2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16
Let's start from afar. The now deceased Zadornov told such an anecdotal story. On the set of one program, an elderly lady approached him and asked what was written on his badge. And there it was in English Zadornov. Writer. She thought that he was a Jew and his real name was Reiter, and Zadornov was a pseudonym. The comedian barely explained that this was a mistake.
Of course, a person who knows the least bit of English knows that a writer is not a Jewish surname, but translated into Russian as "writer". So who is a writer, and why did the Russian language need a new word? Why not just call him a writer?
Reiter: Definition
So let's solve the riddle. The word "writer" is not yet very popular, but quite transparent. The internet is flooded with trendy professions like copywriter and webwriter. Reiter is a broader concept. This is a person who writes articles and creates unique content. It would be a stretch to call him a writer. In the Russian tradition, the word "writer" sounds proud and means not just a person who writes (in this context it will sound ironic, for example, if we call a student doing homework a writer), but a creator of works of art. There are, of course,spiritual writers, and writers-philosophers, educators, scientists. But still, the first thing that comes to mind when mentioning writers is not some textbooks, but novels, novels and short stories. Calling articles fiction will not work. What did the names “copywriter” and “web writer” not please someone?
If you strictly adhere to the meaning of the word "copywriter", then it comes from the English copywright - "copyright" - and originally means an employee who creates advertising, selling texts. A webwriter, of course, is someone who writes on the Internet. And the field of activity of the writer can be much wider. Not all articles are promotional and not all are published exclusively on the Internet. To understand this, we can give an example. How can you call those who fill the content of this site? These are writers, because there are a huge number of informative articles that have nothing to do with advertising. These are web writers, because the resource is located on the Web. In principle, elements of copywriting in the strict sense of the word are also present here - you can also find promotional articles.
How to get started as a writer?
Writing is one of the most popular ways to make money online. It is enough to have a computer and the Internet and to speak your native language well. Understand what text uniqueness is and how to achieve it. To check it, there are anti-plagiarisms, for example, you can do it for free on text.ru. If you write "from the head", the uniqueness will be one hundred percent. But more often than not, especially when working with strangerstopics, you will have to process the material of other articles. In this case, it is important to be able not to follow in the footsteps of someone else's text, but, having studied several articles, present the material in a free form, separating the necessary from the unnecessary. It is more difficult to work with topics that are rich in terminology, but even there, with experience, it will be possible to achieve the required uniqueness. For beginners, the Advego and Etxt exchanges are suitable, for more advanced ones, work on the closed exchanges Textbroker, ContentMonster, Turbotext, or cooperation with customers personally. This promises quite real earnings, but it is better to start small.
What qualities are important
Despite the fact that automatic text-checking programs are growing and improving, literacy is important for a writer. Yes, the program itself will emphasize elementary spelling errors, but the subtleties of punctuation can be overlooked. It is important to be able to build a phrase in accordance with the literary language.
Of course, for people to read texts, they must be interesting. The ability to write interestingly can be a natural talent, but it can also be developed.
The benefits of criticism
Ask to read your "creations" and criticize. Remarks will help you see your weaknesses and work on them. It is only important to understand that if you are not mentally prepared for criticism and it will extinguish your ardor, then it is important to increase your confidence. To get started, start writing for yourself, on the table, as a workout. For example, the skill of expressing one's thoughts in people who keep a diary is developing very well. There is an interesting way to take a fresh look at what is written. Read your textaloud and record with a voice recorder or film it with a camera. Previously unnoticed shortcomings will be heard, and you can correct them. The ability to edit your text should also be honed and reach automatism. Over time, a quick glance will be enough to understand where, what and how to fix. But careful, thoughtful re-reading should not be avoided either.
Exercises for the development of writing skills
- Write on a topic that is not close to your interests. Everyone advises to write about what is interesting. And you try to take a topic that is indifferent and alien to you, and find something in it that will ignite you and the reader!
- Expand your horizons. The breadth of horizons is directly reflected in the created texts. Sometimes the author has enough accumulated knowledge, he can immediately, without looking anywhere, write an interesting article. But usually you need to use sources.
- Write about the familiar. Take a look at the objects around you. Try writing about a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Or about a cup of tea. Yes, so that it is alive and exciting.
- Short time. Writing is interesting, but there are many other worries in life, so you can’t pore over articles every day from morning to evening. And after all, writers are people who write for income, so the higher the productivity, the more you can earn. If a beginner tinkers with one simple article all day, then a professional will easily write several of them without losing any quality. We think it is obvious on whose side the benefit will be. Therefore, you can try to take yourself towriting a text for a limited time, for example, an hour. It worked - next time give yourself 45 or 50 minutes for a text of about the same volume and complexity.
- Write clearly. Reading a text that is incomprehensible, saturated with terms and full of complex turns, a person quickly gets tired. It is necessary that the text be read in one breath. It is important to understand what audience will read your article. For example, an article about medicine for doctors and medical students will seem like bird language to the general population, but in a simplified, life-like article about medicine, a student preparing for an exam will not find the exact facts he needs. Most often, it is necessary to write public texts. It is important for a writer to be aware of this.
Old and new
Familiar stamps are not as bad as they seem. Everything familiar relaxes a person and inspires confidence in him. Psychologists say that in order for information to be assimilated, the message should contain only 30% of new information. If there is nothing new in the text, then why is it being written? This applies not only to the content, but also to how this information will be presented. It is worth introducing familiar clichés at the beginning of the text and inspiring confidence, but if it is made up of hardened platitudes, then this will cause nothing but boredom. Shine originality, add zest! After all, a writer is a creative profession.
