What Does the Pandemic Mean for Writers?

The Style & Tone of the Writing Have Evolved

First, as writers saw both increases and decreases in their workloads in 2020, they also observed a change in the tone of the writing they were doing. Writers whose previous jobs had been to entertain or to write marketing copy were and are being called upon to write more informative copy.

For example, a travel writer who had previously written about being barefoot in Bali now also needs to be write about changes in travel policies, quarantine requirements for travelers, restrictions forum vaccinated travelers, etc.

Not only are writers shifting the style of their writing, but they are also adopting different tone. Authoritative and informed tones that remain optimistic are skills everyone writing through the pandemic needs to hone for their toolkit.

Writers also need to brush up on their research skills; those writing through the pandemic are great at finding reliable facts, statistics, and citable information. Here are a few tips for being a stronger researcher:

• Government and state websites, agencies like the CDC, and academic journals are reliable sources.

• Anecdotes and examples illustrate your points and can help add color to an informative article.

• When searching for information (especially statistics), you should be able to triangulate your information. This means that the same information is available from multiple, reliable sources.

Writing copy with reliable research makes your client look good, which in turn makes you look great to the client. Note that even as the world continues establishing new norm, expect to see clients and bodies of writing, even those strictly geared toward entertainment to continue to have an informative tone as audiences will need and want to know the “rules” for getting out and around again.

Diversification is Vital to Future Success

In addition to evolving style and tone, we writers also need to expand our skillsets in general. Many writers during the pandemic started taking classes and adding new certifications to their arsenals of skills.

Certification courses sometimes cost more, so use your judgement to determine if you need the certification or just the skills. For example, you can learn line editing, ghostwriting, a new language, etc. And improve your marketability without getting a certification or another degree. On the contrary, if you’re going to learn XML or become an Adobe design expert, certification can help you ask for more money while you’re building your client base.

There are many options for courses available; some with good reputations are:

• Digital Marketing Institute

• Udemy (they have several, check reviews)

• Masterclass (specifically Malcom Gladwell’s)

• LinkedIn

• HubSpot Academy

Courses are also available through professional membership organizations including the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA), the American Copy Editors Society (ACES), the Author’s Guild (AG), etc. Check, too, to see what non-degree courses you can take at a discount through your Alma Mater if you have one.

That said, do you have to take a course to thrive as a writer post-pandemic? No, but many are finding that diversifying their skill sets are helping them land jobs in a market sometimes characterized by uncertainty and scarcity.

Creative Personal Marketing Lands Jobs

Another shift for writers brought on the by the pandemic is that writers are becoming more creative in marketing themselves. For example, you might be a strong copywriter and editor who has experience doing content marketing and websites.

While listing your skills and talents along with some referrals worked well enough pre-pandemic, a solid way writer are getting work in the current climate is to package their services and / or sell their skills. For example:

• Writers are creating courses for others to learn what they know

• Writers are packaging services such as new website content and e-mail content for clients

• Writers are reviewing existing web copy and proposing to edit and refresh it for clients

The cleverness of repackaging your services is two-fold.

1. You don’t have to change the costs of your services; in fact, regardless of the fear-spike caused by the pandemic, your skills are equally, if not more, valuable than they were before the world went indoors.

2. You can build on new relationships. For example, a client who needs you to set up their website and e-mail newsletter may be a client for whom you can write blog content or monthly newsletters. They might need help connecting to customers via social media. All of these are valuable services that can stem from the initial package.

Schedules & Boundaries Keep Writers Writing

Finally, the pandemic has changed the ways that writers work. Though many writers may have already worked from home, they likely did so without the 24/7 distractions of their families or the pressures to wear parental hats while trying to work. The pandemic blurred the workday lines for many writers, and many of us found and still find ourselves working at 3 AM, the only time we can get uninterrupted peace to think clearly.

Needless to say, this leads to burnout and fatigue, a common complaint by many writers who are now parenting around the clock while work full time. To survive, writers have to create schedules and set boundaries around their work.

• Plan your following day’s work at least one day in advance. Be realistic about what you can accomplish; it’s a to-do list, not a wish list. Your capacity for what you can accomplish in a day may be less than before the pandemic.

• Do the most challenging or time-sensitive work first to guarantee it gets done and that you’re not stressing about it later...or sitting up at 3 AM knocking it out.

• Create a family schedule. For parents, this is vital. Create a schedule that everyone must adhere to. Include meals and snacks as we all learned early in the pandemic that our children are somehow capable of eating 13 “snacks” in a day. If you can, lock yourself in your room during your work hours. Your family will only take you as seriously as you do; if you prove you’re open to constant interruption, you will be constantly interrupted.

Honestly, interrupted is exactly what the pandemic has meant for writers; interruptions have come in the forms of needing to diversify our skillsets, to branch into different genres and styles, to re-establish our personal brands, and to learn to work around personal obligations layered on top of professional ones.

While we may be interrupted, there are a lot of perks to the way writers work in 2021 due to the pandemic...we are strengthening our skills, we are growing our businesses, and we are showing our families what clever, creative, and hardworking rock stars we are.

The pandemic changed more than work for writers; it changed work for everyone. If you’re doing more online business and need help putting your best foot forward, we at The Storyteller Agency have the personal and professional design, writing, and marketing skills you’ve been searching for, the ones that will help you connect online the same way you do IRL.