Are you a struggling, undiscovered wordsmith who’s never happier than when they’re at their laptop, fingers blurring across the keyboard in a latte fuelled typhoon of creative fecundity? Are you frustrated that your talents are going to waste in a boring and repetitive job where the most intellectually stimulating part of the day is deciding what sandwich to have for dinner? Do you fantasize on the drive to or from work about what it must be like to make a living from writing? Not just a few bucks here and there but an actual living equal to or greater than your current wage?

The good news is that in the digital age, there are more opportunities than ever to do just that. Whether your talents lie in copywriting, creative writing or both there are a plethora of both salaried jobs and freelancing opportunities out there right now, just waiting to liberate you from the drudgery of the daily grind and provide you with a wealth of new prospects. Here are just a few…

It starts with a blog

If you’re serious about making a living from writing, you should already have a blog. It doesn’t even necessarily matter what you blog about. First and foremost, your blog should be a whetstone to keep your writing sharp and your skills well honed. Like any abilities, writing skills atrophy over time with lack of practice.

Your blog is also a promotional tool. You should link to it in job applications and use it to grow your following. Immerse yourself in the thriving community of bloggers. They will provide an excellent resource for critique providing ideas and giving honest critique of your work.

When your following gets robust enough, you may want to consider monetizing your blog with advertising solutions like Adwords or even using Patreon to allow your readers to show their appreciation on a “pay as you feel” basis.

Working with white label

If your talents lie in copywriting, one of the best ways to hone your skills is by applying to freelance for a company that produces white label content. This will get you used to writing copy for a range of blogs, each with its own unique voice. Your research skills will be tested and refined as you become more proficient in producing greater volumes of content to meet your daily deadlines. If you’re prepared to put the hard work in, you can make a very lucrative wage doing this.

When you have built up enough experience and industry knowledge, you can start approaching other clients and building your portfolio.

Get creative

If, on the other hand, you want to make a living with creative writing, there are a number of routes open to you. Whatever new media present themselves in the 21st century, don’t let anyone tell you that there isn’t still good money to be made in books. Indeed, in the e-book era, you have more opportunities to self-publish than ever before; using social media to promote your e-book without having to pay expensive printing costs.

There are a range of writing courses to help you to pursue a career in creative writing. They will not only help you to refine your craft, but to help you with the logistics of getting your work published by a publishing house or making a success of self-publishing.

Don’t let yourself languish in an unhappy job for a moment longer. If you’ve always dreamed of making a living from writing, you’ve never had more opportunities to make this dream a reality.

This post has been contributed by Ryan Gatt, it may contain affiliate links.