One of the best things about writing for the internet is that there are so many different avenues to go down. You can specialise in article writing, blogging for other people, writing content for web sites, copywriting, writing short ads or ad copy, technical writing, Twitter entries, even writing fiction, and several other kinds of writing.
Article writing can be further divided into writing articles to order for one customer, and writing packages of articles aimed at a particular niche, to sell to marketers in that niche.
Each kind of writing is different, though, so the writer has to vary his technique accordingly. Articles convey information, but copywriting has to focus on the desired end result from beginning to end, i.e. to sell the product. Twitter entries are ultra short, while technical writing demands prolonged study of the subject matter and the ability to make complex issues simple.
Fiction writing is different altogether – easier in that you’re writing out of your own imagination with no constraints, more difficult in that you have to ensure you have your facts right and bring your characters to life.
But writing is not easy, though some writers find it more difficult than others. The worst thing is staring at a blank piece of paper, or a blank screen, and wondering how to start. The true writer never has to do that. He has a better way. He uses his imagination and the words just pour out. He articulates what other people would like to think. He is the mouthpiece of our culture.
Even though some of the assignments he has to do are ghastly jobs in themselves, he has to get through them and give them the same attention to detail as he does the better ones. That’s the mark of the true professional writer.
Philip Gegan
