When I was in college at Syracuse University, I as not allowed to just study magazine journalism. I had to have a concentration in another topic–something I could actually write about. I chose psychology. Thinking back on this choice now I see how this reflected my love of everything to do with human potential and self-improvement. I wanted to go to work for a magazine like Psychology Today or Self. If O Magazine had existed, that would have been my top choice.
The professors there at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications knew their stuff. They understood that you to succeed as a writer you needed to be an expert in something, to know enough about a topic to actually prove to an editor you were the right person for the assignment or for the job. However, there’s more to it than that.
If you choose to write about a topic you feel passionate about, a topic you love or that you are really interested in, you are more likely to succeed as a writer. Why? Because your passion will shine through in your writing. And you will feel inspired every day to get up and seek out more work, write more and promote what you do. People will pay for that passion.
Long ago I read a book called Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow: Discovering Your Right Livelihood
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