What is a self expression article called?

Question

I've been blogging for a while and I only write my thoughts and opinions on topics such as world peace, social matters, art & culture, and various other topics. I want to make a living writing from those articles and I want to know the name of those type of articles so that I can market myself to clients. Are they called 'opinion' articles? I know there's such thing but I'm not sure if it applies to non-political topics as a lot of the definitions I read seem to be talking about political topics only.

Please note, that I can't make a living from my blog because I have online earning limitations in my country that makes it impossible to receive my money online.

Answer 1

They're usually just called essays.

Though in our modern age we often use names related to the platform. So on a blog, they're posts or blog posts. As Zeiss Ikon points out, in a newspaper, they're called opinion pieces. If they're written by newspaper staff, they're editorials. In a magazine, they're articles.

Chances are though you'll find work by looking for websites and magazines asking for article submissions. If they have any special names for the articles, they'll say so, and then you'll use those names.

Answer 2

I'm used to seeing them called "opinion pieces" when they run in a print newspaper. Very possible that term could be out of date, however (as print newspapers more and more seem to be).

In some cases, you might also be writing "reviews" -- especially if you are specifically writing about a single piece of art, performance, or writing ("book review", "movie review", etc.).

Answer 3

I've heard them called 'personal essays' when we were assigned them in class. For newspapers they're usually called opinion pieces though, and shorter. As Zeiss Ikon said, if you're mainly talking about a book/movie it's a review, though if you just use the media as a jumping of piece for your thoughts about a subject it's probably still a personal essay.

Answer 4

Yes, they are called "opinion pieces." However, they represent a very tough market, because far far more people have opinions than there are paying publications seeking them. So if you are looking to this as a career, please be forewarned (speaking from experience!) that it is a very difficult one that probably will not provide you with a living any time soon (if at all). You may have to spend an extended "journeyman" period writing for little or no money before you establish your reputation.

The majority of people who do make their living writing turn their skills towards functional writing of a type with pre-existing market demand. Technical writing, ghostwriting, niche journalism, advertising copy and so forth make up the majority of actual writing careers.

If you do want to pursue a career in opinion, you might want to find a local print publication, or a national one with an appropriate niche audience, and see if you can work your way into doing a regular column (with syndication as an eventual goal). There are also content aggregators online that publish opinion pieces, but the ones that pay are few and far between (and typically swamped with submissions).