By Nick Geisler
Publication Date: 2025-12-30 11:00:00
One of the first sentences I’ve ever been paid to write, “Try lighter lipstick colors like peach or coral.” When I was fresh out of college in the mid-2010s, I got a job writing copy for a how-to website. An early task was to further develop an article called “How to Get Rid of Dark Lips.” Over the next two years, I worked on articles with headlines like “How to Talk Like a Stereotypical New Yorker (With Examples),” “How to Eat an Insect or Arachnid,” and “How to Get a Gun License in New Jersey.” I didn’t get rich or win literary awards, but I did learn to write a clear sentence, convey information in a logical order, and adapt my tone for the intended audience – skills that I use every day in my current work in screenwriting, film editing, and corporate communications. Equally important was that the job paid my bills while simultaneously finding my way into the entertainment industry.
Artificial intelligence made my first job unnecessary. If you want to learn today…
