When I first finished college, I thought that being a writer was impossible. But my internship changed my mind in several ways and managed to turn me into a real writer.

It taught me to just keep writing

Us writers get discouraged often – and not by other people but by ourselves. So we often give up. I was almost there a few times in my life and there was always something that pulled me back. I just loved it too much.

When I finished college I desperately needed that something – in this case, it was my internship. I signed up because I needed someone to tell me what to do. That’s what I expected. But they didn’t do that.

And I thank them for it. Because this was something I needed to figure out on my own. Writing was a part of me and I just needed to learn to keep going despite my inner self-critic. My mentors and fellow writers over there were really helpful in giving me constructive criticism and pointing to the real issues that I quickly learned how to fix. This was unlike my inner critic who was bashing over everything.

So, this experience was valuable in that it showed me that writing is the most important thing in my life and that I should always keep writing, even when I don’t have a job or when I don’t feel like it.

It showed me that I’m not alone

Writing is lonely. You don’t get to talk to other people or mingle. You have to be in your own head and draw from that and research as well.

And I wasn’t crazy to think that I am the only writer in the world, but it sure felt like it at times, especially when no one in my surroundings was a writer too. I was alone and there was no one to talk to when I had writer issues or sentence problems.

But then I got my internship and it was a turning point for me. There were so many writers. And they all had same issues I did. We could talk about it, write in the same room or discuss plots, help each other solve various issues and so on. It was enlightening.

But the best part of it was that it wasn’t over when the internship was done. I was still friends with those people and they became sort of my writing buddies.

They were there with me when no one else could – for writer doubts and problems. And I was there for them too.

Now I have a wide network of writers that I can hang out with and learn from. It’s a really fun and inspiring.

Being with other writers is inspiring. You can learn so much and have so much fun with them. I recommend this to anyone.

Dealing with the business side of the job

What I didn’t know before is that writing is always part business and negotiation part actual writing. Especially if you want to get hired.

This is what they taught me – how to handle myself, how to deal with clients, how to behave and so on. All of this was really strange to me at first but then I realized that it’s very important to know all of this.

When I started looking for a job, this came easy to me because I knew the pitfalls of each offer and every contract. I knew what my work was worth.

Knowing how to deal with people is an important part of being a writer. When I was an intern, this was my job and I must say that it taught me a lot.

My internship was an amazing experience where I learned more than I could have ever hoped for. I met amazing writers and mentors and I figured out who I truly am as a writer. This was an enlightening experience that I would recommend to anyone.

Aimee Laurence is a professional blogger at Best coursework help and Australian Help. She enjoys helping people learn about writing and sharing her tips. She loves to write for Cheap papers online, academic service.

Image courtesy of Kat Stokes.