From Writer's Digest (2/06)
NOT FOR REPRINT
Don’t Starve
Find a part-time job that pays the bills but doesn't usurp your writing time.
by Pamela White
Feeling like a wannabe writer because you sell 32 varieties of scented lotions or roast nearly as many varieties of coffee beans in your non-writing hours? Don't. You're one of many writers who have turned to part-time, temporary or seasonal jobs to make ends meet.
This happened to me a while ago, when two magazines I wrote for closed and I lost a large source of my income. Looking around, I realized I'd focused all my energy on my regular columns and saw no new jobs in sight. The checks stopped coming, but the bills didn't slow down one bit.
Supplemental jobs
While there are writers who have dual careers (writer/doctor, writer/lawyer, writer/Madonna), for many of us writing is our only career, and we need supplemental income to pay the living expenses. But what types of jobs make the best complements to the writing life?
There are several key components to look for in a supplemental job. Jobs that offer benefits, even to part-time employees, are great, if you can find them. Jobs that you don’t have to take home—jobs that begin and end at the office door—are ideal because they won’t infringe on your precious writing time. You may crave a job that fights the isolation many writers feel by providing interaction with people. And maybe your part-time job can provide drama, conflict, mystery or even horror to be stirred up and written into stories.
Some options you should consider:
Take on seasonal work. Sign on with a temp agency when you need some extra cash. O hire on at a store during the holiday season. Look into youth sports leagues: Administrators, referees, umpires and coaches are needed on a part-time, seasonal basis.
Tammy Cravit, a self-described recovering accountant, is reprioritizing her goals. Writing has risen to the top, while her small income tax business is largely limited to the first three-and-a-half months of the year. John Ponce, a park ranger in Oregon, has imposed a four-month block of time each year to devote completely to writing. Then, he says, “I kiss off the writing life for eight months of the year marshalling about campers and shooing away raccoons."
Find work with perspective. Nonwriting jobs that can provide needed income and a new perspective include delivering newspapers, circulating petitions, waiting tables, cashiering at superstores, substitute teaching or catering. Food writer Jill Mulcahy, for instance, found a part-time job that meshed nicely with her writing.
"I was initially hired as holiday help at Williams-Sonoma. It was a great place to stay current on the latest food gadgets,” Mulcahy says. “I also taught a cooking class there, and the customers gave great drama for story material." The best part was that it allowed her to stay on her writing schedule in the mornings while working afternoons.
Look at your "other" job as a resource for your writing. Even working with cranks gives writers characters to be villains, victims or even inspiration for an article on working with a narcissist. Working in a daycare or as a substitute elementary teacher opens opportunities to try out your children's books on a cute (and captive) audience. Mystery shopping (would-be customers who have been previously trained regarding the areas to be evaluated enter a business, use the services available as any random customer would, and report on their experiences) is a great idea for writers—flexible scheduling and easy work. And working and job on second or third shift helps nonfiction writers free up time to interview subjects and contact editors between 9 and 5.
Find a writing-related job. Don't worry if it's diametrically opposed to your writing goals. Public relations, teaching writing classes, grant writing, small town newspaper reporting or resume writing all provide security and a chance to dabble with new writing forms and styles.
Melanie Watson, who works for a nonprofit organization, says, "It’s given me plenty of opportunity to write technical items—policy and procedures handbooks, letters of request, proposals and grant applications—and it’s put me in touch with people who need writers for nonfiction freelance work."
Choose a job that complements your personality. Extroverts thrive in social situations. Selling candles at home parties, answering phones in a call center and singing on stage or in a group can boost your writing flow and creativity while adding to your bank account.
Jules Kennedy is a “psychic consultant” working out of her home from her Web site, psychicdimension.com. In the meantime she’s also completed five manuscripts and hundreds of articles on spirituality.
Introverts, however, could find constant conversation and the need to interact with many people on the job to be a drain on creativity. Opening your bookkeeping business at home or distributing flyers door to door may be the solution—especially if your writing life doesn’t make you feel isolated.
Whatever solution works for you, this much is true: Writers write. it's just that many of us write after we get home from the jobs that bring in enough supplemental income to refill our paper trays and ink cartridges.
Pamela White is a food writer and former restaurant critic (www.food-writing.com). She is also the publisher of Food Writing and The Writing Parent (subscribe at www.thewritingparent.net ) and teaches online classes. Her work has appeared in Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine, ByLine, Back Home, Home Cooking, Writer's Digest, Soul Matters, Spirit Communications, HerVenture, and is the author of Make Money as a Food Writer in Six Lessons available at Amazon.com.
(c) Pamela White, 2006 |