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Anna Leonard
Mrs. Pettay
ENG 111
11 December 2015
Film Actress vs. Fiction Novel Writer
Susannah York, a now deceased film actress and author of two novels, once said, Acting
and writing go together. Actors write because they love words and becoming other people - we
love to escape into other characters. The reason for my thirst for both writing and acting is
apparent: the two go hand-in-hand. With the aspect of entertainment and the escape from oneself
weaved into each career, it is difficult to distinguish between the two. The sole difference is that
an actor escapes into someone elses writing, while a writer is able to delve into his own writing.
When facing my college years head-on, I see the opportunity for improvement in both areas of
study. Through comparing these two careers, I will be able to choose a major and career more
comfortably. After having compared the economic status, education requirements, and my
personal interest in the job requirements of film acting and fiction novel writing, I have come to
the conclusion that film acting is best suited to me.
To begin, film acting will not always provide a stable economic status or steady income.
According to a study conducted in 2012 as reported by Truity, a website that offers information
about the statistics and facts regarding a specific career, actors held roughly 78,900 jobs
(Actors Truity). This may seem like a large number, but this contributes to the constant
competition for actors. While it is obvious that the demand for new television shows and movie
will not go away in the near future, the employment is not expected to keep pace with that
demand (Actors Truity). In addition to these setbacks, the Bureau of Labor Statistics states

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that the job availability is growing slower than previous years: four percent (Actors Bureau of
Labor Statistics). Acting may not lend itself to a stable economic status. Unsteady income would
be a definite drawback, leading to a possible second job. A second job is doable but would be
discouraged by my family. Finding a second job that cooperates with my current job would be
difficult. Although this situation is not desirable, similar situations often occur when considering
entertainment- and art-centered careers.
Furthermore, fiction novel writing would provide a similarly unreliable income. The
2012 average median income for those writing for entertainment is $59,290 (Writers or
Authors Truity). This may seem to be a stable income, but this income does not come in
regularly. Kathryn Casey, a writer of crime novels and other fiction, relays that income is
obtained when the writer has work published (Casey). Donna Levy is an author of several fiction
novels, short stories, and other publications. She postulates that because it is very difficult to get
published, writers may have no income during a period of time in which they have nothing
published (Levy). As well as these difficulties, the future job availability will be growing more
slowly than in the past few years, with growth only at three percent (Writers and Authors
Bureau of Labor Statistics). The economic state of a fiction novel writer is not much different to
that of an actor; these careers are based on a job-to-job organization. This could require wellrounded money management skills or the possibility of a second job, similar to an actor. While
neither of these careers have the promise of economic development, this aspect relies somewhat
on the education I receive before inserting myself into that field.
Secondly, although film acting does not specifically require education, many actors
continue training throughout the length of their career. Plenty of actors wish to improve their art
form by seeking formal, dramatic education, and long-term training is common ("Actors"

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Truity). Davis-Reed, an experienced film actor that provided five tips for beginning actors to take
note of, shows that plenty of actors do have a college degree or some form of formal education,
including himself (Davis-Reed). Classes that embody other art forms, including dancing, singing,
and producing visual art, are also helpful to actors wishing to expand their roles (Actors
Truity). There does not appear to be an extremely lengthy and costly amount of education
required, other than the long-term training. The long-term training would help me to maintain
up-to-date information about new styles of acting and how to improve as my career advances.
Many other careers do not commonly require much long-term studying, but do recommend a
college degree.
To continue, writing does not necessarily require education, but formal education is
recommended if one wishes to be taken seriously within the field. Many experts suggest a
Bachelors Degree in English (Writers and Authors Bureau of Labor Statistics). Other majors
that are looked upon highly include Journalism and Communications (Writers and Authors
Bureau of Labor Statistics). John Hewitt, a fiction novelist and owner of a well-known blog, also
offers the idea that Technical Communications, Marketing, Communications, Linguistics,
Theatre Arts, Media Arts, and Liberal Arts are viable options for majors (Hewitt). Some on-thejob training is also recommended so that authors may get writing experience and understand
their career more thoroughly (Writers or Authors Truity). Like with acting, on-the-job training
for writers and many other careers is not uncommon. While not many writers have constant longterm education, fleeting moments of new, innovative work used to improve skills often shine
through. It allows one to be constantly in the state of work; one is never perfect at writing or
acting. This alone will leave me with a busy, active career field, no matter which career option I
choose to pursue: acting or writing. Opposite the acting field, a college education is practically

