what you love and enjoy as a career gives you an opportunity to start your own business and makes you more productive in it.
A lot of people have succeeded in turning their writing interests into life long careers. If you are a writing enthusiast go ahead and give it a try.
