Do Professional Writers Need Continuing Education? You Bet!

Rita Milios, MSW

As a psychotherapist and writer, I am a member of several professional organizations. When attending psychotherapy workshops or trainings, I am always on the lookout for those offering the "continuing education" hours that I need to maintain my state licensure. I have often mused, gratefully, about the fact that my other profession - writing - is one of the few that does not require any kind of certification or licensure.

While on the one hand, I am grateful for the reprieve, I sometimes wonder...would the writing profession benefit from implementing similar professional standards?  With the availability of so many markets on the internet that actively solicit and publish the work of novice writers, it is both heartening and frightening to consider how easy it is to become a "writer" - often all that is required is a simple upload to a website. Since there are no associations requiring writers to obtain "continuing education units" (CEUs), each individual writer has a responsibility for maintaining quality and professionalism, not only for their own work, but for the industry as a whole. We writers must create our own version of continuing education and we must constantly challenge ourselves to meet the highest professional standards.

Set the Bar a Little Higher  

We writers can embrace the ideas of ongoing education and continuous quality improvement that has been set by other professions. We can utilize the availability of a peer networks to share ideas and experiences and to create common standards for our work. In my state of Ohio, there are a myriad of learning opportunities available for upgrading one's writing skills, gaining or expanding ones' knowledge base and interacting with other professionals in the field  - including editors, publishers and fellow writers. I think that in the near future, we will see a move toward more professional requirements for writers, and the smart writer will be looking ahead, embracing the ideals of professionalism, and securing the necessary skills to meet the standards before they are set.
 
Non-academic as well as academic writing classes are available in most larger cities. For those interested in obtaining a college degree, many colleges and universities offer nationally recognized programs in both fiction and non-fiction writing. And while you don't need a degree to be a great writer, there is a growing trend in paying (especially higher paying) markets toward seeking specialists or "experts" to write articles and books. The ASJA (Association of Journalists and Authors) recently ran an article about this trend, mentioning that some publishers now request (or even require) their authors to have a "platform", or a guarantee of an audience to support the marketing of their books. An advanced degree in your topic area is one way to obtain a platform. Other professional writers pair up with an identified expert, or they become a mini-expert themselves by giving workshops or maintaining an internet web site where they discuss topics related to their subject specialty. Being a psychology/self-help writer and a children's educational writer prior to becoming a psychotherapist, I was grateful for the extra credibility that my academic credentials and licensure contributed to my work as a professional writer. I believe these credentials have "opened doors" for me to help me land freelance jobs. But even though acquiring additional schooling made sense for me, it may not be practical for other writers. Fortunately, non-academic classes or other training may be sufficient to create an expertise. Colleges often offer non-credit classes taught by professionals, who have gained experience "in the trenches." Such courses can help writers gain an expertise in their subject area - and thereby gain an edge on the competition.
 
Stretch Yourself  

Writers' conferences offer a more relaxed atmosphere for acquiring continuing education about the craft and business of writing. Here one can rub elbows not only with other writers, but with editors and agents as well. By selecting workshops that "fill in the gaps" of one's current knowledge about a particular genre, a writer can continue to build an expertise in that area. Writers should also consider going outside their area of expertise. By taking a poetry workshop, for instance, a fiction or nonfiction writer can gain valuable insights about the flow and rhythm of words that can be used to enliven stories or article anecdotes.

Other sources of continuing education are the many magazines and journals available to writers, about both the craft and the business of writing. Remember to routinely review some of the excellent journals, books and magazines that may be cluttering your shelves. Don't let them become simply dust collectors. Like other professionals, you, as a writer, must keep up with the news and trends in your field.

Be Special - Specialize!  

By paying attention to your continuing education needs and developing a "niche" or subject area of expertise, a writer can become more valuable to editors and publishers. For instance, several years ago, a fellow freelance writing friend had the opportunity to write an article for an equine magazine. She was not familiar with either the horse breeding or racing industries, but like a good reporter, she asked a lot of questions of experts who were, and wrote the article. One equine article led to another and this writer, because she enjoyed the topic, began to investigate more about this new niche on her own. She developed a list of resources by contacting a variety of horse associations, veterinary associations and specialists in the area. She also began taking riding lessons. Now this author writes regularly for several equine magazines. She often gets assignments from editors who call her to request an article on a particular topic. Not only does this writer have a steady stream of work, she has created her own syndicate to sell reprints of her equine articles to other markets as well.

One of the most appealing things about being a writer is the variety of the work and the ability to choose our own topics of interest. With so much freedom and opportunity in our field, we as writers, must take charge of our own continuing education in a way that makes sense for each of us individually. Because we do not have formal continuing education requirements, each of us alone will remain responsible for the progress--or the lack thereof -of our writing careers. I challenge you to take charge of your continuing education and your writing career, and to become (or remain) the professional you know yourself to be.

(The above article is adapted from an article that first appeared in Writing in Ohio, 2001 ed.)

Rita Milios is a freelance writer, educational consultant and psychotherapist. She is author of more than thirty books for adults and children. She speaks at schools and writing conferences around the country on topics of creativity, self-growth, writing and publishing. Visit her website at www.RitaMilios.com.