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The most difficult thing for me about writing fiction (other than the time constraints, the interruptions, the laptop-induced carpal tunnel, the unfamiliar and horrifyingly pervasive sense of writer’s block, and the gaping black hole in my brain where things like “grammar” and “punctuation” are supposed to live, that is) is the realization that my memory isn’t just bad, it’s terrible. It seems to me that one of the key elements in being a really good writer is the ability to draw upon past experiences with clarity and intensity, that even if you’re writing pure fiction describing events that never actually happened it’s immensely helpful if you can remember certain aspects of life you’ve experienced firsthand in order to create a believable, solid framework for your story.
Take The Glass Castle, for instance. I mean, even if it turned out that Walls’ book was not based on fact, you’ve got to hand it to her for creating a fully authentic, exquisitely detailed account of someone’s childhood, and a lot of that has to come from remembering what it’s like to be young, right? And if it’s all true, well what the FUCK, how does a person have such a phenomenal memory that they can vividly describe conversations and emotions that happened thirty years ago or more?
I wonder if spending 7+ years writing online has had an effect on how I think about that stuff. When you’re so used to writing down things that are happening at the moment, maybe it becomes harder to dig deeper for the things that require a different access method, you know? It’s certainly affected my patience; I feel like I’m trying to switch from having short conversations to carrying out a terribly long-winded monologue where my voice just drones on and on and ON and oh my god, self, shut UP. Plus, there’s this entirely different concept of having to keep coming back to the story, whether I want to or not—I can’t just merrily toss it out to sea like all the little bobbing bottles saved on this website.
In short, this whole writing endeavor is about a thousand times harder than I had guessed it would be, and dude, I was already operating under the assumption that it would be really damn hard. As for a progress report, I completely scrapped the first 3000 or so words of the story I was starting to write and went back to the drawing board so now I have, like, four paragraphs of this so-called book and it starts with someone with a gun in their mouth. Yeah, I’m not sure either.
Anyway, I have some ideas for where I’d maybe like to take the story and I could use some help from you guys, if you’re willing. I’m looking to talk with people who have worked interesting jobs and wouldn’t mind describing them to me. Anything that’s a little out of the ordinary but recognizable—like, say, a dog groomer, floral arranger, bike mechanic, rafting guide . . . that kind of thing. If you’re so inclined, hit me up in the comments or via email, I’d love to hear from you.
In non-writing news, we’re heading back down to Oregon this weekend for a long holiday at the cabin. I predict lots of whining about the drive, a complete disregard for eating healthfully, and the familiar epiphany that no matter how good of a time you’re having, if the kids are there, it’s not really a vacation.
Whatever you’re up to this weekend, may your fingers be fireworks-injury-free, your crappy food be plentiful, and your family not drive you completely batshit. See you next week!
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Loving, Lately
JR Watkins Vanilla is my new favorite body lotion. Love the smell, love the way it feels, love the awesome label design.
I may have mentioned it once or twice, but Breaking Bad is the best thing that has ever happened to television EVER. You should watch it right now.
Bob Book Series
Riley has honestly learned to read as a result of these little box sets. Cannot recommend enough.
This applesauce bread from Allrecipes is superfast, supereasy, and the kids love it (I leave out the spices).
I’ll drop you an e-mail about my job!
I was a lifeguard/swim instructor in a past life. Does thqt count?
lol, I know I shouldn’t but I can’t help it! Quit your bitchin, everyone deals with it, bla bla bla :)
You’re going to be brilliant so just finish the book so we can all buy it and tell you how wonderful you are :)
I taught gymnastics to 2-5 year olds for about 4 years.
Have fun! Happy 4th of July! I have worked at a Mexican restaurant (I am not mexican) as a hostess, an Italian restaurant as a hostess, a tanning salon, an orthodontist assistant (as a teenager), I sold cell phones at a large local retailer (hint, “A better way to go!”) then it was office work stuff (for the same retailer) now I am a SAHM. If any of that works let me know.
I sort of wish my now-career of Tax Accountant was interesting enough to qualify for your “interesting/out of the ordinary” job description search, but I fear to anyone NOT in accounting the job is probably the very definition of boring.
I have, however, also worked in direct advertising production (i.e. I sent out junk-mail), beer/brat seller for events at the American Legion in a TINY town in Wisconsin, a cook at an Italian Deli, and a carmel popcorn/popcorn ball/cotten candy maker at a fair. If any of that could be of use to you, email me! :)
I teach childbirth classes as one of my jobs. I love it, but I know some people think it’s weird.
My husband has held a lot of interesting job and tells great stories: worker in a box factory, cheese factory, and hurdy-gurdy man outside a toy store are some of the best.
