The Struggles of Creating a Career as a Young Writer Outside of America.
Looking for Industry Focused Opportunities as a Young Writer + Important TYWI updates !!
With the saturation in the job market and limited opportunities, it has become a need for creatives like young writers to have experiences on their resumes and exposure to the professional world in order to stand out.
Most young writers spend their teenage years struggling to find the right platform for posting their work or juggling multiple projects at a time. This leads to burnout and ultimately all those first drafts of your dreamed next New York Times bestsellers end up unfinished and lost somewhere in your computer.
The same goes for me.
I’ve had my Wattpad era.
I’ve struggled to find a platform and opportunities too.
But during this time, I learned a lot.
In the eagerness to get published, we often overlook the importance of nurturing our craft and growing as writers. The constant stream of publishing deals and book launches on social media can be intimidating, making us feel like we're falling behind. However, it's essential to remember that every writer has their own unique pace and journey. Instead of rushing, take the time to explore your path and let your passion for writing unfold.
Finding the right opportunities can be a challenge, especially for young writers from diverse backgrounds. In American schools, literary clubs and student newspapers provide a platform for aspiring writers to hone their skills and share their work. Unfortunately, many talented writers from around the world lack access to similar opportunities, making it difficult for them to develop their craft and gain recognition as the arts aren’t the most celebrated.
This is where the online community and we come to your help. Whether you can’t find local literary magazines or can’t manage so much work into your busy schedule, you can always look for remote options.
With the growing writing community online, a lot of writers have started organizations like ours to support and motivate young writers from across the world.
As a young writer, finding opportunities to grow and establish yourself in the industry is crucial for success. This involves not only honing your craft through online writing courses, writing groups, and critique platforms, but also seeking out industry-focused writing opportunities that can help you build your portfolio and gain recognition. By exploring online content mills, freelance writing platforms, and writing contests, you can connect with clients and editors who are looking for talented writers like you. Additionally, many online publications, blogs, and websites offer writing opportunities for emerging writers, providing a chance to showcase your work and build your professional network. By taking advantage of these opportunities, you can gain valuable experience, build your portfolio, and make your place in the industry, even if you don't have access to traditional writing conferences or events.
Whether you are a creative writing major or not, experience in the field of writing would be beneficial nonetheless.
Alongside your passion projects, look for opportunities that would help you not only gain experience but also hone your skills.
Some opportunities to give you the boost you need are;
Non-Profits:
Hands down, nonprofits are a great way to get exposure to the professional world. Whether you volunteer for any writing project or join the organization as a writer or editor, you will learn a lot of things. And this experience will help you shine in a lot of ways.
Lit Mags:
Literary Magazines are also a good way to get your work out there. You get reviews on your work and get the feeling of accomplishment as well.
A few literary magazines with open submissions to keep an eye on are;
Mosaic Lit Journal is a youth student-led literary magazine. Their mission is to create a safe place for young writers and artists to get published. Mosaic Lit Journal connects young writers worldwide, receiving over 750 submissions from 83+ countries and accumulating 76k+ site views. They also ran a program that donated 1,500+ artworks to patients in Texas hospitals. Our 6-week 2024 Summer workshop offered 50+ young writers from around the globe a space to develop creative writing skills and connect with peers. Maybe this is the place for you!
According to Stuti Desai, the editor-in-chief, Healthline Zine team is motivated by a shared belief in healing and they are committed to promote stories of illness, loss or pain. They hope writers can find solace and a home in their community and ‘explore the messy and beautiful of illness, healing and hope’. Does this sound like it’s a perfect match for you?
The B’K Magazine (The B’K) is an art and literature magazine prioritizing and paying traditionally marginalized creators, but open to all. Maybe this can be a new place for your work?
The Echo Teen Art & Lit Mag is a nonprofit literary magazine for teens by teens. From 2011, they have been accepting submissions from around the globe, publishing art and writing from many countries, including Nigeria, Poland, Singapore, and the Philippines. See if Echo calls out to your heart!
Publishing Houses:
Interning at a publishing house would definitely let you experience the behind the scenes of the industry. It is no doubt a great way to learn and grow.
To find opportunities at publishing houses, simply search up publishing houses in your city/country and look up their websites for any such information.
If not, you can also try your luck by sending in an email.
School:
The best place to look for opportunities is your own school. Whether your school is organizing a volunteering program or doing student clubs, get involved. Write for the school blog, or start your own club. These valuable experiences from your early days of school will help you get leadership and communication skills important for the writing industry.
Independent Work:
If you’re stuck or feel like doing something more, go your own way. Start a blog or look for freelance opportunities.
Substack is a great platform to start that.
This way you’ll be able to improve your writing skills daily and get an audience for engagement and feedback.
In the end, it's not just about a list of experiences on your resume, it's about the journey. your journey.
Besides gaining valuable experience which will help you grow creatively and professionally, you also might find people who later become lifelong friends, or an organization (like TYWI!) which you can proudly call your second home.
Here’s your weekly TYWI update!
As mentioned in our last update, applications for Summer Camp Leadership are open! And they close on May 10th.
But wait, there’s more! As we continue to reestablish our presence back in the writing community, we’re starting to expand the leadership in the internal TYWI team. This is your chance to get involved in the behind the scenes glory that takes place!
For our communications team, applications are now OPEN! That’s write (haha you get it? anyways..), content writers, video content creators and graphic designers are all needed. Apply here!
We’re also looking for creative, motivated and innovative people with a vision for the revamping of our editing program! Do you think you have what it takes to bring it back? Email contact@tywi.org with your ideas!
Last but not least, we’re currently searching for leadership in our Chapters department. You’d help manage and organize our mini TYWI groups all across the globe! Want more information? Email contact@tywi.org .
Until next time, TYWI family!
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