21st century starving writer girl.

KikiteNeko · Feb 28, 2008

Today I opened my first rejection form letter. This is my last week as a temp at this company, and I do not know where my next check will come from. My credit card is past due. Someone came with free calendars promoting her printing company; I asked if she was hiring. She isn't. A woman in the office just found out I like sewing; she offered me $10 to hem her pants.

I took it.

Calla Lily · Feb 28, 2008

Tomo, if you're temping at one company, are you doing it through Adecco or one of the standard temp agencies? If not, get there quick! Otherwise, since I don't know what your skillset is, the only advice I can offer is try fast-food work or Merry Maids or even stocking shelves at Target. I've been unemployed, and I've cleaned toilets and worked in an institutional laundry to pay the bills. Do what you have to job-wise to get out of debt, then while you're employed, focus on the career building. Good luck!

auntybug · Feb 28, 2008

I'm with Lily. From what I've read here - IF you're among the few that make it - you'd probably be years away from making money writing. There was a post a while back - someone had their 4th book published & still has their day job. I don't know what you write - some get paid by articles I guess but still, secure something steady. I did the Target thing as a seasonal position before I moved. I liked it - they liked me. It lead to a great promotion - even though for just a couple months & that training led to something awesome when I finally moved! Best Wishes!

ETA : :Hug2:

KikiteNeko · Feb 28, 2008

I'm using an agency called Reitman. Skills are:

BA in English (which is like being unexperienced, except it costs more money)
Typing 70 WPM / 100% accuracy on the test
Proficiency in Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Mac OSX and Windows XP platforms.
2+ Years clerical experience.

So in summary: not much. I'm just looking for office work with health benefits.

callalily61 said:
Tomo, if you're temping at one company, are you doing it through Adecco or one of the standard temp agencies? If not, get there quick! Otherwise, since I don't know what your skillset is, the only advice I can offer is try fast-food work or Merry Maids or even stocking shelves at Target. I've been unemployed, and I've cleaned toilets and worked in an institutional laundry to pay the bills. Do what you have to job-wise to get out of debt, then while you're employed, focus on the career building. Good luck!

Calla Lily · Feb 28, 2008

auntybug said:
I'm with Lily. From what I've read here - IF you're among the few that make it - you'd probably be years away from making money writing. There was a post a while back - someone had their 4th book published & still has their day job.

Yeppers. Several years ago, I left a FT proofreading job at a great place because there was a wage freeze on, I had a 1-year-old, and needed more money. The fantasy author Anne Bishop--who had at least 2 pubbed novels under her belt at the time--got hired for that position. Health insurance and a steady paycheck will always rule, I guess.

ETA: Read your skillset post. (I have a BA in English Lit--small world!) There are usually temp clerical jobs in my area (Buffalo). I think that's the case in most major cities. Again, good luck!

Gray Rose · Feb 28, 2008

Consider looking for a staff position at your local university or college. This is something that's great for writers, plus you get to take free classes.

Maryn · Feb 28, 2008

I don't have any good advice, but I've got a bag of groceries. Eat the fruit soon; I bought more than I could use.

Maryn, who occasionally hands her starving daughter a bag of groceries

KikiteNeko · Feb 28, 2008

I don't actually ever expect to LIVE off of money from my writing. It's a dream of mine, sure, and I'll pursue it until I die (or retire, in which case it came true). But my goal is, if I can't find a job in publishing/editing, to just take any clerical job that will pay my bills. I don't really care what my day job is as long as it doesn't involve industrial labor, and I have time to write.

auntybug said:
I'm with Lily. From what I've read here - IF you're among the few that make it - you'd probably be years away from making money writing. There was a post a while back - someone had their 4th book published & still has their day job. I don't know what you write - some get paid by articles I guess but still, secure something steady. I did the Target thing as a seasonal position before I moved. I liked it - they liked me. It lead to a great promotion - even though for just a couple months & that training led to something awesome when I finally moved! Best Wishes!

ETA :

bluntforcetrauma · Feb 28, 2008

You can be a substitute teacher most anywhere with those creds. And substitute never means part time. They'll put you to work. It'll take a couple weeks to get the paperwork through. After that, there's tons of work.

In the meantime, hit up McDonald's. Sell blood. Do what you have to do (within the law) to survive until more permanent work is secured. I've done heavy industrial labor, cleaned toilets, worked 19 hour days for months on end. You will be surprised at the real people you meet doing manual labor. Real characters.

HeronW · Feb 28, 2008

Apply to more temp offices, check the want ads, go through the yellow pages and send resumes to all the businesses that are there, hit up the retail stores, colleges, lower schools, churches, oh, and keep writing.

BTW I used to live in CT, miss it :}

KikiteNeko · Feb 28, 2008

Aw, you mean I have to do things LEGALLY?

In the past I have sold some handmade clothes, but there's like, no money in that.

I can't teach. I'm pretty sure I would kill somebody. Perhaps I'll try McDonalds.

bluntforcetrauma said:
You can be a substitute teacher most anywhere with those creds. And substitute never means part time. They'll put you to work. It'll take a couple weeks to get the paperwork through. After that, there's tons of work.

In the meantime, hit up McDonald's. Sell blood. Do what you have to do (within the law) to survive until more permanent work is secured. I've done heavy industrial labor, cleaned toilets, worked 19 hour days for months on end. You will be surprised at the real people you meet doing manual labor. Real characters.

Red-Green · Feb 28, 2008

University secretary jobs ROCK! :e2headban

Seriously, I don't know what they think I do 40 hours a week, but I'll confess I spend about 20 of it writing. Plus, great health insurance.

Or, check out my posts on the "cheap and shocking" thread to see all the horrific ways in which I survived on very little money as a grad student/writer.

Gray Rose said:
Consider looking for a staff position at your local university or college. This is something that's great for writers, plus you get to take free classes.

windyrdg · Feb 28, 2008

I have to respond to making handmade clothes. When my kids were young and I was going to college, I swapped babysitting with a gal who bought raggedy, torn jeans and pieced them together. For a time patches and odd seams were all the style.

She had somebody who bought them as fast as she could make 'em and paid well enough for her to live on it. One day she came by all dejected. It seems that the guy buying her jeans was a drug dealer and needed a phony business to cover all the money that went through his back account. He got arrested, putting her out of business. Also turns out he was pitching the jeans into a dumpster as soon as she delivered them. Great while it lasted, though.

Seriously, you could register at every temp agency in town and probably keep busy while you looked for a full time gig.

21st century starving writer girl.

KikiteNeko

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Calla Lily

On hiatus

auntybug

teh other evil broad

KikiteNeko

.

Calla Lily

On hiatus

Gray Rose

Beware of the Thorns!

Maryn

At Sea

KikiteNeko

.

bluntforcetrauma

Esquire

HeronW

Down Under Fan

KikiteNeko

.

Red-Green

KoalaKoalaKoala!

windyrdg

New kid, be gentle!