If you are a lover of words, you may wonder if someone would pay for your writing. This page will help you learn how to become a professional writer

• The art of writing can be a fulfilling career, although it is not always a lucrative one. If you'd like to be a professional writer, you need to be able to write well, to identify an area of writing that will be your initial focus, and to be able to pitch your ideas to publications, agents, and publishing houses.

There are many kinds of professional writers so check out the full range. Here is a start How to Become a Copy Editor, How to Become a News Anchor, How to Become a Journalist, How to Become a Proofreader, How to Become a Speech Writer, How to Become a Comedy Writer, How to Become a Travel Writer. These days almost every profession needs you to be a writer at a professional level such as How to Become a Biologist, How to Become a Chiropractor, How to Become a Chiropractor Videos, and How To Become A Literary Agent.

See Related Mahalo Pages usually at the right of every Mahalo page for further suggestions like the additional professional writer links on this page. Also see suggested resources and books on many Mahalo pages. Clicking gives you in depth information and ordering possibilities or note the titles and find them in your local library.

There is a lot of free information available to help you write better and polish your skills and technical abilities needed in writing. To start you off try How To Proofread A Business Letter, How to Copyright a Book, How to Customize Microsoft Word, How to Proofread an Article, How to Publish a Short Story Videos, How to Beat Writer's Block, How to Format Your Manuscript, and How to Write a Thesis Statement

(Creative Commons photo by Ian MacKenzie)

• In order to be a better writer, you need to read, write, and study language.

1. When reading, take the time to analyze the writing. Why did the author select that particular word? What literary devices are being used? What else could have been done to draw the reader in or more clearly articulate the ideas?
2. Invest in a copy of Elements of Style, and study the rules of grammar and composition. Although sometimes it's okay to break a rule, you need to understand what the rules are before making a conscious decision to take occasional grammatical liberties.
3. Write daily. Use a journal, a blog, or whatever works for you, but get words down on paper regularly.
4. Consider taking courses or joining a writer's group to help polish your skills.

• Writers can work in a variety of industries and genres. Although you can work in more than one area, when getting started writing for pay, its best to select on area, and focus your efforts there, to improve your odds of success.

1. Technical publications
2. Marketing copy
3. Novels
4. Magazine articles
5. Poetry
6. Nonfiction books
7. Critical reviews
8. Short fiction

• Beginning writers will generally not be sought out by publishers. In order to get an assignment, you'll need to pitch your idea by submitting a query letter.

1. Before querying, have a well defined idea of what you'd like to write about.
2. Carefully research the publication, agent, or publishing house before sending in the query letter to make sure it fits in with the body of work.
3. Include a well thought out description of your idea, as well as a summary of your qualifications.
4. Carefully review the letter to make sure there are no spelling and grammatical errors.

• Introduction
• Step 1:Polish Your Craft
• Step 2: Find Your Niche
• Step 3: Learn How to Query