Who Writes that Stuff?
Offbeat Writing Jobs Exposed
by Dalya Goldberger
Think back to when you were six years old. While some of the neighbourhood kids were announcing their plans to be firefighters, police officers,
doctors, and astronauts, you were declaring your desire to be a writer. Chances are, however, that you did not further define your future writing
career in terms of writing copy for greeting cards or alternative, satirical magazines.
Such writing careers exist, though we rarely think of the writers behind them. I was curious about the nature of those jobs — the type of person
behind them, how they came to be such a writer, and the creative writing process behind their work.
I spoke with four writers who have careers in unique writing domains:
Jim Howard, Renée Duvall, and Scott Emmons: greeting card writers for Hallmark.
Todd Hanson: Head Writer for The Onion, an alternative, satirical magazine.
In what, at first glance, seemed to be opposing writing domains, a common thread surfaced from our discussions that linked the creative processes
used to develop and write successful copy. The consensus among the writers was that truth and honesty are the essential ingredients for creative
writing that is poignant and accessible to the reader.
Dalya Goldberger is Managing Editor of Writer's Block. |
FEATURE
