Travel writers, food writers and all things specialised

If you are a journalist, you may not have thought of specialising in a specific area of journalism. This work usually offers more opportunities since you will hold specialist knowledge in an area most of us do not. Specialist areas in medicine, international shipping and shares earn a particularly good living with commercial magazines. Nevertheless, any specialist area that holds public interest is worth becoming more aware of and exploring further. Here are some interesting interviews with specialists in different areas:

Travel writing: An interview with Simon Sellars from Lonely Planet

Food writing: An interview with Elina Shatkin from Chef’s Feed Magazine

Game writing: An article written by Melissa Brewer on her experiences

Remember that when you specialise you will be reading and writing a lot of information on that topic, potentially for many years. Make sure you’re in love with the subject area; some areas will be incredibly competitive in comparison to others. Read a lot, be it the great travel writers publications or a large quantity of food magazines. Knowledge is power – and money. If you want it enough, you can become a specialist writer.

If you’re not writing for the fame or glamour…

Technical writers write manuals and system documentation. It doesn’t sound exciting but with fast paced technological progression comes the need for technical writing. Once you have written a manual for a company you can reasonably expect further work updating your manual and writing new documentation in the business. It is good pay and a stable career.

You will obviously require technical aptitude in order to write a manual guiding the reader on the usage of a piece of technology. It’ll also require a calm and patient attitude, the work will require experimentation with software – sometimes it will take time to work out. Knowledge of a graphics tool, video capture tool and an online help authoring tool are highly recommended by technical writers online. You will require contact with your inner technology geek.

Write a blog

It doesn’t matter what type of work you are looking for in this industry, you’ll need one. A blog is the modern day equivalent to the portfolio. Many writers are discovered through their work written online. You are creating a brand for yourself when you produce work online, you will also learn what works and what does not based on the recognition you receive.