How to become a writer
Find out how to get into writing as a career in the UK, including how to become a copywriter, technical writer and creative writer.
Information is correct as at August 2025. Before deciding whether to pursue a career, you are advised to contact your careers service for the most up-to-date guidance.
How to get into writing
If you're interested in becoming a writer, there's a range of different areas you can go into, including:
- fiction or non-fiction books
- articles
- screenplays
- technical reports
- copywriting
- digital content writing
- proofreader.
Whichever path you choose to take, you'll need excellent written communication skills with an awareness of your audience and the ability to come up with original ideas.
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Qualifications required
There are no set requirements to become a writer.
But some employers may like to see you have five GCSEs (grades A* to C), A-levels and an undergraduate degree.
If you haven't studied a degree yet, and you're considering one, browse our related-subject areas:
- Digital Media
- English, Literature and Creative Writing
- Film Making and Media Production
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence
- Journalism
- Media and Communications.
Some people go on to further study including Masters courses and PhD degrees.
Skills required
If you decide to go into writing as a career, you'll need the following skills:
- communication (verbal and written)
- accuracy and attention to detail
- literacy
- creativity
- research
- meeting deadlines.
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Earning potential of a writer
£11kstarting salary (but this depends on your organisation and the type of writer you are)
£25kaverage salary (but this depends on your organisation and the type of writer you are)
40hours a week (but hours are variable with some evening and weekend work and depends on your employer)
CareerWriters can take a range of training courses throughout their career to sharpen their skills
How to get writing experience
As well as qualifications, employers may want to see that you have some experience of writing in your chosen area.
You could:
- write for your school, college, or university newspaper
- join a writers' group
- write a blog
- enter writing competitions
- self-publish your work
- join your school, college or universities student social media team (if you have one)
- work on your university's radio or TV station
- write the script for your school, college or university's end-of-year shows.
You could also try and get work experience at your local newspaper, a digital agency, in the scriptwriting department of a broadcaster, or a publishing house.
Specialist writer roles
You may decide you want to specialise in a particular type of writing. You can see some popular roles in writing below.
- How to become a copywriter
Copywriters write content that promotes a particular product or service and usually work in digital, marketing, advertising or public relations.
They also edit and proofread copy, come up with ideas for content, user test concepts with their target audience, and ensure content is on brand.
There are no set qualifications to become a copywriter and you may be able to take a qualification in any subject.
There are a range of different routes to becoming a copywriter. Some of these may include:
Route one: Some employers may want to see at least 5 GCSEs, A-levels and a degree in a related area such as English, Journalism, or Marketing. You may also need to demonstrate your related work experience and a portfolio of work to show a potential employer.
Route two: Other employers may prefer to see the above (route one) as well as a background in journalism. Find out how to become a journalist.
Route three: You may be considered for a position as a copywriter without experience or qualifications. Some employers may accept you if you can demonstrate expert writing skills and an in-depth knowledge of the subject area. You may also be asked to compile a portfolio of writing to show your employer.
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If you haven't studied a degree yet, and you're considering one, browse our related subject areas:
- How to become a UX writer
A user experience (UX) writer creates copy for digital products such as websites, apps and bots. They aim to optimise your experience with that product to guide you through a process and make it easy for you to navigate to the information you need. UX writers usually sit within a design team and are responsible for crafting copy for the product interface and any other touchpoints that make up the user experience.
If you want to become a UX writer, you’ll need:
- exceptional communication and collaboration skills
- strong research and analysis skills
- understanding of user experience design
- knowledge of user and usability testing
To gain experience in UX writing, you could:
- take a UX writing course
- create a UX writing portfolio
- explore and learn design tools like Figma.
There are no set qualifications to become a UX writer and you may be able to take a qualification in any subject.
If you haven't studied a degree yet, and you're considering one, browse our related subject areas:
- How to get into script writing
Scriptwriters write the scripts for television, radio and theatre shows. As part of the role, they have to produce plots and characters, come up with ideas for stories and pitch them, develop the script and rewrite the script if necessary.
There are no set qualifications to become a screenwriter and you may be able to take a qualification in any subject.
Most screenwriters are self-employed and pitch for their work. You could try and pitch your own screenplays to producers and as you build up a reputation you may be approached to write scripts by people working in the industry.
However you choose to approach your screenwriting career, you may get noticed by producers by entering screenwriting competitions, submitting work to or creating your own productions on YouTube or for performances locally.
.If you haven't studied a degree yet, and you're considering one, browse our related subject areas:
- How to get into freelance writing
Freelance writers can choose the area they want to write about. For example, some decide to pitch stories to newspapers or magazines, while others copywrite for corporations or ghostwrite for authors.
When you know the type of freelance writer you want to become, you can work out if you need to take any specific courses or training. You may be able to study a qualification in any subject.
There are a range of different routes to becoming a freelance writer. Some of these may include:
Route one: Some employers may want to see at least 5 GCSEs, A-levels and a degree in a related area such as English, Journalism or Marketing. If you decide to become a freelance journalist, you may then need to go on to further study and take a NCTJ qualification (National Council for the training of journalists). Find out how to become a journalist. You may also need to demonstrate your related work experience and a portfolio of work to show a potential employer. Some people choose to have a career as a staff writer on a publication before going freelance, so they can build up their reputation and contacts in the industry.
Employers do not offer salaried, permanent positions but hire freelance writers as and when needed for specific commissions.
Route two: Many freelance writers do not have any qualifications and many employers do not request to see their freelance writers educational backgrounds. Instead you may need to demonstrate expert writing skills, an in-depth knowledge of the subject area and a good pitch. To be commissioned for a piece, you may also need to supply a portfolio of work.
