I have always asked myself: when does one become a ‘writer’? To date, though I’ve donned the moniker, it still escapes my mouth with a bit of oddness. I almost look over my shoulder just to see if a naysayer will pop out to challenge my statement. But it took me a while to even begin to say “I am a writer”, maybe because of my experience with such titles and the resentment that could at times rear its ugly head when we dare to take on those titles on our own.

How does one become a ‘writer’?
There is this general belief in the writing world, that to be a writer, one must be awarded or accredited in some way or the other. In Guyana, however, there is a lack of structural mechanisms to allow writers sufficient avenues to such recognition. In its prime years, the Guyana Prize for Literature offered local writers some manner of a platform, but the initiative has since fallen by the wayside. Outside of that tiny playing field, winning some other sporadic contest may count for something. But all who fail to do these things (and, most importantly, win) often fail to live up to the elite title in the eyes of the Arts-loving public.

Dominican-American poet, novelist, and essayist, Julia Alvarez put it fittingly when she said: “there are no magic solutions to the hard work of writing”. That is to say, just as no one process will work for every writer to produce good work, there is also no one path to becoming a well-respected and established writer. There are, however, right and wrong directions, but I won’t get into that so early. I would, instead, advise aspiring writers that, in an environment where there are no hard and fast qualifiers (like competitions) to knight you with the title, you should seek other worthwhile and cumulative alternatives that can help you to get there.

How did I get here?
It was UNICEF that gave me that first boost of encouragement, when in 1999, they published a poem of mine in their publication “Guyana, through Children’s Eyes”. I was 10 years old. Since then I started to dabble casually with words, moving on to fanfiction in high school, to finally gaining a real “writing job” at the Guyana Times Newspaper, where, for a short while, I even had my own column. All the while I had been writing stories and poetry, trying to get some recognition in the creative field. I decided to seal the deal by eventually pursuing an English Degree – much to the chagrin of many around me, who felt it was a waste of four years. Joke’s on them, however, because with the rise of technology and the migration of information from hard copy to digital, you’d be surprised how in-demand an English Degree is. Turns out that, while many people were too busy neglecting the English language to pursue more “worthwhile studies”, now, the gap in proper business writing and editing is becoming ever more noticeable.

More than just fiction
In Guyana, I find that we give more recognition to writers who have a creative focus. So, because my collection of creative pieces was always less in quantity and frequency when compared with my artistic colleagues, I never felt like I fit into that category. That is not to say that I have not been creative at all- you’ll hear about my six-year-old work-in-progress of a novel in another article, and I still have a collection of published and unpublished poems in existence. But over the years, I have come to be recognised more for my professional writing and have even moved on to editing- a position I quite enjoy. As such, I took a while to realise that being a writer is much more than just creative writing- a misconception that I believe still widely exists locally.

Advice to aspiring writers
So here’s a bit of advice: don’t just stick to short stories and poetry in your aim to develop as a writer. If you are looking to have your plays, poems, stories or novel published, certainly keep working at it until you have a finished product. But if you wish to earn professionally as a writer in Guyana- where there is no industry that can allow you to earn off just your creativity- look to other avenues that can help you in that regard. First, look at Degrees that can keep you immersed in the field of writing and language, and which can prepare you for a writing career, like English, Journalism or Communications, but do not stop there.

Look to gain experience in writing by taking up jobs that keep you close to what you want to do. In Guyana, it may be a bit limited: journalism and communications or public relations (to some extent) can help you in this regard. But in all this, ensure you learn to write for electronic publications since online writing is in higher demand than print writing, and this will only increase in the coming years. Create a portfolio as you go along. That will serve as a central part of your CV when applying for other writing jobs.

Seek other freelance jobs that can help to grow that portfolio. Vacancies for copywriters, content writers, bloggers, speechwriters, ghost writers and many other types of writing are out there- not just locally, but online. I have benefitted from many such opportunities over the years. Keep an open mind and create room for growth and income by seeking out other avenues that can continue to exercise your writing talent.

I don’t think I’ll ever get accustomed to being called a writer, though, after years of forging my own path I have come to be recognised in different circles as a writer in my own right. I still have my creative projects close to me, but continue to look to other alternatives that can help to bolster that title. So to answer the question: yes, you can have a viable writing career in Guyana. I have managed to do this, though I am not yet where I want to be. It just calls for an open mind, a redefinition of what we have come to see the term as, and determination to build on the title from all angles so that we are not only able to follow our passion for writing but also earn from it.

Interested in contributing to this column on writing? Email me at thewritemind592@gmail.com