Day jobs and writing

I have a writing related job. I'm a tech writer. But I don't find that it makes my fiction writing any more or less difficult. I think the two styles are so far removed as to not interfere.

Let me put it this way, after doing tech writing all day, I don't find that I'm too burned out to write, in fact, all that formal, by the rules writing tends to keep my imagination chomping at the bit and it can't wait to be let loose once I get home.

And I've had non-writing jobs in the past. Same thing. My imagination is always waiting to be freed.

It's kind of like my day job makes my imagination constipated, everything builds up until, when I get home, everything bursts forth in a diahrea of ideas. (Hope no one's eating.)

maestrowork:
Do you have a writing-related day job?

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Yup. I'm a lawyer and I spend my days drafting contracts, arguing about contracts and researching.

maestrowork:
Do you find it easier or more difficult to work on your own projects (particularly fiction) if you have to write at your day job?

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I might be misinterpreting the question here, but I don't think it's as simple as saying that it makes it easier or harder because legal writing tends to be a different skill to creative writing. For example, in drafting a contract you usually want that contract to be as clear, unambiguous and easy to understand as possible, which means that you're trying to set out a particular situation and prescribe exactly what's going to happen. In creative writing however, you may very well want or need a certain level of ambiguity and certainly with my WIP, I find myself constantly having to take a step back from being too obvious in what I'm doing because I want there to be a sense of uncertainty and mystery.

Saying that, there are undeniably certain overlaps between the two. For example, I definitely think about language a great deal when I'm working on my WIP and what words mean, which I think (hope) makes my descriptions more effective. I also tend to be pretty logical in considering the cause-and-effect of what's going on so that the structure's very linear (although that wouldn't be a good thing if I was trying to write something more abstract).

In terms of the practicalities of writing, if I've had a long day in the office or done a weekend or an all-nighter, then it is very difficult to get myself in the mindset of sitting down in front of my computer when I get home to churn out more stuff. For example, for the last month I've been doing 10 to 12 hour days in the office in high-stress situations and it means that I'm completely brain-fried by the time I get home. That also has a knock-on effect when it comes to writing in the weekends because I'm having to shift from a 'work-writing' mindset to a 'pleasure-writing' mindset.

However, there are times when writing at home can be very therapeutic precisely because I am doing something so completely different and I do enjoy torturing or killing characters who just happen to bear a resemblance to someone who's annoyed me that day.

Did I mention that being a lawyer also makes me equivocate in my opinions and go into excessive detail? Ahem. Sorry about that.

MM

maestrowork said:

And if you do have a non-writing-related day job, do you find it easier or more difficult to a) find time to write and b) get into the groove of writing?

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I'm an executive secretary, so there's some measure of letters/memos/emails to my daily workload, but it's not the focus of my 40 hours. Finding time to write--to actually sit down and do the work--is a challenge because I like to be social with my housemate and have other activities in my life, but when the creative iron is hot, I sit and write. I've always been a person who has little to no problem getting into the groove of writing once I have the time to do it.

maestrowork said:

So here's another question: Do you find having a day job help your writing (turning your imagination loose at the end of a long work day)?

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I think I will always have a day job of some sort, even if I became the next Rowlings. The day job keeps me in the world, social and connected to more than myself. I need that to refill my creative well or I can't even get through a single novel-length endeavor.

Many people dream of quitting their jobs and write full-time. But is it really the best? To those who are writing full-time, do you find it more difficult now than when you had a day job?

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I used to dream of writing full-time when my kids were younger and dealing with day-care, sitters and the like was a constant hassle. Now that they're in college, I find I don't really have that dream anymore. Not to say that I don't want to make a good living at writing, mind you, but if I gain that by doing what I'm doing now, something must be working. Don't fix what ain't broke.

And if I don't gain publication by doing what I'm doing now, I still gotta eat so it comes down to the same thing: Don't fix what ain't broke.

maestrowork said:

So here's another question: Do you find having a day job help your writing (turning your imagination loose at the end of a long work day)?

Many people dream of quitting their jobs and write full-time. But is it really the best? To those who are writing full-time, do you find it more difficult now than when you had a day job?

Click to expand...

*looks around to see if anyone is listening*

To be honest, during slow periods, breaks, and at lunch, I write at work. I find that the boredom of what I do is the impetus to get me to write my fiction.

I fear if I quit my job and attempted to make fiction writing full-time, that I wouldn't have the discipline. I'd find too many other distractions at home and I'd never get anything done.

Work is good for my fiction.

I have a writing-related day job, but the writing is usually not very creative -- it's far more technical. So I find that I still have the creative energy to work at the end of the day or on the weekends.

That said, it's also a high stress job, so sometimes I come home and just have to veg. I hate taking the time away from writing, but OTOH, sometimes you have to recharge.

I produce TV commercials, which means I write them too. So really, it's like I'm writing fiction all the time!

Hobbes:
I produce TV commercials, which means I write them too. So really, it's like I'm writing fiction all the time!

