In order to become a fictional writer I need a range of skills, a portfolio, different resources and real world experiences. The skills required are writing proficiency, creativity, editing, revision, knowledge of different genres, research, etc. Now my word may be biased, but I believe I have great creative, writing, and research skills, but with practice, and help I can become a better writer.
One of the things needed to be a published successful writer is an audience, and in order to get one, a portfolio is needed. In this era of everything online, a portfolio can consist of blog and writing samples. One way to bring attention to your blogs is to gain a social media presence. Social media platforms such as X (previously known as twitter) and Instagram where you can follow and interact with writers and readers alike, getting to know others while growing your audience. Social media can also open doors to resources and real world experience opportunities such as writing workshops, writing groups, clubs, freelance work, collabs, etc. A writing platform called Wattpad is known to open doors for popular writers, getting them book and even movie deals. Some other ways of gaining real world experience are networking in events such as book festivals and expos, freelance work, submitting works to literary magazines and contests and even self-publishing novels or short stories. As for national organizations, the U.S has many with few being Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP), Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), Mystery Writers of America, etc. These are used to assist, and build connections with other writers, and like minded individuals.
To be considered into the publishing world, most writers will need a LinkedIn profile. In order to make the best use of a good linkedin profile you’ll need a headshot and a well-crafted professional engaging headline that showcases your personality, to consistently share your writing journey, highlight your writing experience, connect with fellow writers, editors, publishing agents, and seek freelancing opportunities, which makes you look more professional.

Putting the paper into ChatGPT it suggested I fixed my sentence structure and flow, add specific examples, and add a personal touch.

Some things I knew about being a writer is that you needed to be creative and have good writing skills, but I did learn about the different avenues you could go down to meet different writers and publishers. I learned that there were several national writing organizations in the US and that I need a better social media presence, consistency, and to be more social in the writing circles. It makes me feel far more comfortable choosing writing as a pathway, because this is something I can easily do and fix my errors with. It makes me look forward to expanding my skills as a writer to not only become better at writing and editing, but to the rest of the classes my English major provides which is a huge help.