Teaching has been amazing, and I have absolutely loved it, but I think I need something more stable. There is the obvious receptionist/secretary option, which I would really be okay with. But I'm trying to see if I have any other options.
There are three basic requirements for a day job for a writer, in my opinion:
1) Leave the soul in tact. Soul-sucking jobs do not make for healthy creativity.
2) Pay the bills. Why we need a job besides writing in the first place. And,
3) Leave time to write. That includes not having any take-home work, which is one reason teaching might be hard.
What do you all do for a living? What day jobs do you think would be good for writers that I might look in to?
Thanks for your help and suggestions!
Sarah Allen
12 comments:
One of the nice things about a secratary/assistant/receptionist position, or any desk job where you have some lulls in schedule, is your employer may not mind if you write. I wouldn't recommend asking in the interview, but it's served me well at my desk jobs for many years.
Sadly, I'm currently at the 'anyone who will employ me' stage. Pretty sure that's not very helpful :-)
I'm an Executive Assistant for the CEO of a company that runs call centers. We don't have any centers here and most of his senior staff is remote. I like a desk job and being at a computer.
I find that I can't really create NEW words during my down time at work, but I can read and edit. I write at night, email it to myself, and edit throughout the day. Then go home and write more, sleep on it, and edit during the day.
I also love bringing my netbook to work and setting up in the work cafe at lunch and getting in at least a half hour to 45 minutes of writing. I'm kind of wordy, so that's actually a lot of words for me. It's worth it!
No matter what, you'll need something that lets you work while you're at work, but leave it there when you're done working. If I had to bring things home or come in on the weekends, I'd never write.
I'm a hairdresser who refuses to do hair at home. Starbucks and home is for writing. But you'd have to go to beauty school and become licensed. And then there's building your clientele. Which means you could starve in the first five years you're building it.
Don't what else to tell you. Try a temp agency?
I run an Academic department for a college. Any job in Academics is great, but if you go into any type of Manager/Director position, you're going to get lots and lots of stress. :(
I'm an analytical chemist, which means no take home work and lots of mindless tasks that I can storyline through. But it also means a soul-sucking job that leaves me dead by the time I get home most nights :(
I used to work at the front desk in a vet office, and that left plenty of time for writing - especially on surgery days.
I completely agree with you about jobs that suck out your soul. They are just the worst and I have had a few.
I work for the guv'ment (state level) as a payroll clerk.
While it's an excellent source for blogging material, not only is it an infrequent source for story material, but it's a major creativity killer as well.
About the only writing I've been able to get away with is editing hard copy on my breaks and at lunch.
Hello! I'm a new blogging/writer and I just added myself to your followers for support, Maybe you could come follow me too?
thanks!
http://martinrmeyers.blogspot.com/
Hi, I was a professor for 15 years, who felt my job was getting too complicated and quit to become an e-tutor. I get time to write, blog. I can work from home.
Blech. Why do we have to have JOBS?? Can't we just make *enough* of money writing and not worry about the other stuff? :)
Margo hit the tail on the donkey.
"job," by it's very connotative meaning is dreadful. It is a forced action in order to "have a job," and pay your rent. I won't go near the leasing office- when I stick half rent money orders in, I duck under windows and run for dear life. Fearing I'll be seen through the window and asked to come in.
"Job" is tricky thing. Why be miserable just for a job? Because right now we have to. I work office temp assignments and boy have I become an expert in office poltics/ standing up to temp agencies and "winning."
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