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Wait, you mean that shampoo really won't make my hair so sexy that every man will desire me sexually? Are you saying that drinking that brand of alcoholic beverage won't make me a scintillating person to be with? Are you really telling me that using a certain sanitary towel product won't magically make my menstrual cycle a more enjoyable and fun experience?

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Damn you for lying to me! You've crushed my dreams!

MM

Yup, I"m another attorney who does work related writing. (Lordy, how did Roundtable turn into the lawyer hang out? Has someone been chumming the waters?)

It depends on how much writing I've done at work. If I spent all day in front of the computer grinding out something boring, I find myself writing in a notebook. I like the freedom of fiction and it's a release, but I can't stomach more hours in front of the computer.

A day spent in court fries my brain like no other and I"m unable to write that evening.

I have a writing-related day job (I write Help Text and User Manuals) and...it's interesting. I find that I go through periods where I don't want to look at writing at all when I come home from work, and I find that sometimes it really doesn't bug me if I'm excited enough about a story.

I do most of my writing on the weekends, though. And I find that I can't write at the computer (I use the AlphaSmart) or I end up flipping around a lot, like I do at work.

It can be mentally draining to have to choose the right words all day and edit stuff...and then come home, choose the right words and edit stuff all over again.

Momento Mori said:

Wait, you mean that shampoo really won't make my hair so sexy that every man will desire me sexually? Are you saying that drinking that brand of alcoholic beverage won't make me a scintillating person to be with? Are you really telling me that using a certain sanitary towel product won't magically make my menstrual cycle a more enjoyable and fun experience?

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Damn you for lying to me! You've crushed my dreams!

MM

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Yep. Sorry. Except for the shampoo thing. That's true.

Shadow_Ferret said:

*looks around to see if anyone is listening*

To be honest, during slow periods, breaks, and at lunch, I write at work. I find that the boredom of what I do is the impetus to get me to write my fiction.

I fear if I quit my job and attempted to make fiction writing full-time, that I wouldn't have the discipline. I'd find too many other distractions at home and I'd never get anything done.

Work is good for my fiction.

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I am at home all the time and it can be very difficult some days to stay true to my writing...especially since I have joined this forum...Yep...that's it. My lack of self-discipline shall be blamed on the AW...

i am a high school teacher. when i taught brit lit and english comp, grading my student's papers helped me get a grip on organization problems in my own fiction. now that i teach only spanish, reading and writing in spanish is making my english writing leaner but more colorful. language really does affect how one sees the world--different adjectives and proverbs for example. mainly, the summers off are my creation time. i usually block out as many new stories as i can over the summer--daydream freely. i don't have a television so i am my own daytime shows. finally i have to say that contact with kids is my best perk. i don't write kid stuff but seeing the world through their eyes is so funny and so refreshing that i feel like i am on its threshold, again; a constant rejuvenation with each new set of seniors. of course it is summer time now. the little hooligans will have me crazy by october---s6

Tink said:

I am at home all the time and it can be very difficult some days to stay true to my writing...especially since I have joined this forum...Yep...that's it. My lack of self-discipline shall be blamed on the AW...

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Do you have a laptop, Tink? Take it outside and sit down in the middle of your cornfield. Then you can write.

I have a writing related job. I write sales proposals which requires some finesse with words but very little creativity in the ways I like to be creative. I don't know that it has any impact on my fiction writing at all. I had jobs previously that didn't involve any writing and I haven't seen an increase or decrease in difficulty with fiction since the change.
I do love my job though, and can't imagine quitting. I like the social interaction of the workplace - perhaps if I was ever successful enough as a writer to not need a fulltime job I may want to look into somethng part time, but I can't imagine not going to an office anytime soon. at the very least, if I was very successful, I would just need to make time to be more social and join in other activities.

I write software at my day job, but none of what I write at my day job is human-readable, so it doesn't count. Of course, some would say that my non-day-job writing isn't human-readable either.

maestrowork said:

Do you have a writing-related day job? Do you find it easier or more difficult to work on your own projects (particularly fiction) if you have to write at your day job? Would you rather have a non-writing-related day job?

And if you do have a non-writing-related day job, do you find it easier or more difficult to a) find time to write and b) get into the groove of writing?

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Non-writing related, lots of number crunching and such and I find it very difficult to switch my brain mode from analytical to creative, so that would be b), it's difficult for me to get in the groove.

maestrowork said:

So here's another question: Do you find having a day job help your writing (turning your imagination loose at the end of a long work day)?

Many people dream of quitting their jobs and write full-time. But is it really the best? To those who are writing full-time, do you find it more difficult now than when you had a day job?

Click to expand...

Yes, before I had a day job (almost 2 years ago) I wrote a lot and it came so easy, now it is always a struggle to get started, to get into the groove , and to find the time. However, sometimes people at work spark interesting ideas for me and I'll have experiences or encounter people that inspire a scene or a clever twist.

