Median Annual Wage: $58,850
Education: High school diploma or equivalent (32%); Bachelor's degree (32%); Less than high school diploma (16%)
Projected Growth: Slower than average (3% to 7%)
Related Job Titles: Songwriter; Author; Freelance Writer; Novelist; Lyricist; Book Reviewer; Creative Writer; Documentary Script Writer; Freelance Journalist; Librettist
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Source: O*NET OnLine information for Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers.
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- Choose subject matter and suitable form to express personal feelings and experiences or ideas, or to narrate stories or events.
- Plan project arrangements or outlines, and organize material accordingly.
- Prepare works in appropriate format for publication, and send them to publishers or producers.
- Follow appropriate procedures to get copyrights for completed work.
- Write fiction or nonfiction prose such as short stories, novels, biographies, articles, descriptive or critical analyses, and essays.
- Develop factors such as themes, plots, characterizations, psychological analyses, historical environments, action, and dialogue, to create material.
- Confer with clients, editors, publishers, or producers to discuss changes or revisions to written material.
- Conduct research to obtain factual information and authentic detail, using sources such as newspaper accounts, diaries, and interviews.
- Write narrative, dramatic, lyric, or other types of poetry for publication.
- Attend book launches and publicity events, or conduct public readings.
Source: O*NET OnLine information for Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Source: O*NET OnLine information for Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers.