Careers and Jobs of Writers

Any and everything. I've worked as a software engineer with nuclear submarines and owned an inn in Vermont and now I'm a literary agent. In general, I think a job where you work with computers is less than ideal, because the last thing you want to do is come home and sit yourself down in front of a computer again to work.

Yep -- anything and everything. Lawyers, doctors, white collar, blue collar... doesn't matter. It's all experience, and it's all money in your pocket. Do what you enjoy doing!

I make my living as a writer, just not a fiction writer. I started in tech writing and moved into instructional design. I'm paid very well, and I have a lot of free time in which to write and pursue other interests.

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Rita Mae Brown wrote a book on writing some years back; I forget what it was called exactly. But in it she mentions that she thinks the best day jobs for writers are physical/manual labor-type jobs, because then your mind--the back of it, where the stories and stuff come from, if you know what I mean--is free to wander and your body is getting some exercise and/or movement.

I've never done that type of job, but I think if I were looking for work now that's probably the sort of thing I'd look for. I always fancied being a carpenter or a mechanic, actually. Not just because they both interest me, but because while you're doing the actual work part you have some back-of-the-mind freedom. I'm not at all saying these jobs are mindless, not one bit. I know there's still stuff to think & concern yourself with, just that the actual work itself is something you do with your hands, not typing or talking.

It's fairly steady work, it can pay quite well--I know plumbers and electricians can make crazy money, and really any skilled manual labor profession can--you can do it anywhere, you could conceivably work your own hours/schedule, and it's something that provides immediate gratification; you fix the leak, you build the cabinet, you rewire the outlet, and it's done. A little achievement, which is nice when you're doing something long-haul like writing a novel.

I just thought it was really interesting advice, and it stuck with me, and like I said if I were looking for a day job now, that's totally what I would want to get into.

I've done social work, case management, owned a book store, and was a police officer for several years.

I'll be starting college next year, and I'm going to be a Creative Writing major because after graduation I'm moving to Norway and can't figure out what sort of career I would even be interested in. My plan as of right now (and my friend there is well-aware of this; we will be living together our entire lives, so I know it's okay) is to just get a part-time job and really spend the majority of my time writing.

I don't care what part-time job, as long as it's something to help pay the bills.

I'm a marketing director. There is lots of writing and editing in my paying job, plus other stuff that's not as cool, but still important. Like managing a big website, and going to trade shows.

A great book for those not expecting to earn a living solely off fiction anytime soon is Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod.

Wait, why doesn't fiction writing make for a good job? You can totally make a living writing fiction...

But if you need an interim job until writing starts to pay the bills, I'd recommend anything that keeps you writing. For me this was always scut work. If I had a job I hated (7-11 clerk, etc...) then I was more motivated to write and write so I could quit.

I'm a paralegal. I use my writing skills all the time- plus my research skills, story telling skills (of course, the story is just the facts put in a way that tells the REAL story). I love my day job.

Stacia Kane said:

Rita Mae Brown wrote a book on writing some years back; I forget what it was called exactly. But in it she mentions that she thinks the best day jobs for writers are physical/manual labor-type jobs, because then your mind--the back of it, where the stories and stuff come from, if you know what I mean--is free to wander and your body is getting some exercise and/or movement.

I just thought it was really interesting advice, and it stuck with me, and like I said if I were looking for a day job now, that's totally what I would want to get into.

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I think you've made a great point with the value of physical labor. It can be difficult switching from legal/factual writing to creative mode. It's actually running that helps my mind switch from non-fiction to fiction.

I work at a bookshop. It's great

Geologist.

Child wrangler.
In another life I was a gogo dancer, a cage cashier at a casino, an insurance salesman and a pizza slinger.

Stacia Kane said:

Rita Mae Brown wrote a book on writing some years back; I forget what it was called exactly. But in it she mentions that she thinks the best day jobs for writers are physical/manual labor-type jobs, because then your mind--the back of it, where the stories and stuff come from, if you know what I mean--is free to wander and your body is getting some exercise and/or movement.

I've never done that type of job, but I think if I were looking for work now that's probably the sort of thing I'd look for. I always fancied being a carpenter or a mechanic, actually. Not just because they both interest me, but because while you're doing the actual work part you have some back-of-the-mind freedom. I'm not at all saying these jobs are mindless, not one bit. I know there's still stuff to think & concern yourself with, just that the actual work itself is something you do with your hands, not typing or talking.

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I also agree with this. I worked at my university's archaeological survey company, and digging holes all day definitely helped my mind wander towards writing! Of course, the only down side was that I was exhausted and sore at the end of the day and sometimes it was a chore to make myself stay up and write down the things I'd come up with during the day.

Now I teach English in China, where I can support myself quite well on 16 hours a week. And I get 5 months of vacation a year. Plenty of time to write, and I probably won't be going back to digging holes if I can help it!

izanobu said:

Wait, why doesn't fiction writing make for a good job? You can totally make a living writing fiction...

But if you need an interim job until writing starts to pay the bills, I'd recommend anything that keeps you writing. For me this was always scut work. If I had a job I hated (7-11 clerk, etc...) then I was more motivated to write and write so I could quit.

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I do make a living writing fiction. It's just that yes, most people need a way to support themselves until they're in a position where they can do so.

I was a research scientist for my entire career. Not only did this job soak up any creative juices I had, but when writing, I had to use that dense, unreadable prose that proves you're a real intellectual. I didn't take up fiction writing until a few years before I retired.

Actually, if you have interest in any subject other than English, that's what you should study. Getting a good-paying job in the field of 'English' is hard. Also, when you do, it sucks up a lot of your writing energy, sometimes leaving little leftover with which to work on your fiction.

