What do you "do"?

[otherside89girl]

I'm curious about my fellow writers/Nathan's blog readers... What do you do (career-wise) besides write?

I'm just an undergraduate student. Not too interesting.

*Edit*
Some of you did this already, but also how does your career/whatever you do relate to writing? Do you think it helps or hinders your writing? Or do you wish you could have done something differently do be a better writer? :)

[wildheart]

I recently had a baby...so not all that much. I'm still crossing my fingers that my novel is the next Harry Potter (not likely) so I won't have to go to school for a job I'd most likely hate (which is much more likely).

Sorry, I'm in one of my pessimistic moods. One of those "Ugh, how could I have written this crap?" moods to be precise.

Oh. Still realized I didn't completely answer your question. Before I had my baby I was saving money to go to school and ended up quitting my job in fast food due to health issues.

Going to school wouldn't be so bad, but I refuse to go back to my old job.

[Margo]

Resource analyst. I help my employer decide how to spend a few million here, a few million there, and keep track of legislation that would change the way they have to do things. Boring but extremely low stress most of the time, which is good because stress makes it harder for me to write. The awful thing about it is that I do occasionally find it interesting...knowing it's horribly horribly boring.

I went back to school a couple of years ago to get my grad degree and become a psychotherapist, but I discovered during my practicum hours that it's exhausting. I have my doubts I could do it all day long and still have the emotional energy to write. On the upside, it was an extremely efficient (extremely expensive) self-help program and is pretty useful for creating characters.

[charlotte49ers]

I'm a 3rd grade teacher and photographer. :-)

[BethC]

I've taught for 37 years. The first 18 years I worked in the public schools as a speech pathologist and the last 19 I've been a resource teacher/literacy in the upper elementary, middle grades...all of that and I'm still just 58...so maybe...I've got a few years left to write. If I'd only kept a journal of all the things kids said and did in school I could write forever.

[Quill]

Self-employed handyman/ landscaper.

Helps keep the bod in shape for those butt-glue writing hours (days)(years).

[FK7]

I was a medical student following a dream since I was about 8 years old. Went well for two years, then I got sick and the shit hit the fan. I was forced to quit, at least temporarily... I'm still in temporarily land. If you can't work 80h/week on a sustainable level, you just can't do it. Depressed me a bit too, but things happen for a reason... LIKE GIVING ME THE TIME TO WRITE A NOVEL! :D

I've began a joint B.Sc./B.Ed. program in molecular biology, I might go back to medschool after that, if the health allows for it. Which means I might spend the rest of my life schooling.

[eringayles]

Teacher, then did post-grad in librarianship and worked as university librarian, hosted a T.V. program, wrote scripts (full-time for 14 yrs) for a theatre company. Currently teaching Literacy, and Speech/Drama to upper primary kids (11 - 12 year-olds). We're doing 'Wizard of Oz' in September.

[Colonel Travis]

If you can't work 80h/week on a sustainable level, you just can't do it. Depressed me a bit too, but things happen for a reason... LIKE GIVING ME THE TIME TO WRITE A NOVEL! :D

A good friend of mine left med school after 2-3 years. That was his reason, too. Your life is your work, which for some people is fine, plus I'm certainly grateful for what they do. But you can pretty much chuck every second of your free time out of every window in the hospital. Wish you the best with your novel, FK7.

I was in journalism most my professional life, started writing in high school. Really glad I had almost two decades of editors saying what I wrote was good or total crap. Writing on deadline like that, day after day, is absolutely one of the best things I could ever recommend to anyone who wants to be a writer of any kind. On the other hand, I hardly felt like writing on the side. My life was nowhere near as jam-packed as a doctor's. But after reporting/writing/editing all day long, doing extra stuff like fiction was never a priority, even though I wanted it to be. Finally said a few years ago - screw this, I'm going to write on my own from now on. Have not looked back, it's one of the best decisions I've ever made.

These days I write honest-to-goodness, piddly, freelance, easy, nonfiction crap for $. The rest of my writing time I spend on fiction. Down the road I'll submit nonfiction non-crap to bigger and better places. Right now I have zero desire to do it, and fortunately I don't have to do it, but I know I'll change my mind eventually.

Looking back, I'm proud I've achieved all my writing goals so far except two:
1.) Being published in the Wall St. Journal because it's the largest newspaper in America.
2.) Selling a novel. Not just writing one, but making cold hard cash on it. I hope it's more than one penny but even one penny = cash.

Whenever I'm stuck in the world of fiction, which is every @#%! nanosecond, I remember my successes and it gives me a boost. If there's one bit of advice I could give to aspiring writers - and by no means do I consider myself Edgar Allen McFancypants - it would be this: Set a glorious, sky's-the-limit goal but don't fool yourself you'll get there immediately. Achieve smaller goals, gain confidence and be persistent. I'm talking jackass-stubborn persistent. Do not get discouraged from rejections, do not sell yourself short, do not stop writing. Also do not act like middle finger, American bleeped out Idol tryout reject. Be a pro. Even if you don't think you are, start behaving like one - I swear, you'll be surprised how much you can accomplish if you just do that. If you put your effort and concentration into playing to your potential, to be the best that you can be, I don't care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game - in my book we're gonna be winners. OK?

I love you guys.

(Gee, who watched Hoosiers the other day?)

[Rik]

I was a Civil Servant for 18 years. Now I'm redundant, and studying - but not for much longer: the redundancy money is running out fast!

I did a lot of writing-related work in the CS - speech writing, briefing, policy papers; for a while I was in charge of the housing publications budget. My favourite work was designing websites and writing the copy for them.

The Civil Service is excellent training for anyone who wants to write in the fantasy genre ...

[Mira]

I supervise a staff of counselors, and they and I work with heroin addicts. I'm going to grad school so I can do more of that.

Colonol Travis - I enjoyed what you had to say. :)

[mojo25]

I've worked in publishing, in libraries, as a freelance proofreader, and now I work for a book printer. Not sure being so close to all this book stuff is good for my writing, but I do read a lot. My job isn't stressful--I think that probably helps me as a writer--I can daydream a lot--and it's only a few blocks from home so no commuting either.

[Margo]

I supervise a staff of counselors, and they and I work with heroin addicts. I'm going to grad school so I can do more of that.

Iiiiiinteresting. I did my grad school practicum hours in a 6-month inpatient substance abuse program for pregnant women and mothers - mostly meth but also the occasional heroin or PCP user. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed working with that population, considering the personal biases I carried in with me. I still think back and wonder about my former clients. Very rewarding work.

[bcomet]

I am an artist. I am also on the brink of going back for a masters degree in psychology.

[Mira]

Margo - that's cool. It's rare for me to find someone who has worked with these folks. We'll have to compare notes sometime!

I started working with heroin addicts in my early twenties (awhile back :) - and I was so scared. I thought they would be mean and dangerous. And, of course, some of them have that side to them - but they're really mostly ordinary folks who have been dealt a very hard hand. Maybe this sounds weird, but I find most of them endearing.