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The differences between creative writers and technical writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a creative writer and a technical writer. Additionally, a creative writer has an average salary of $73,095, which is higher than the $65,329 average annual salary of a technical writer.
The top three skills for a creative writer include digital marketing, proofreading and email campaigns. The most important skills for a technical writer are technical documentation, subject matter experts, and powerpoint.
| Creative Writer | Technical Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $73,095 | $65,329 |
| Hourly rate | $35.14 | $31.41 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 19,129 | 75,090 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 42 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Creative writers are professionals who employ their imagination and discipline to convey new and interesting ideas to an audience in an engaging way, such as books, screenplays, and promotional marketing material. These writers must select a subject or theme for their writing projects while conducting research to obtain factual information and authentic detail for their content. They must review and submit their work for approval to meet the needs of their clients, publishers, or directors. Creative writers can also work for magazines, websites, and advertising or become a freelancer.
Technical Writers specialize in producing easy-to-understand instructional or informational written materials, such as media and journal articles, assessments and guidelines, and legal forms of documentation. For Technical Writers to develop well-versed content, one must conduct thorough research on the topic or idea to ensure factual legitimacy and communicate with those whose expertise aligns with the subject. Aside from producing, Technical Writers can also improve or convert complex written materials such as operating manuals or documents into one that can be easily understood by the general public.
Creative writers and technical writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Creative Writer | Technical Writer | |
| Average salary | $73,095 | $65,329 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $114,000 | Between $48,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Internet | Finance |
There are a few differences between a creative writer and a technical writer in terms of educational background:
| Creative Writer | Technical Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | English | English |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Houston |
Here are the differences between creative writers' and technical writers' demographics:
| Creative Writer | Technical Writer | |
| Average age | 42 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.8% Female, 54.2% | Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 4.9% White, 75.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 8.7% White, 71.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 11% |