Lately I’ve been giving some thought to what, if anything, I’d like to do when it comes time to go back to work. I’ll probably go back in a couple of years, so now is a good time to think about changing careers. There are a few things that do interest me, but mostly, I’d like to give writing a try. Back when I had Sidekick, my online magazine, I sold a couple of pieces and that was pretty exciting. I’d love to be able to do that full time.
So last night I went with my friend Jen to a meeting of the Kanata Writer’s Group, an organisation of about 15 writers who meet every other week to read their stuff out loud and get feedback. They’ve also grouped together a bunch of their work into a self-published book that they’ll be launching in a couple of weeks. I figured it was time to actually start writing some stuff, if I want to develop my mad writing skillz and all that, and the group might help inspire and encourage me.
Really, though, I found it quite scary and discouraging. For one, these are all people who are trying to write poetry and/or fiction, and I’ve never really been interested in that — I think I’d like to write magazine articles, essays, reviews, that sort of thing. So I already felt a little inferior and less artistic. For two, they’ve all been plugging away at it for years with no progress, and while some of the stuff that was read was not good, some of the other stuff I really liked, and it saddens me that there’s just no getting past the slush pile for the vast majority of writers out there.
The meeting has me thinking that I should maybe try some fiction, but I have no idea where to start. I have no end of ideas for characters and settings, but I have trouble getting them to do stuff…the whole “plot” thing is beyond me. Can you actually learn that kind of thing from a class or a mentor? Or is creating fiction a natural talent that can’t be developed?
Even if I stick with non-fiction writing, is there even a chance I’ll ever get anything published? As I said to Sir Monkeypants last night, I love to sing around the house with the kids, but I have no illusions that I’m going to be the next Mariah Carey…so what makes me think that just because I enjoy blogging about character actors, I’m going to be the next Malcolm Gladwell? Sometimes I read a book that is so lovely and brilliant and beautiful that I think, what’s the point, I’ll never be that good. Then I think, the achievement of a dream is not easy, doofus, get your butt in gear and just write something already. Jesus!
I have set myself a goal, to write something that is readable in front of the group within a month’s time. Already I feel overwhelmed and intimidated at the thought of actually seeing someone’s reaction to my work. I can’t even blog with Sir Monkeypants in the room, because I become too self-conscious and red-in-the-face to continue forming my usual semi-coherent sentences. Gack.
Not to mention I have a very tight TV schedule to maintain. A girl has committments!
TurtleHead 
You are .
Wow, some of us have trouble getting full and complete sentences out let alone being ableto write a story that flows goodly. If you can take the chance (and you know you can) on a job that you think you’ll really like, go for it! Now is the time. Of course that’s the attitude that had me travelling around the US for five years, not making much money, during the tech bubble. Sometimes I regret that I didn’t take advantage of the boom times to make money. C’est la vie.
Hmmm … when reading your posts, I always think “why can’t I write in such a natural style?” And I always assume it took you, like, five minutes to write your post. Whereas I’ll take 45 minutes to do a post and I’ll preview it about a dozen times before I’m brave enough to click on the post button. I also get all flustered if is in the room when I do one of my (rare) posts.
It’s funny that you posted on this topic when you did, because I was thinking of something similar just this week. I’m starting to get all depressed about having to go back to work in less than a month and leave MAD without his mummy. So I was thinking of what I could do that might let me get a paycheck and stay at home.
I wasn’t seriously thinking of writing, but I guess it entered my mind and it reminded me of being in high school and how my friend Julie and I used to talk about how we would be great at writing romance novels. We had both read a lot of them when we were younger (yes, younger than high school age!) and we figured we had the format nailed. Of course, whenever we discussed our characters and plots, it always degenerated into something obscene, but I think romance novels have probably come a long way in 20 years, and maybe what was obscene then would just be par for the course today. I know there are seminars and books on how to write a romance novel. Or, you know, I could just draw from experiences in my own life to write one … 🙂
Can you actually learn that kind of thing from a class or a mentor? Or is creating fiction a natural talent that can’t be developed?
I believe that creativity is a naturally ability that you cannot learn. However, I also believe that creative people’s talents can be expanded and improved under good instruction.
There is nothing wrong with being good at something but not great enough to pursue it as a career. Not that I’m saying that you’re not a good writer, but if you feel that you’re not creative, that trying to write a work of fiction would be too hard and frustrating, you’re probably right and that’s okay. You can’t be good at everything!
