1. TH3T4

    TH3T4 New Member

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    Why?

    Discussion in 'The Lounge' started by TH3T4, Nov 21, 2011.

    Okay so i have been writing now for a few years. I enjoy it a lot and there are so many things about it career wise that suit me but there is one thing that i have noticed, there are no apprenticeships for it. All of my friends are of in the world learning how to do retail and build stuff while I’m getting a job at target and writing in my free time. I’m in Brisbane so if anyone knows about something like an apprenticeship for authors near there let me know.
     
  2. Banzai

    Banzai One-time Mod, but on the road to recovery Contributor

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    You don't really do apprenticeships as an author. As a journalist, sort of, and possibly as a copywriter, but as an author of fiction? Not really.

    The best thing to do if you're interested in it as a career, is get submitting and trying to get published. I think this works in all areas of writing, fiction and non-fiction. If you can get stories or articles in print, with your name on it, you start to build up a portfolio and get your name out there. Writing isn't like retail or construction, you don't have teaching programs like that. It's very much an internal, self-driven process, and you learn by doing.
     
  3. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    Sadly, writing rarely earns even the author a full-time income; it will even more rarely produce enough income for an author to pay an apprentice.
     
  4. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    ditto all of the above...

    plus, since no successful author needs an apprentice, the closest equivalent to being one in the writing world is finding a mentor who is willing to take you under his/her wing and help you along the learning path...

    otherwise, you just do what most writers do and learn on your own... and the best way to do that is by READING... as in constantly reading the work of the best writers of whatever it is you want to write... along with a bit of the not-so-good, so you can learn to tell the difference...
     
  5. AmyHolt

    AmyHolt New Member

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    I think a writing group is somewhat like a mentor. They help you find what works and doesn't work and you hopefully learn how to improve your writting from the feedback.
     

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