Writers are a bit like superheros. Not all of us make money with our writing, so we have to hold down regular jobs while we fight crime in our off hours. So this week, we’ve asked the Confabulators what they do to pay the bills to support their writer alter-ego.
I have had many jobs over the course of my life. Janitor, waitress, web designer, movie crew, but currently I am staying home with an infant.
I’m administrative support at the University – which is basically a glorified secretary, but as everyone knows, secretaries are the ones who really run the office. So, not to brag, but I’m a bit of an office goddess.
I’m cleverly disguised as a full-time novelist. I wish the disguise came with a paycheck, but the first royalty statement won’t come until next January. By then we should have an idea of whether I should go back to being an Administrative Assistant. Or maybe a circus clown.
Actually, I do fight crime during my day job. I am a cop. It’s been a hell of a career. I’ve seen and done things I never could have imagined when I was in college studying the arts. Some days are good, some are bad, but nothing else could be like it.
When I graduated college with a degree in English, I thought I would be able to get a job writing or editing. With no experience, that proved impossible. I started a long road through several jobs that included customer service, technical support, and management in an IT department. Finally, at the urging of my wife, I decided to change careers. For the past five years, I’ve worked as a copywriter for a digital marketing agency.