The key is to do what you enjoy. You have to enjoy the process not the end product. If you hate creative writing but wish you could publish a book then stick to non-fiction stuff. You know you can write that stuff well. We all know that! Maybe you should start thinking about a topic you would enjoy writing a book about and pursue that. You won’t know if a book like that is possible until you start it. You might start it and hit a dead end. You might start it and then wander over to another topic (happens alot with researched books). You might start it, finish it and never publish it (but your friends and family will get to enjoy it!). You might start it, finish it and be the next Malcolm Gladwell. Go down this path if it excites you and interests you. There need be no other reason than that.
Oooh, romance. To write romance you definitely need a cool and glamourous pen name. I call dibs on “Sparkle Tangerine.”
One thing I am thinking of trying, if I do have to go back to work, is technical writing. Just from asking around, it seems technical writers have more flexibility when it comes to working from home, and/or working part time. The work tends to come in fits and starts — not much work at the start of a project, major crunches at the end — but if you can swing working from home, you can do it at 3am when you’re up from a feeding and just can’t sleep.
And speaking of going back to work…I didn’t realise that maternity leave for you would be so short. Up here we get a full year, and it’s amazing how fast that year can go by…I can’t imagine just three months. Plus, how the heck do you manage the nursing thing? Crazy Americans and their crazy non-socialist policies!
I think that’s good advice. I feel some pressure, though, to actually write something marketable within the next two years, because otherwise, I’ll actually have to start looking for a job in the IT industry, and that’s pretty scary when you’ve been gone for 8 years!
I think I’ll try a short story or something for the writers group and see how painful it is. If I can’t stand it, it’s back to the essays for sure.
Well, writing is like any create art: being able to live off of it isn’t easy. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try, but maybe consider a part time job to supplement your writing.
Try creating an account on Monster.ca. Set up some alerts in a whole bunch of areas, any area you think it’s remotely possible you’d be interested in. Then look at the postings that come through each week. It might get you thinking about careers you’ve never thought of before. Maybe look at the government’s job posting site, too.
And goodness, putting pressure on yourself to write is going to make it awfully tough to write!
Try to also ask yourself: so what if someone doesn’t like what I write? Try to think of how you’ll deal with rejection or criticism before it happens. I like to ask myself, “what’s the worse case scenario?” Facing that scenario, even if it’s just in my imagination, usually makes me realise it’s not so bad.
For example, say doesn’t like your first piece of work. So? He doesn’t like most of your music, but does that mean you can’t enjoy it? Does it mean you can’t give one of your CDs to a friend who might like it?
Again, writing is a creative art. As with all art, there will be people who love it and people who don’t. Ya can’t please ’em all! And if it turns out that someone you love and respect doesn’t like what you do, just remember: it doesn’t mean he or she doesn’t like you, just not what you’re doing. And that’s A-OK.
Yeah, I had thought about technical writing as a possible alternative career, too! Definitely a job that allows you to work from home is a plus when you’ve got small kids.
However, since you’ve been out of the work force, you may be surprised to find out how employers have relaxed about people working from home. I see a lot of this happening with software engineers (not so much with hardware, though). All you need is a computer and a high-speed connection and you may not even know you’re not working from the office! You have to be somewhat disciplined, though, so that you don’t get distracted by house stuff or the kids. In fact, many employers require that you must have child care in place before working from home. I’m encouraging to work more at home so he can avoid the long commute and spending money on gas.
Oh, don’t get me started on the maternity leave thing. Some moms have to go back after six weeks, which is the standard post-partum disability leave. Here in California we also have a (partially) paid family leave for six weeks that both parents can take. I’m on mine now, and then I’ll be going back to work when MAD is 4 months old. Luckily ‘s mom and my mom will come to babysit until the beginning of the new year. Then will take 5 weeks of his leave. Then, we’ll see …
My company just had major layoffs, and if there are more layoffs, I may well be part of them. If so, then I will definitely stay home for some time before looking for a new job. I’m really quite sad about the thought of going back to work, but I know I may feel differently if I give myself a chance to get readjusted to it.
I have a double electric pump and California labour law requires that I be given a private place to pump during working hours, so that’s how I’ll be able to continue MAD on breastmilk. Of course, it’s a pain to do, so it probably means I won’t do the full year recommended by pediatricians.