I worked the front desk at a busy vet clinic for a while. I’ve got some STORIES :)
I was a Production Assistant for one of the major entertainment news magazine shows (and before that, I was a PA a now-defunct soap opera). I sucked at being a PA about as much as anyone can suck at a job (my resume by the time I left included accidental grand theft auto – true story!). That said, I’ve always been surprised at how much of that particular job I remember pretty well (maybe acute shame and self-loathing are more memorable than other feelings? anyway.). Feel free to e-mail if you like.
I admire you for writing the novel! I think it might be one of the hardest things to do in life.
Not sure if this falls under “advice you don’t want/need,” but have you considered a writing class with a workshop component? I go to a women’s author festival every year where successful, published authors speak, and almost every single one of them spent time in a writing class where they were able to get feedback and work on their writing with some guidance. Of course, time is an issue, I know. When on earth are you supposed to do this? I admire you for tackling this tough goal, and for always pushing yourself. You’ll get there!
I sell beer at the golf course while I am FINALLY finishing up my degree, graduate next month!! Anyway there are plenty of stories for me tell, some involving hookers :) Mostly its just freaking HOT as hell (like 110 heat index) and SUPER DRUNK guys that I’m sometimes afraid will take me into the woods…..FUN times I tell you!
I’ve worked at a few interesting jobs over the years: day camp counselor, 3rd shift IT support for Discover Card, call center for the infamous American Girl franchise, currently I’m a nanny for a 2 year old, which is completely different than the years & years in an office environment. I was a music intern for a radio station once, one of my favorite jobs.
My first job was decorating, boxing, and shipping king cakes at a donut shop during Mardi Gras, and then I got hired on as a permanent slave doing everything from mixing dough, glazing, working the register, cleaning, and setting up funny quotes on the sign outside. Now I’m in the Coast Guard and while I’ve had a couple boring desk jobs, I had a phenomenal tour on a buoytender stationed out of Hawaii. I was Deck Watch Officer (shipdriver) and we went all over the Pacific and I’ve got stories if you want ‘em!
Oh, also was a supervisor for a building that was rented out for various parties – wedding receptions, baby showers, etc.., lots of interesting stories of crazy people.
Interesting(ISH)/unusual jobs I’ve had: I taught people how to pan for gold and gave tour of an old abandoned gold mine shaft for about 3 summers in the Black Hills, SD, I worked as an “advertiser” and ran the spot light for a Country Music Dinner Theater, wherein most of the musicians were NOT country fans, and I currently work as a doula which is ALWAYS interesting. ALWAYS.
Probably not helpful to your story, but there you have it!
I was a cage cashier in a casino in a past life. Sounds much more glamorous than it was though, I think it’s the word “cage” that gives it an edge. Really though you’re just locked up all night trying not to fall asleep. But really, if it starts with a gun in the mouth, that kind of job probably fits the bill. Good luck!
I worked at Chuck E Cheeses. Might not sound interesting, BUT THE STORIES I COULD TELL.
I’m a hydrogeologist – investigating soil and groundwater contamination. One of the more exciting parts of the job involves dynamite.
How ’bout my job as a novelist?
:)
I have the worst memory in the world, I’m sure it’s worse than yours, and it works really well for me because when I go back to revise my books I don’t have that tunnel vision that’d keep me from seeing where the issues are. Sometimes I’ll read a paragraph with my eyes wide thinking, who the hell wrote that?? Makes it harder when my editor wants to suggest revisions to scenes and I have no idea which scenes she’s talking about, but all in all, it’s served me well.
I don’t know that you need much of a memory to write fiction, really. Memoirs, sure, but fiction comes from somewhere altogether different. When I write about kids (and my last novel was told partially from a 10-year-old’s perspective), I talk to kids to pick up their ways of speaking, and understand the way they think. You probably do the same thing when you try to reason with your own kids, right? You have a pretty decent idea how they see the world.
I think the most important thing is to be able to feel empathy for your characters, put yourself inside their heads and figure out what they’re thinking and feeling, so you can put it on the page, even if you’ve never gone through anything remotely similar. (Like, for example, you’ve probably–hopefully–never had a gun in your mouth. But I’m sure you can imagine how that’d feel…)
Does working as a psychiatric nurse in a prison count as “interesting”??? :)
Just something helpful that you probably already do or know but it has helped me to keep a notebook with me. Memories are not always fluid. I will remember a moment of a longer memory with strong clarity because something will happen to me, a scent will hit me or I will see a book/item that I had when I was a kid for example. That is when the memories come on strong and generally those memories will flow out of my head as fast as they come. When I stop myself and write them down for future reference it makes it easier to write. OR just start writing stuff on your blog. Then you can tag it memories or thoughts for book or whatever.
Just find a good place to unload memories I find is the key to writing fiction, non fiction, autobiographical data whatevs. GL!!!!
