How Does an Advice Column Writer Spend a Workday?
Other People Are Reading
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Deadlines
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Starting your day as an advice column writer depends on whether you work for a magazine, newspaper or blog. All of these require you to write clearly, think quickly and meet absolute deadlines. Getting your own advice column in a newspaper or a syndicate is really tough because shrinking ad revenues have led many newspapers to reduce the number of pages and sections they print. But if you're known as an expert gardener in your area, for example, your local paper might agree to an advice column for people with not-so-green thumbs. Magazines are also hard for a beginner to break into, so you might want to consider creating a blog or an Internet advice column.
Readers
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Checking to see what questions or comments readers have made is the first thing any advice column writer does during the workday. Some publications allow you to choose which questions get answered and published; some figure this is the editor's job. You'll often spend an hour or two sorting through your mail and messages, looking to see if a trend is developing or if people are worried about a particular issue. Making---and keeping---your column fresh, up-to-date and very much tuned in to the headlines of the day is a major concern for every columnist.
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Experts
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Researching an answer will also take up a good deal of your time. You'll likely go online and search material--on subjects as varied as medical information, rules of etiquette and marriage counseling--to try to find answers for your readers. Calling or emailing experts if someone has a complicated or very emotion-laden question is also a good idea. You'll need to compile a list of names and phone numbers of psychologists, drug rehabilitation workers, police officers or lawyers who are willing to be quoted if you're going to have specialized authorities backing up your answers.
References
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Read books and articles about your chosen field, both new ones and classic texts. Attending seminars and forums that might help you help your readers is also a great idea. If you're a financial adviser, continually taking classes is a must if you want to maintain credibility. Of course, you'll carefully think through any answers before you put them in print. Tactfully advising a distraught reader can be hard, too, especially when it's obvious the questioner is causing the majority of his or her problems.
You're the Expert Now
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Speaking in front of a civic group or a support group for a particular disease or problem could also become a part of your job. Or maybe you'll be speaking to an audience of your readers someday. Having a loyal readership that eagerly turns to your print column or has your Internet site bookmarked isn't an "overnight success" type of achievement, but most advice columnists say they enjoy being regarded as a trusted friend by their audience. If other people constantly ask your advice on relationship issues, or friends call you when they can't decide which bills to pay first or what to do about the noisy neighbors---and you listen and try to help---you might be a natural as an advice column writer.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Microsoft Office Clip File