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required for someone to be taken seriously as a writer, meaning student loans would certainly be
part of my path to success within my field.
Finally, film acting incorporates some of my favorite aspects of a career: entertaining,
being on film, and encompassing a character. Some of the requirements of actors include their
responsibility to read scripts, memorize lines, and perform (Actors Bureau of Labor Statistics).
One important aspect of this career is the long-time training that I would need to participate in if
pursuing this career. This long-time training required could be tedious, which is a downside. In
contrast of that negative point, each role is different, meaning the difficulty could range,
providing an exciting challenge for each job (Actors Truity). Having said that, the work
environment is often intense and competitive (Actors Bureau of Labor Statistics). The
competitive environment could allow for more personal growth as well as provide a stimulating
work life. Despite the challenges that come along with competition, my passion for performing
the basic duties of film actors is strong enough to push me to obliterate these setbacks and
persevere to my personal success. Also, the long-term training may be tedious, but being a better
actress and person overall would be worth the extra time put in.
Comparatively, writing would allow for my creative side and entertainment-loving self to
mingle. Writing requires an attention for detail and the ability to transfer ideas to paper (Writers
or Authors Truity). Fiction novelists can use their creative side to invent imaginary situations
and bring characters to life (Writers and Authors Bureau of Labor Statistics). Publishing is one
of the more difficult aspects of the career of writing, so that could prove to be a hindrance if this
career path is taken (Levy). Being self-employed could require a second job but would increase
my ability to be flexible with my job (Levy). These specific job requirements are the main reason
for the enjoyment I feel when writing. The attention to detail, creativity, and inventive style are

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three features that are the most enjoyable about writing. Although publishing may be difficult,
the self-employment possibility could be beneficial, though equally as difficult to implement.
The differences between acting and writing are few, but variances in the day-to-day duties of
each allow me to form more solid and education-prompted opinions.
After having compared the economic, educational, and day-to-day aspects of film acting
and fiction novel writing, I have come to the conclusion that film acting is geared more towards
my desires than writing. The two careers have similar economic statuses, both being fairly
unstable. However, fiction novel writing would require a greater sense of money management,
which would be difficult. This would prove especially problematic during the early years of my
life into which I will soon enter. Also, writing would not necessarily require higher-quality
education, but that education could prove more costly. Despite these factors, it all comes down to
the desire I have for film acting. I long to see myself on the big screen or any screen, for that
matter. My childhood dream of an exciting life is the strongest motivational force in my decision
to pursue film acting. Although fiction writing will remain a passion of mine that is similar to
acting, film acting must be my main focus. While pursuing acting, I may find some time to
dabble in writing, which would be a wonderful mix. Another option would be to integrate writing
into my acting by developing screenplays, which is a choice that I may end up making due to the
flexible nature of both of these careers. Despite these minor distinctions between these two
careers, the inventiveness in the escape of oneself allows writers and actors to go alongside each
other.

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Works Cited
"Actors." Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 8 Dec.
2015.
"Actors." Truity. Truity Psychometrics LLC, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.
Casey, Kathryn. "How To Build A Successful Career As A Published Writer." Forbes. N.p., 22
May 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.
Davis-Reed, Timothy. "5 Things You Should Know Early In Your Acting Career." Backstage.
N.p., 17 July 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
Hewitt, John. "How to Choose a Major and Minor for a Career in Writing." PoeWar.com. N.p.,
29 Aug. 2014. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.
Levy, Donna. Personal Interview. 23 November 2015.
"Writers and Authors." Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8 Jan. 2014.
Web. 6 Dec. 2015.
"Writers or Authors." Truity. Truity Psychometrics LLC, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.