Job description

I've taken several career aptitude tests in my life, and ironically, "Writer" never shows up in the top three of recommended jobs.  Instead, I am apparently meant for a career as an "Actuary" or "Accountant".  No offense to either field, especially since the only accountant-types I know are pretty successful, but nothing could be further from who I am.  I've been writing all my life, and am happiest when I'm being creative.  (Honestly, if "Teacher" and "Researcher" didn't up on the list, I would think the program was too lazy to move beyond the A's, and completely disregard the recommendations.)

I also can't chalk up the results to inexperience or youth.  The last test I took was about ten years ago when my children were starting school, and I wanted to get back into the workforce.  So even as an adult with a career behind me, the best justification I could muster to being a writer was a lukewarm "Technical Writer" suggestion somewhere in my Top Ten.   I helped write technical manuals years ago, and that has about as much in common with writing a novel as working at a fast food restaurant does to being a chef.

I'm thinking about this now because I feel as if some of the skills I was identified as having:  analytical, communication, and technical---are what I'm using the most of now as an independent author.

The analytical part is necessary for editing (well, this aptitude is apparently trumped by impatience in my case).  But the communication and technical skills go hand in hand with marketing yourself, i.e., your "brand" through social media.

For the past few weeks, I've worked full-time to set up author pages on Facebook and Amazon, set up accounts on Goodreads, Author Marketing Club and others, joined groups, lists and boards, combed through dozens of online resources, and of course, started this blog.  And this is just the beginning.  I actually have to/want to contribute to these groups.  Which I will do as soon as I get through the rest of my marketing to-do list.

Way back in the 20th century, I thought being a Writer meant spending most of your time…writing.  It still does, I suppose.  Except now you're writing blogs, status updates, About Me pages, and posts. 

I guess I've become a Technical Writer, after all.