Candy's Success was No Piece of Cake!

The interview with travel writer, Candy Harrington, really caught my attention. As I have always wanted to be a writer, it is cool to read about a woman who had the same dreams as little girl. Although I want to write about the fashion industry, travel writing is amazing and Harrington shed some serious light on the pros and cons of her job.

One thing that Harrington mentioned a time or two was how back when she ‘got her first big break’ the industry was not so competitive. That could not be more true. However, that is really scary when it is the industry I hope to make an impact on in my life. The 21st century has changed so many things and made so many advances; namely technology (the Internet) which has cast a huge shadow over ‘print journalism.’

Harrison also talked about the challenges that her job brings. She described the pressures of running a business, writing, and maintaining her relationship with her husband were the major challenges she faces. Although I am not married and probably won’t be for a long time, I have always worried about how being a journalist will effect my ‘marriage.’ Due to much required traveling, covering breaking news stories in the middle of the night, and a lot of time ‘away’ in general. It was comforting to hear about a successful woman who was facing this same challenge.

Harrison shared her best advice for ‘breaking in’ and said it is important to “Establish yourself as an expert in a specific niche.” I think that is perfect advice. Although, I am pretty sure her advice was meant for travel writers, I think that’s true for writers across the board (i.e. fashion writers). Freelancing and covering odd jobs is a good way to break in. But showing passion and knowledge about the subject you want to cover will make it much easier to find a job where you can write about what your interested in. Which I think is the key to being successful and happy!