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Things being an intern has taught me
Dec. 17th, 2007 09:19 pmMy little internship at Unnamed Publishing Company is not going so very well. It's not the worst job I've ever had, but it's certainly not the best. The company I work for is not really a literary publisher, so I'm keeping in mind that a job at a more literary press/company might be more my speed.
Still, this internship and this job? Not. Working.
At this point in my life, I'm past the, "What the hell do I want to be?" question. I know precisely what I want to be and it's what I've wanted to be since I was eight: A Writer.
BUT. Being a writer pays peanuts. Actually, less than peanuts, because peanuts you could live off of. I've got bills and loans that need paying. The people at the bank care about as much about my happiness and my dreams as lions care about the fleas on the back of the antelope they're about to bring down and suffocate with their razor sharp teeth.
I bet there are maybe five hundred people on the whole of planet Earth who make enough to make their living solely off of writing. Five hundred out of six billion...carry the four...and...yeah.
My odds suck. Hence, having a day job.
The year of unemployment that preceded having this internship taught me that, if I didn't have to worry about money, I wouldn't even consider having a job. I'd write. And I'd love it, and it would fulfill me and I'd be happy as a clam in a gram of spam (trust me, this is great happiness).
The question now is, "How the frick do I keep food on the table and not make myself miserable doing it?"
My f-list is mostly composed of writer, and entirely composed of very intelligent folks. So maybe I could pose a question.
What kind of day jobs do you think match well with being a writer? What about them makes them compatible with writing (especially writing with publication in mind) and how does one go about getting said job?
Still, this internship and this job? Not. Working.
At this point in my life, I'm past the, "What the hell do I want to be?" question. I know precisely what I want to be and it's what I've wanted to be since I was eight: A Writer.
BUT. Being a writer pays peanuts. Actually, less than peanuts, because peanuts you could live off of. I've got bills and loans that need paying. The people at the bank care about as much about my happiness and my dreams as lions care about the fleas on the back of the antelope they're about to bring down and suffocate with their razor sharp teeth.
I bet there are maybe five hundred people on the whole of planet Earth who make enough to make their living solely off of writing. Five hundred out of six billion...carry the four...and...yeah.
My odds suck. Hence, having a day job.
The year of unemployment that preceded having this internship taught me that, if I didn't have to worry about money, I wouldn't even consider having a job. I'd write. And I'd love it, and it would fulfill me and I'd be happy as a clam in a gram of spam (trust me, this is great happiness).
The question now is, "How the frick do I keep food on the table and not make myself miserable doing it?"
My f-list is mostly composed of writer, and entirely composed of very intelligent folks. So maybe I could pose a question.
What kind of day jobs do you think match well with being a writer? What about them makes them compatible with writing (especially writing with publication in mind) and how does one go about getting said job?
