Careers > Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers

Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers

$73.15K Median Salary 15.4K Job Openings (Annual Projection) 8.5% Job Growth

Find Colleges for this Career Find Certificates for this Career

About This Career

Create original written works, such as scripts, essays, prose, poetry or song lyrics, for publication or performance.

Reported Job Titles

Author, Book Author, Children's Book Author, Creative Writer, Fiction Author, Freelance Writer, Lyricist, Novelist, Poet, Songwriter

Career data shown for:

Skills You'll Need

Click on skills to find related courses.

Abilities

Written Expression

Fluency of Ideas

Originality

Written Comprehension

Near Vision

Oral Comprehension

Oral Expression

Inductive Reasoning

Deductive Reasoning

Category Flexibility

Information Ordering

Speech Clarity

Speech Recognition

Selective Attention

Knowledge

English Language

Communications and Media

Psychology

Skills

Writing

Reading Comprehension

Active Listening

Critical Thinking

Speaking

Active Learning

Complex Problem Solving

Judgment and Decision Making

Social Perceptiveness

Technology Skills

Word processing software

Desktop communications software

Web page creation and editing software

Graphics or photo imaging software

Office suite software

Spreadsheet software

Text to speech conversion software

Document management software

Development environment software

Desktop publishing software

Video creation and editing software

Cloud-based data access and sharing software

Presentation software

Tools

Laser printers

Laser fax machine

Personal computers

Tablet computers

Abilities

Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.

Knowledge

English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Communications and Media: Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Psychology: Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Skills

Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Technology Skills

Word processing software: 3M Post-it App; Evernote; Google Docs; Microsoft Word
Desktop communications software: Edmodo
Web page creation and editing software: Facebook; Google Sites; LinkedIn; Social media sites
Graphics or photo imaging software: SmugMug Flickr
Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
Text to speech conversion software: Text to speech software
Document management software: Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat; Filing system software; Records management software; Transcription system software
Development environment software: Adobe Systems Adobe Creative Suite
Desktop publishing software: Adobe Systems Adobe InDesign; Microsoft Publisher
Video creation and editing software: YouTube
Cloud-based data access and sharing software: Dropbox; Google Drive; Microsoft SharePoint
Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint

Tools

Laser printers: Computer laser printers
Laser fax machine: Laser facsimile machines
Personal computers:
Tablet computers:

Related Careers

Editors

$73.08K Salary 5.1% Job Growth

Proofreaders and Copy Markers

$45.41K Salary 5.1% Job Growth

Technical Writers

$79.96K Salary 11.5% Job Growth

Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators

$57.56K Salary 17.4% Job Growth

View All