Spotlight on Careers in Writing and Publishing

I attended a workshop/panel arranged by NYU's Creative Writing department at 20 Cooper Square called "Spotlight on Careers in Writing and Publishing." The reason I even contemplated going is because this wonderful Creative Writing course has seriously challenged my theoretical plans for the future; I feel that I would really enjoy a career in writing, but I always rejected even the thought because, honestly, I don't see being a writer as much of a secure job. Don't get me wrong, writing will always be one of my favorite pastimes, but I seriously doubt it's validity as a career for me.

Or doubted. At this event, six panelists, representing a healthy mix of the worlds of fiction (novelists), nonfiction (journalists), and the writing industry itself (agents and publishers), told us their background stories as far as writing was concerned, focusing mainly on their graduate years of study and how pursuing the MFA was the right choice for them. Personally, I was horrified to hear that most of these panelists, though obviously successful now, only really knew what they wanted to do as they entered graduate school, and that coincidentally, they all hated their first jobs/internships in the writing industry. The idea of having to vacillate between premed and writing long after college a the undergraduate level really unsettles me.

However, I did learn some very valuable tips, among which were the following:

- One thing that immediately stands out to agents/editors when viewing works is Voice
- Digitalized writing is not my enemy
- Give my work time to be finished; don't rush to submit work to agents/editors
- Read as much as possible (especially publications of companies/organizations you hope to be affiliated with in the future)

I left this workshop excited to test the writing waters and try to start a writing career (while still maintaining my premed cover). I'm not gunning for anything big just yet, but I am considering joining some writing clubs on campus, writing for the NYU paper, and publishing more of my works online.