3 ways to make your job work for your writing
Plenty of writers – probably most writers – have a job outside of their writing. When all you want to do with your life is write for a living, this can be frustrating, but you can still make your other job work for your writing. Here are some of the ways you can do it.
Use it for inspiration
Probably the most obvious (and possibly the best) way to use your job for your writing is to see it as a source of potentially excellent inspiration. That colleague of yours, for instance, who has the odd habit of spending a bit too much time on their own in the stationery cupboard, or sucking up to the boss for reasons unknown. They could make an excellent character in a novel.
Well, maybe not them, but certain, carefully-chosen aspects of them.
The office is also an excellent place for a whole range of shenanigans and other happenings that could inspire your writing. The secret-that’s-not-a-secret office romance. The gossiping that goes on whenever so-and-so is on their lunch break. The rumour about how the back window really got broken. It’s all a source of excellent plot strands and story starting points.
Utilise that discipline
Having a job outside of your writing can also give you a discipline that you might not have if all you did all day was write. It’s a common complaint of writers that getting down to work is something of a challenge, even with years of practice. However, if you’ve got another job and are serious about your writing, you won’t have time for procrastination. Your lack of free time could actually end up helping you.
Other jobs also require us to have discipline to enable us to meet deadlines and keep up a good standard of work – both very good habits to be in when we’re hoping to make something of our writing. Transferable skills are great no matter what you’re using them for, and writing is no exception.
Enhance your skills
The other good thing about having a job other than writing is that it gives you the chance to enhance your skills. You might be able to go on interesting training courses as part of your job, or get involved with things you wouldn’t otherwise have access to. It all helps to improve your skills, which can in turn help you improve your writing.
For instance, it will give you a bigger base of knowledge to draw on, and can help you make your writing more realistic.
Does your job help your writing?
