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Writing is such a personal show of expression which shows so much about a writer from their styles to their passions. It takes so much time for a writer to build up their style and audience. This is met with a lot of challenges that range from who to write for to what type of writing are you passionate about. Being a young writer can be an advantage since you have enough time to grow and understand what makes your work appealing. Being young is an appeal within itself. It gives a fresher outlook that many outlets are on the look for. The downside though is that a younger writer may lack the experience that older writers have.

There are many writers out there who are vying for the same position you are so it’s important to both have a unique style and to research topics that the outlet hasn’t talked about before. For example, if the outlet is about Spanish music and you are passionate about the complexities of instruments then it’s important to look into what the outlet hasn’t written about. Then take a side that hasn’t been covered around the topic. Maybe talk about the history behind different Spanish instruments or how each instrument has helped spread the culture of Spanish music. This way it is both on topic but also fits with what you are passionate about.

Being a younger writer means looking into many different outlets from journalistic writing to book writing. Building up a portfolio is important however if the writer is busy or doesn’t have the financial stability to take on those free opportunities then it’s less easy to build it up. This is especially the case for younger writers who either have obligations related to part-time work or education. Art takes time and money and for people who can’t easily access that it can become hard to get those opportunities. It is important for anyone who wants to get in to set time aside even if it is small to do the writing. Whether that means using paper and pen the passion of writing can be built from the smallest resources.

Looking for outlets to apply to can sometimes be very easy and sometimes very hard depending on where you look. It can be confusing to know where to start with there being so many outlets out there. Start by emailing different outlets and sending writing samples that fit your interests. In this even with lacking writing skills your passion for the topic can help balance this out. It is crucial however to proofread your work or have someone look over it before sending it off. Sometimes you will not get any feedback for your samples if they are rejected however when you do this can be a great way to know where you need to improve the most.

The way everyone grows is by writing. I wrote constantly to build up the resume I now have. To improve within any skill it takes practice and writing is no different. Being young means that you have plenty of time to write about what you love. The best thing to motivate yourself to write constantly is to first start a blog. By blogging, there is motivation to improve and post consistently. This can also mean that there is a chance to gain a portfolio along with a potential audience alongside it. Yes, every writer says this advice however it is a fact that has helped many newer writers. With this, it’s good to improve through writing within other forms alongside blog writing. This helps diversify your skills.

Rejection is a bigger part of writing as a career with many writers submitting applications to sometimes even to the same publications and blogs. This creates a high amount of competition. One important thing to remember is that every magazine has a different format they prefer and sometimes it just comes down to personal taste and preference. It takes time to build up a style and a portfolio to make yourself appealing to potential clients. A way to curb the amount of rejection you get is to look into what the publications are. This is usually shown by both looking through their content and most of the time the publication will have a submission page that demonstrates their guidelines.

Some outlets will offer feedback to you which can guide you in the right direction. When you get this feedback, don’t take it to heart; instead, break it down. This can route out feedback that may not be helpful. Most rejections won’t equal getting feedback but if you want to see what you could’ve missed out a good idea is to look into what the outlets you have previously written for and compare it to either your past work or to the sample you submitted. Keep in mind that your style may have just not suited that particular outlet.

Finding my voice was one of the hardest parts of understanding my style. This came from a mix of things from what my inspirations were, my personal experiences, and what I had learned through my academic studies. Every writer has their way of learning from taking the academic route or through self-teaching. Both can work however you must continue to learn even after you start gaining gigs. This will ultimately help you improve and make you more appealing in the professional writing world. Many professional and well-known writers have taken years to get their writing skills to where is currently are now.