by Arsalan Iftikhar
EDITOR’S NOTE: “I use Grammarly’s online proofreader because I don’t need another reason for my wife to make fun of my writing.”
For anyone who hopes to become a writer one day, here are my top 10 things to keep keep in mind if you want to become a full-time writer:
10) There are probably around 12 people in the world total who actually make incomes of millions of dollars every year simply by typing words on a computer screen.
9) You must know the difference between “than” & “then” and “there” & “their”.
8) Be sure to source everything in your writing. The more hyperlinks, footnotes and parenthetical references you have in your writing, the more knowledgeable you will seem about the subject about which you are writing.
7) If you are an opinion writer (like myself), you need to get to used to the fact that your editor (at CNN, TIME or wherever) is likely to cut down your “perfect” 800-word column into a less-than-perfect 550 words which will not sound very good when you read it for the first time.
6) But, in the long run, you should always remember that editors are always right.
5) The only proper way to edit any piece of writing is to “print it out” on paper and then line-item edit the piece using ink on that same piece of paper.
4) Which means do not edit your writing on a computer screen just by scanning it over.
3) Do not accept any writing assignment which does not pay at least $1 per word.
2) Trust me on #3 above.
1) Get your significant other to read your work. If they do not laugh, you are on the right track.