Whichever route you choose to take, freelance writing can be a challenging career. However, the more you get published, the more you can build up your reputation and may even get a regular spot writing a column or copywriting for an organisation.
You could also:
- sharpen up your pitching skills. You need to give your story a hook to entice an editor or learn how to meet a corporations brief in an interesting way so that you'll be selected for the job
- put together a portfolio of work. You can do this by writing for a local newspaper or magazine or a school, college or university newspaper. You can add to your portfolio everytime you are commissioned for more work
- build up your contacts book and clients. If you're planning to become a freelance journalist, you should try and talk to as many people as possible to source stories, and keep them on your books for future leads. You may also want to build a list of clients - you can do this by registering with recruitment agencies and joining websites like and .
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If you haven't studied a degree yet, and you're considering one, browse our related subject areas:
- How to become an author
Authors write fiction or non-fiction books. If you choose to write fiction you will need to produce plots and characters and come up with ideas for stories. If you choose to write non-fiction you will need to research your topic, ensure that your copy is accurate and cite references where needed.
There are no set qualifications to become an author and you may be able to take a qualification in any subject.
There are a range of routes into writing. Some of these may include:
Route one: Some people choose to take subjects related to creative writing at GCSE, A-level and degree level such as English, English Language and Linguistics and Journalism. They then may choose to go on to further study such as a Masters. Others may choose to go on to a PhD.
Route two: Many authors do not have any qualifications. Instead you may need excellent writing skills and an in-depth knowledge of the subject area you are writing about.
Whichever route you take, becoming a published author is challenging and you will need a full-time job to support you while you're writing. These steps may help you get started:
- before you put pen to paper do your research. Whatever you are writing about, even if it is first-hand experience, you need to make sure you get your facts right
- write a content plan. Not every author does this, but sometimes it might help to get your basic plot, or contents down, and try and plan the structure of your book so you have a format to follow when you start to write. It may also help to write profiles for each of your characters
- establish your tone, voice and audience. Make sure you write in your own style and make it original and different. Try and think about who you are writing for and the genre of your book
- shape your plot. Make your story or subject area creative and original with a good plot twist
- look for a publisher. Think about the kind of publisher most suited to publishing your book, and try not to send it out randomly. You may also want to consider self-publishing
- don't be upset if your book is rejected. It is really difficult to get your work published. It can be frustrating, but don't give up. If you enjoy writing, move forward to the next project and try again.
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If you haven't studied a degree yet, and you're considering one, browse our related subject areas:
- How to become a technical writer
Technical writers create specialist copy for range of industries including automotive, construction, education, engineering, government, medicine (and other sciences), and research. You may be asked to write reports, or put together user manuals for particular products or software.
You don't always need a degree to become a technical writer, but some employers may like to see subject specific skills.
There are a range of routes into becoming a technical writer. Some of these may include:
Route one: Some people choose to take subjects related to the industry they want to write for at GCSE, A-level and degree level such as business, computer sciences, economics, engineering, medicine and the sciences. Others take a degree in any subject and then specialise. You may also want to look at taking a Masters or PhD in technical communications or training courses specific to your industry. You may also need a good knowledge of some software packages.
Route two: Most trainee journalists start off as news reporters on local newspapers or at regional broadcasters before they specialise into more niche roles like technical writing. See our routes into journalism.
Route three: You may be considered for a position as a technical writer without qualifications. Some employers will accept you if you can demonstrate expert writing skills, an in depth knowledge of the subject area or several years of working in the industry. You may also be asked to compile a portfolio of writing to show your employer.
Whichever route you choose to take, it may be beneficial to try and get practical work experience, such as writing user manuals or technical reports. You should then compile a portfolio of your work to show to a potential employer.
.If you haven't studied a degree yet, and you're considering one, browse our related subject areas:
- How to become a travel writer
There are a range of routes to becoming a travel writer. Some of these may include:
Route one: If you have an interest in becoming a travel writer, you may decide to follow the route into journalism.
Route two: Some people decide they want to write travel books. They may decide to follow route one before trying to publish their book.
Route three: You may be considered for a position as a travel writer without qualifications. Some employers will accept you if you can demonstrate expert writing skills, an in depth knowledge of the subject area or several years of working in the travel industry. You may also be asked to compile a portfolio of writing to show your employer.
It may also help to:
- start a travel blog or vlog about places you have travelled to - this will also help you showcase your ability to potential employers
- find original and interesting angles that set you apart from travel guides.
Paid travel reporter roles are rare, and almost all published travel writers decide to become freelance and pitch travel features to editors. .
- How to become a blogger
Whether you want to find out how to become a professional blogger for a company, or start up your own blog, you may need excellent written communication skills with an awareness of your audience and the ability to come up with original ideas.
There are a variety of professional roles in blogging. Some companies employ bloggers on a freelance basis, while others employ full-time social media officers, who work across several social platforms, as well as blog sites.
Alternatively, you may decide to set up your own blog. Although this can be successful for some, it is advised that you work in a full or part-time job alongside creating your blog, as blogging rarely provides a stable income.
If you're more confident in front of the camera, you may want to look at becoming a vlogger.
If you haven't studied a degree yet, and you're considering one, browse our related subject areas:
If you're interested in writing for newspapers or magazines find out how to become a journalist.
Studying at Sussex
If you choose to study your degree at Sussex, you'll benefit from:
- careers support for up to three years after you graduate
- the chance to join our alumni network
- mentoring schemes so you get real-world advice, support and experience while you study.