Writers: Working Harder Than Ever

Under any circumstances, good writing is a challenge. This is true for folks who are judged to already be good at it as well as those striving to gain such a coveted label as "good writer." And then there are those such as journalists, public relations practitioners and even scholars who write professionally. None have it easy. This reality is even more true today because of our advances in technology and the evolving demands of those for who the professional writers write. Taken together, the profession and market are place are unrelenting in what they require of writers who seek to both inform and entertain. (Entertain, by the way, should not be considered a dirty word in the world of writing.)

Thanks to technology, professional writers are called upon to be a lot more proficient in a greater number of writing styles and formats than ever before. No longer, for example, is it enough for a public relations professional to be able to compose a solid press release. This same person now needs to be able to write engaging tweets, speeches and Facebook postings. Reporters, too, need to do more than simply pen proficient news copy. Now they need to be able to put together readable blogs and other social media announcements. Yes, at least theoretically, their work is getting greater exposure, but they are working harder than ever to get it, too.

As if the technological advances were not enough, the general public is more demanding than ever. Because men and women of all ages have more information at their disposal than ever, it is now more challenging to gain and keep their attention. Consequently, they can be a lot more choosey in what they wish to read. They want their articles to be informative, engaging, relevant and current. This requires writers to do a lot more than simply write well-structured, grammatically correct sentences. To hit all those buttons, a professional writer is required to be "on the clock" more than ever. Make no mistake. The life of a professional writer is more challenging than ever. Thank goodness for those who do it and who do it well.