I'm a technical writer but I don't find it interferes with the thought process behind fiction writing. I find I don't have the time I need to write. It also takes a physical toll on my writing. I'm sitting at a computer all day, using the mouse and keyboard. When I get home, my wrist, elbow and shoulder ache. I just can't physically spend any more time on the computer. Now that I'm f/t, my body doesn't get a day or two to recover. It's just relentless.

I haven't written anything significant in 4 months because of this stupid f/t job.

I spend about half of my work days writing -- I write language proficiency tests in English, but I also manage other test developers who create tests in their native languages. The biggest way my day job helps my writing is through forcing me to practice word economy; if I'm writing a reading comprehension test, I usually have to stick to a strict word limit for the reading passage. Say, 300 words. I've gotta make sure that every single word in there contributes to the meaning of the passage (or, occasionally, I'll have superfluous info in there for a reason, like to test the examinee's ability to locate the main idea of the passage). I've found that my adherence to word economy on the job has carried over to my fiction writing, as well. There's much less fat to cut when I do a rewrite or revision than there was before I started developing tests.

And another good thing is just building up a lot of writing energy. I find that if I spend the whole morning pounding out a test, I want to keep my fingers hitting the keys. So I'll open my WIP during lunch and spend the whole hour writing. The day job writing, while not terribly creative, does at least get me into a really good mental and physical writing rhythm.

I am kinda beat when I get home, though. My commute's really short, and it's rare that I will open my WIP on my laptop when I get home. I usually have dinner, talk with Husband, maybe watch some TV... and then get back to my fiction writing.

Wow, you're right....lots of lawyers. Um, me too.

I'm a criminal lawyer...and in court a lot. In Court sometimes translates to Waiting For the Judge. I always have a legal pad with me in court, and am always making some notes for fiction while I'm waiting. It's also a nice disconnect to use my lunch hours for writing during the day, a nice break from the legal side of the brain to the creative side of the brain, and a good way to recharge for an entire afternoon in court.

I also spend a couple of evenings a week devoted to writing and writing related stuff. Sometimes I'll take a weekend day to do some more. It's a great way of switching gears to keep the daily grind from getting to you.

I used to have a writing-related day job, doing publications and press releases for a non-profit. It sucked my fiction-writing soul. Of course, it didn't help that my boss was all the time editing my elegant prose into crap by overusing words like wonderful and extraordinary.

I have a writing-related job. I do travel stuff, mainly marketing and newsletters now. When I was working full time, it was physically impossible to come home and keep typing, even when I was ready to write. Now I work part time, on my own hours, which is much better.

I find my "work" writing actually improves my novel-writing. What I do for work is ALL about condensing, cramming the greatest meaning into the smallest number of words and making everything really clear and simple. It's also a huge amount of description - places, houses, people, etc. etc., which is something I used to struggle with. No more!

Initially, however, it was very difficult for me to turn that switch from "nonfiction" to "fiction." I'd get stuck in a rut and my own writing would start to sound all peppy and newsletterish. Yick! But now I'm used to it.

I think having the job keeps me motivated to write - I am constantly torn between doing the stuff I know needs doing at my job or... just writing a bit more! Fortunately since I don't work that much I can usually get away with putting stuff off. But I think the contrast keeps me excited about my own writing. If I just quit completely, I'd probably get bored with my own stuff and start distracting myself in other ways. Right now, my writing IS the distraction!

Nope, unless you count being a high school student as writing-related. My planned career is what I guess you could say a "writing-related job", but it'll be writing in foreign languages. I want to become a translator, and transfer texts into different languages, so I'd say it'll be semi-writing related.

maestrowork said:

Do you have a writing-related day job? Do you find it easier or more difficult to work on your own projects (particularly fiction) if you have to write at your day job? Would you rather have a non-writing-related day job?

And if you do have a non-writing-related day job, do you find it easier or more difficult to a) find time to write and b) get into the groove of writing?

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I am a civil engineer by trade, so my job is not strictly writing related.

However, throughout my career of 34 years, I seem to have been assigned much writing. At first it was simple business letters, which mainly involved brevity and accuracy. Then it was construction specifications and technical reports. From the specs I learned conciseness of language. From reports I learned explaining the technical in terms the non-technical person can understand. Later I became involved in writing marketing materials, which was the first business use that required any type of creative writing. Since then I've also had to write regulations for engineering designs: technical manuals for the city I did contract work for. Along the way I authored three technical papers for presentation at conferences (one is next month in Orlando), and three articles in engineering management type magazines. This gave me a taste of the editorial process. My current position is corporate trainer for engineering, so now I'm developing training classes and writing the student handouts and teacher notes.

It seems most of my career has involved almost more writing than calculating. So the career has helped prepare me for a (second) career in creative writing. I have stretched and improved my grammar skills through technical writing. When I have a day at work that is heavy in writing, as opposed to calculating, I find I can shift gears easy to creative writing, much easier than on days heavy in calculations.

I think the balance in my day job between technical writing and calculating (and I use "calculating" to refer to all the non-writing things I have to do at work) is good for my writing. I'm not so tired of writing that I can't do it at home in the evenings, and I'm not brain weary from intense calculations.

NDG