I’ve always really enjoyed your writing and I think you can do it! Besides, you already *have* done it, and you got paid for it too.
My photography teacher told our class a few times how to become a photographer:
1. Take pictures
2. Show people your pictures
3. Repeat
Along the way, you’ll find people who like your pictures enough to buy them, and since there are 6 billion people on the planet, odds are someone out there will like your work.
(This is barky_shark here)
There’s actual money to be had at writing, say, for websites. I work with a bunch of consultants who are web-writers. It’s not terribly exciting work, but it’ll earn you some money on the side while you are creative writing. It’s not all technical writing, actually, the writing our people do is factual, with a bit of creativity (think marketing!). And with the skills you already have, knowing about how the web works and all, that would be a big bonus. (I can’t tell you how many times people suggest things that just don’t *work* on the web.)
You probably will have to attend at least some classes (RU has lots of writing classes, some might be via distance ed; I’m sure the Us near you also have classes). You’ll also have to know your English grammar really well (there are guidebooks, such as Chicago, that will be your friend in this respect).
One more thing from barky_shark…
Our writing consultants work from home (with the occasionaly face-to-face meeting at our office), which would probably be great for you.
Let me know if you want me to contact my writing buds for you to get the scoop on how they got into the biz.
And the rest of this post was supposed to say:
I expect being a writer is similar.
I guess my pop-culture reference was too obscure. I was trying to say (like just about everyone else) you should go for it.
I think whenever I’ve read about how someone came to make a living at writing, one common theme has always emerged — if you want to be a writer, you need to write, write, write, as much as you can, at a minimum probably every day. If you want to be a writer but writing feels like a chore, you’ll probably never be a writer. I don’t think you have that problem.
Anyway, your posts are unquestionably the most polished of anything I see on my friends list (short though that may be). I really enjoyed many of your Sidekick pieces — writing is definitely something you should continue to cultivate. And if fiction isn’t your thing, so what? Fiction is probably more lucrative but much harder to make a living at anyway. Do what feels right to you.
I agree, now is the time! I’ll give it a shot and see what happens. I plan to sell on this idea by telling him I need a new laptop for the task, and then send him off to shop for it…it’ll make him so happy :).
Excellent advice. I checked out a few “how to write” sites since my original post and they all say the most important thing is to find a regular place and time to write, and then write, write, write — every day if possible. It sounds tough but I like your odds, so I’ll give it a try :).
Okay, your reference was too obscure, because I didn’t get it! I’m ashamed to call myself a Pop Culture Junkie :).
I have just recently read that the key is to write, write, and write some more — excellent advice there. I actually do love writing, so that’s not going to be a problem…the problem is actually finding the time. Already I think up at least twice as many LiveJournal posts as I am actually able to make! I think the time is coming when I have to actually give up on Survivor and The Amazing Race and write instead.
(Veronica Mars will never die, though!)
I must say, this sounds like an amazing solution…not that I’d give up on creative writing, but actually working at a job like this sounds fantastic. I wonder how you break into the field? And what kind of writing would you say it is — things like press releases, or “about our company” kind of text, or smaller things like headlines and slogans?
If you do have any friends in the field, send me their email and I’ll harass them for some advice. I’ll also check out some writing courses at Carleton and see what’s available.
Thanks for the ideas!
Just to close that loop, that was a reference to one of my favorite episodes of the Simpsons.
Just looking over some of these old posts, and I have to say that writing fiction is most *definitely* a skill. The more you do it, the more you improve.
The best piece of wisdom about the writing process I’ve ever come across is the idea that Character Development and Plot are, in fact, *the same thing*. One is revealed by the other, the other is motivated by the one. The way you come up with a good plot is by looking at what your character really wants, and putting something in their way to getting it. What do they decide to do about it? You could think of all that as character development because the decision reveals something about his character. But it’s also plot. One can’t exist without the other. I think that makes a lot of sense.
We were at the Baby and Toddler show yesterday. There are at least a dozen companies out there whose business model appears to be:
– Community for Moms to connect after having a baby
– Product reviews, meet-and-greets, social activities, articles and helpful guides
– They seem to make money from advertising, sponsoring events, product placements and publishing information in “city guides”
I think all these companies probably need relevant content more than anything at all. Maybe there is a good writing opportunity to be a “columnist” with one of these communities. Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll send you the list of sites we picked up flyers for.
I’m definitely interested! I’d love the list.