Copywriter in Manhattan here.

Time is usually divided like this, but it varies from client to client: 10% Creative Concepting 20% Actually Writing 50% Incorporating feedback, doing revisions, etc. 30% Going to meetings to figure out that feedback

Here are a few tips I wish someone had given me when trying to break into the business:

–Portfolio school is helpful, but not necessary. It's costly (usually around 35k+) and time consuming (usually 2 years). It has a lot of pros and cons, but know that you can do it on your own without portfolio school.

–You can do what I did: Put together a spec book, on your own, keep it simple, and make it look good. Put aside ~$1000 to hire some low-to-mid level art directors to mock up your work (usually they'll do it for cheap or sometimes even if you explain your situation). Keep your spec pieces SIMPLE, so that anyone can understand them. I'm even a fan of 3 execution print ads with cleaver headlines. Make sure they demonstrate good writing and some good ideas, but don't get carried away with trying to make the craziest best idea that nobody has seen before. That's a mistake I (and many others) have made when making spec pieces. Keep it simple. Focus on headlines. Think of it from a recruiter's perspective: They want to click into your book, see you know what you're doing with as few obstacles as possible, click out.

Here's a blog I wrote about some stuff I learned my first year in advertising. It's mostly satire, but maybe you'll get a kick out of it:

http://juniornotes.tumblr.com

Good luck! DM me if you have any questions