How To Become A Story Writer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a story writer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Anna Mae Duane

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a story writer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $30.48 an hour? That's $63,400 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 5,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a story writer?

Anna Mae Duane

Professor of English and Director of the Humanities Institute, Website

The idea that English majors are not in demand is a myth—don’t harm your own chances by buying into it! There are numerous studies—and countless employer testimonies—that indicate how valuable your skills as an English major are. English majors consistently find work in a variety of fields, and perhaps even more important, alumni of English departments report that they find their jobs and lives rewarding. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 'what sets two equally qualified job candidates apart can be as simple as who has the better communication skills.' You are, in many ways, ahead of the game in comparison to others in your cohort. I’d also urge English majors to think broadly about their career options. Yes, fields like journalism, publishing and advertising all rely on the skills developed in English departments. But other employers, particularly in tech companies, have realized how valuable English majors can be to their organization. As a recent report in Fortune indicates, top executives in AI at IBM and elsewhere realize that having expertise in the Humanities is an essential component for success in their field.

ScoreStory WriterUS Average

Salary

5.0

Avg. Salary $63,400

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

3.4

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.36%

Asian 4.95%

Black or African American 5.97%

Hispanic or Latino 7.67%

Unknown 5.37%

White 75.69%

Gender

female 45.16%

male 54.84%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

3.4

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.4

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a story writer

Explore story writer education requirements

Most common story writer degrees

Bachelor's

72.0 %

Master's

13.0 %

Associate

6.0 %

Start to develop specific story writer skills

Skills	Percentages
Feature Stories	65.59%
News Articles	34.41%

Research story writer duties and responsibilities

Manage projects diligently under aggressive deadlines while maintaining editorial integrity and ensuring stories have entertainment and/or educational value.
Work with a small team of indie developers on a survival horror project for PC and consoles.
Coordinate and conduct interviews with article subjects, and maintain constant communication with editor-in-chief.
Coordinate and conduct interviews with article subjects, and maintain constant communication with editor-in-chief.

Prepare your story writer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your story writer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a story writer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable story writer resume templates

Build a professional story writer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your story writer resume.