Hello, Has writing a book about your journey through life (an autobiography) or the business world crossed your mind but you cannot find the right words or the time to dedicate to writing? My name is Uzezi and I love to write and put life into the words of others, as I express their thoughts and ideas in their voice . Get Editing and Publishing Services Here Get One-On-One guidance to Write Your Book yourself in 30 Days Here Get Book Designers, Graphics Work, Illustrators Here Print Your Book Here Beyond the words of my clients, I research other details related to them or their work and if necessary, add such to enrich whatever work I have been commissioned to do. I would love to offer my services to you as a ghostwriter... Telling your experience in the industry you find yourself and all that you have learnt; the dos and the don’ts or a ‘How To’ book Challenging life events Addressing whatever misconceptions people have about you And others… Book a consultation
UZEZI ADESITE
What the public believes is that you cannot survive on
the income you make as a writer. What I believe is that as long as there is a possibility
of getting an income through writing, then anything is possible. The experience
of the public does not have to be my experience; and same goes for you.
Ever since I started working, writing is the only thing
I know I am good at, and that skill is what has gotten me employment in the few
places I have worked. So what about you?
Are you unemployed and wondering when an employment
letter will be addressed to you? Or, are you looking for an extra source of
income? Do you love reading and writing and wondering what your prospects are
in the job market? Once you have the right skills, the opportunities open to a
writer are endless. These skills include:
·
Excellent writing skills
·
Good grammar
·
Good reading skills
·
Good comprehension of the English language
As a writer, you want to ensure that what you have
written can be understood by anyone who reads your work. You must master your
punctuation, tenses, parts of speech and have knowledge of some figures of
speech. If you have a pass mark on these, you are free to dream of a career in
writing.
Many writers have the big dream of being discovered,
followed by the release of their best seller books. While some new writers get wonderful
breaks that change their lives forever, that kind of break comes once in a
while, so for you the writer waiting to publish that book, this is how to break
out of the unemployment zone for your bills to be paid using your writing
skills.
1.
Freelance:
you can work as a freelance at a newspaper house and get paid per publication.
You can also look for organisations who will value this writing skill. A school
for instance, might need help with their periodical school publication. A firm
might welcome this skill for their newsletters. Etc. At the beginning of my career as a writer, I used to contribute short
stories to The Sun Newspaper on Wednesday, in their art section. Back then
(over a decade ago) I received N1, 500 weekly, which I picked up once in three
or four months. It was good money and an additional income because I was fully
employed elsewhere.
2. You can work as a journalist also:
For this though, you require training in school. Even if you have a degree,
that will not automatically make you qualified to become a journalist if you
cannot write. People with good writing skills can easily learn to become journalists.
I went into journalism because of my love
for writing. This door was opened for me by Sammy ‘Sage’ Hasson, the spoken
word artist. He convinced me when he said Thrills & Booms (like those Mills
& Booms novels), which used to be published by the owners of Hints Magazine
back in the days (I feel old) will pay me if they publish my work. And who
wouldn’t jump at money? They published my work, paid me and I asked to be
employed and moths later, I was. So apart from getting a salary for my services,
I also got paid extra, whenever my novellas got published.
3.
A
ghost writer: a
ghost writer is someone who is commissioned by another person or an
organisation to write a work, which will not carry the name of the writer. For
you to succeed at this, you constantly have to come up with ideas you want to
write on which will be of benefit to a particular set of people. Once you
identify these set, you shop for sponsors who are willing to pay your fee and
take the credit. The only thing against ghost writing is that you can never
take credit for the work since you have been paid for it, and cannot talk about
it either, unless someday, the person who paid you decides otherwise. I was recently going through a work on my
system and was asking myself why I haven’t published it. I soon came across a
part that immediately reminded me I was paid to write it so it isn’t mine.
4.
Biographer:
you can write biographies of personalities. For success, be sure to pick a personality
people will be interested to read about. Be sure to do adequate research on
what writing biographies entails. One hindrance might be the ability to sell
your plan to a publisher. An alternative is to get the personality to
commission you to ghost write the biography.
5.
Private
English teacher: teaching
is a very decent profession and will certainly suit someone who loves to write
and read and has a wonderful comprehension of the English language. Being one
of the compulsory subjects needed for candidates to gain admission into
Nigerian universities, this is one job opportunity that should be taken
seriously as students can easily be gotten.
6.
Publish
an eBook: since you cannot find a publisher and you do not want
to self-publish, or you cannot afford to, consider publishing your work as an
eBook. If it is so good and sells enough, a publisher might decide to give you
a contract. All the information you need to know about publishing eBooks can be
gotten on the internet. In Nigeria, there is an app called Okada Books for
smart phones that sells eBooks. As a writer, if you have a good work uploaded
on Okada Books and price it low, you can go about publicizing it on social
media to get the attention of readers. But, note this: if you don’t impress the
reader, chances are that reader will not bother with your work next time, so be
sure to have a good work.
7.
Write
a script: If you are like me, then you want to see Nollywood
movies with better story lines. I have heard – I have not tried and I do not know for sure – that to get your
scripts into the hands of a producer is not child’s play and that some story
ideas get stolen. But again, excuses can hinder the reality of one’s dream.
There is always a way out right? Also, writing a script for production is
different from writing a novel, or a play. So, if you want to go this route, be
sure to learn the steps to follow. And to feel safer, you can always patent the
work in your name before taking it anywhere.
So, the opportunities are endless for a good writer.
Stop wondering when that job will come and pick one of these options. Also,
equip yourself with more skills. There are free courses on writing, literature
and journalism on the internet such as Coursera,
EDX etc. Take as much as you can. In the meantime, read, read and read.
Read wide also and do not limit yourself to reading works just from a particular
region. Read across genres, fiction and non-fiction. This helps to develop your
writing skills, educate you amongst other benefits. And, keep writing. The more
you write, the better you become. For a start, write short stories, articles,
poems etc. and share among your friends and ask them for feedback. Next, start
sending out your work without asking for anything in return. This will motivate
you, especially if your work gets published in a national daily – it means the
editor finds it good enough. Even when you don’t feel like writing or have no
idea of what to write, just write; even though what come out are jargons.
If you think you love to write and just cannot find the
time for it, create it. Start by giving one hour a day to writing at a time you
are sure you wouldn’t be disturbed.
Finally, keep researching. The internet is full of helpful
tips that can enhance your writing. Also, look out for writing competitions you
can enter. Make friends with writers also and share ideas. Join a group like
the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, if creative writing is your forte.
Remember, all you need to get started is a laptop. Don’t
have one? Use a pen and paper; seriously. Then you can type at a business
centre and save on a dependable USB device. If you cannot afford the cost of
typing, keep writing. Someday you will be able to afford it, or your passion
will drive you to find a way. No matter what, make no excuses. Write.
Good luck writing and making money from it.
If you need additional information on developing your
writing, well, ask me.