But if you get a job in another field, as Stacia said, it both lets you use your writing creativity for yourself AND (depending on the job) lets the back of your mind ruminate on your own stuff. Also, it can give you more 'life experience' on which to draw for your fiction, depending on the career path you end up on. (For example, anthropology is a great line of work for fantasy writers.)

That said, I'm a tech writer, and I LOVE the work. It's fantastic to have a well-paid job doing what I like best: mucking about with words all day. It's a good career for someone who wants to write. The only problem with it is what I mentioned above. After sitting in front of a computer all day writing, it's hard to go home and write some more. I have strategies to work around this problem, such as not actually writing at my computer at home: I write in longhand and use an AlphaSmart; but it IS still a problem.

And I wonder if I'd get more fiction writing done if I'd found a good career doing something -- anything -- else. Too late now, but I do wonder.

So there you go....a vote both pro and con for majoring in English!

Oh, another thing. DON'T major in a subject (such as business or computer science) only because you think it'll get you a good job later. If you decide to major in Something Else and minor in English, make sure the Something Else is also Something You're Interested In, otherwise, studying will be a drag and it'll just be a waste of time. So if you're actually interested in business or computer science, great; but if not, don't major in them.

Oh, and one more thing. There's also the old joke: What's the most common thing someone who majored in English says? 'Do you want fries with that?'

Work in a liberry (as some of the public insist on calling it). I'm surrounded by books all day which is very cool on one hand, but on the other, I get to see some Godawful books and have to force myself not to wonder how they got published when I can't.

I'm planning on starting postgrad study in September, so I'm probably going to head into academia.

Failing that I would love to own my own cafe business. While at University try a variety of part-time/summer jobs, find out what you enjoy.

The Black Ghost said:

I'm a college student right now, but my main interest is fiction writing, specifically the novels/short stories I am working on. In fact...its really the only thing I like to "work" on. The problem of course is that this really doesnt make for a good job.

I do like other subjects like philosophy, anthropology/sociology, history, and other humanities, and I could see myself writing on them a little, but Im not sure if I could do it for a living.


What sorts of careers/jobs do any writers here have to bring in the paychecks?

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well, the pragmatist in me would advise you do SOMETHING as a fallback instead of betting the farm on a writing career. For myself, I was a biologist first, then decided to try writing, so I was through undergrad and most of the way through grad school before I wrote a single short.

Pretend writing is an unattainable goal--what would you do instead? Because being published and liviong comfortably off it isn't impossible, but it's lottery odds. In that light, it seems wise to have a Plan B.

I'm surprised no one has said teacher yet, because we have all this 'free time' to write, correct? Or we get these huge summer vacations.

(Actually, in MA we get no paid vacations; all that summer time off (July and August) is unpaid, but never mind that...)

Teaching is a good career if you do want guaranteed time off, whether paid or not. Problem is, if you're an academic teacher, teaching 120+ kids a day (secondary level) and assigning projects, writing lesson plans, writing up labs, and then the correcting, it does take a lot of your time. (No way can you do all this during the work day; a lot of it is done at home on your own time.) You're also expected to get your Masters within a certain time frame, and then take courses and keep current in your field so you can keep your teaching certificate. It's all part of the deal though, and every job has their requirements.

But if you do a decent job and work in a good system, it's a great career and an excellent way to stay current with what's happening with young people - if that's the genre in which you're writing. There are many successful writers who were/are teachers, at all grade levels, including university, etc.

(I taught 35 years, Bio degree, taught science, middle-school level.)

The job doesn't matter much, though it is, I think ,best to avoid any job that entails writing all day. It can be tough to write at work, and then come home and write your own stuff.

The great thing about manual labor jobs is that your mind is free, and the physical labor keeps you in good physical condition. Too many writers get almost no exercise, and this is not a good thing.

I don't work at anything except writing, though I take the very occasional job of editing/reading slush, but I do a lot of physical labor jobs that don't pay, simply because I like the feeling of hard work done well.

But the best job for a writer is writing. It's more than possible to earn a decent living as a writer, though it can take a few years to get there, and you have to pull in money until then.

The best possible job outside of writing is whatever you know you'll enjoy.

I'll second the folks here who say you might want to major in something other than English. The reason I've had the success I've had in writing - not that I make a living with it by any means - is because of my expertise in linguistics and anthropology, and the special viewpoint that gives me in what I write. Even if you don't pick a subject that you feel can give you a good job, pick one that you feel passionate about and which may help you with some aspects of writing that you won't learn in an English department. I don't mean to criticize English departments by this, either. Being a writer and being an expert in English literature are two different things - both very valuable, but expertise in English literature is not the only good academic background for successful writing. I happen to be a stay at home mother - but if I weren't, I'd probably be out teaching Japanese somewhere.

I'm an academic researcher (and doctoral student). My day-job consists of a lot of mind-numbing statistical analysis and programming. It's not really a career that's very conducive to fiction writing, mostly because there are so many non-fiction commitments that I'm required to fulfill (such as co-authoring journal articles).

I think teaching (not University teaching, but middle school and high school teaching) is a pretty sweet gig for a wanna-be writer. You are involved in intellectual work, but you are also on your feet all day. Also, there isn't that much work that you must bring home, and you get three months off during the summer! Right now I'm trying to make the switch to a job as a public school teacher, so perhaps once I'm actually doing that, my opinions will change.

sleepsheep said:

I think teaching (not University teaching, but middle school and high school teaching) is a pretty sweet gig for a wanna-be writer. You are involved in intellectual work, but you are also on your feet all day. Also, there isn't that much work that you must bring home, and you get three months off during the summer! Right now I'm trying to make the switch to a job as a public school teacher, so perhaps once I'm actually doing that, my opinions will change.

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