Corporate writing is all about business. Whatever you write—press releases, opinion pieces, executive talking points—your purpose is to bring business messaging to life in a variety of vehicles and formats.
I know because I’ve spent decades writing for business purposes. To accomplish this, I had to develop a particular voice and rigorous writing/editing processes. Plus, I had to upgrade my skills continuously to take advantage of new platforms and vehicles as they became available.
Does all that sound like fun? There’s a lot of positive things to be said about building a career in corporate communications. If anyone wanted to go into the field, I’d encourage them to explore it. For many, it can be a rewarding experience.
But I must admit, I came away from my corporate communications life with mixed feelings because I harbored a secret dream throughout my career to write fiction.
As you probably know, creative writing comes with its own set of challenges in any circumstance, and to me, with a family and a demanding day job, my dream felt unattainable.
Yet, I desperately wanted to develop my creative side. How?
Well, the answer is obvious, right? If you want to write, then write!
Okay, so I wrote. My writing trajectory was crazy! Sometimes I was all-in, and actually got words on paper. But many more times, nothing happened. Zip. Zero. Zilch.
Honestly, there were exceptions. I finished a few stories and poems and flung them at a magazine here or an anthology there. Occasionally, I got lucky. Go, me! On more occasions, however, I didn’t. Sigh And it would take me ages to write again.
That’s when I realized I needed to build a sustainable practice. To do that, I needed help.
For me, that’s where writing groups came in. With writing groups, I found welcoming communities focused on enabling each other’s creative development. Admittedly, some groups were more supportive and productive than others were. (Some were plain ugh, but that’s the subject of another blog post.)
There are a variety of reasons behind those successes and failures, but taken together, writing groups made a positive difference in my ability to grow my creative writing. With these circles, I kept up my practice over time, and learned a lot along the way about myself, creativity, the craft of writing, and the publishing industry.
Fast forward to today. Now, I’m embarking on my full-time creative endeavor. Will I attain my dream? My heart is high, but the experiences I’ve gained through my writing groups have kept my feet firmly planted on the ground.
As they should be. Look, transitioning to fiction writing from business messaging in a corporate environment is difficult. On the plus side, I’ve got transferable skills: strong writing fundamentals, experience with deadlines, and research/fact-gathering and checking abilities. Along with the plusses, however, come a lot of business-writing habits that need replacing. For starters: Find a fresh voice, embrace imagination, and maintain motivation.
That’s okay because I’m glad to say I’m currently with a wonderful writing group that is helping me along my writing journey and my work is progressing.
How about you? Are you transitioning to creative writing from corporate communications? Are you working with a writing group? Please share your inspiring story!
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