I was a circus coach/circus director for 3 years, if that’s of any interest. I have also been a barista at a small, independent coffee house and a ballroom dance instructor.
Sorry, I’m boring. I work in book publishing. *sigh* & *yawn*
Jobs: nanny, camp counselor for outdoor rock climbing camp, indoor climbing instructor, door to door coupon book slinger, telemarketer, registery desk at babies r us, pet sitter…..e-mail if any of those fit what your looking for.
How about the life and times of a call center programmer? Dude, I route phone calls. Don’t roll your eyes, it can be very exciting. You wouldn’t believe what some people will say on a recorded line.
I had a short stint as a rickshaw cyclist.
I have nothing interesting to give you, i just wanted to comment and say that i’m kind of jealous that these people have had such cool jobs.
I feel really dull now.
I understand your frustration. I’m writing novel #3 right now – during my lunch hours – because I can barely hear myself think let alone get time to write. I’m looking for an agent for #2. #1 was written basically to teach myself how to write a novel because the entire concept was beyond me. The key is just simply to write and write and not worry about whether its crap or not (because it most likely is) but what happens, in my experience, is that you have to write yourself to the actual story. Which means, you write a lot of dreck until, hey, this might be something! I have two kids. The oldest is 8 1/2. The second novel took 9 years to finish. The current one is moving along – I’ve gotten 80+ pages done in a couple months. But, that’s just a first draft. I’m not really paying attention to continuity problems. That comes later.
I once worked in a dry cleaning store where I was paid under the table by non-English speaking Koreans. Does that count? Problem is, I don’t remember much about it. I’ve got that same past-memory-loss thing, too. Must be the children. I blame them.
two words: Lunar Seismologist.
I’m 34, and at last count I’ve worked about 18 different jobs! Part of that is because I am a freelance photographer & designer & photography teacher, and seeing as none of those things are especially profitable, I always have at least one gig on the side.
By far the wackiest job I had was a “Dresser” for one of the 2 actors that make up the cast of “A Tuna Christmas.” This was a production at Actors Theatre, one of the few things my hometown of Louisville, KY is famous for, other than the Kentucky Derby, Louisville Slugger bats and bourbon.
In 2005, I quit my day job to freelance full time, and things were pretty lean. I saw an ad in our local alternative newspaper for the position. I went to a performing arts high school, so I have experience being a “techie,” a common term for people who work backstage at a theatre. Even though it’d been 12 years since I’d actually been a “techie,” I was hired.
If you’re familiar with “A Tuna Christmas,” two actors play all the characters in the play, and the play is known for its quick costume changes. I was assigned to the small skinny actor with another girl, and two other people were assigned to the moody, fat actor. The dressers were to place all the costumes for the show at various places backstage, strategically folded, gathered and arranged so we could get them on the actors fast.
The actors would burst backstage between scenes and the dressers would literally tear the clothes off them, stuff them into new ones and send them back onstage. Each costume change took mere minutes. It was kinda crazy. Me and my partner thanked our lucky stars that we were assigned to the skinny actor, because not only was he nicer, he was a lot easier to strip!
I’ve been a sheep-herder, a professional dog walker in NYC, and a nurse aide on an Alzeheimer’s unit….
I run farmer’s markets, something I have done since I was 5 years old. Okay, to be fair, I wasn’t running things back then, I was driving my grandfather insane by being in the way and absolutely zero help. As an adult, I am managing two smaller farmer’s markets on my own as well as a huge market (20,000+ customers per week) in Baltimore, MD. Considering my family can and has been described as the Soup Nazis of produce, if you want stories, I have stories. Most jobs you get in trouble for fighting with the customers. We get in trouble for being too nice for too long.
I was a massage therapist. Most of the time pretty ordinary, but there are always stories of strange or pervy or bitchy clients, as well as the overweight and unshowered, and the hairy-backed with acne.
Then there was my former male colleague who was charged with third-degree sexual assault for having “relations” with two clients on the massage table. Ew.
Summer job experience: Making dashboards and components for Chrysler Minivans, working in a bacon manufacuturing plant (in a room called the “microwave” but was so cold I had to wear a sweatshirt), making ceramic fireplace logs, working in an optomotrist office, working at a grocery store in the bakery, working in a nursing home kitchen, working in a greenhouse starting plants, working an Elks fish fry on Friday nights, working in food services for a University, working in admissions and student services for that same university. The rest of my working life was spent as an assistant to an Executive Vice President who was an ex-Marine and would flip you off if he didn’t like how the “f***ing org charts” looked. Hmmm, no wonder I like being unemployed and staying home with the kids now…
Hi Linda!
I’ve worked at a homeless shelter for the past almost 5 years. I’ve held many jobs within the organization, and I am currently in charge of one of our housing programs (which houses families and single men and women).
I also put myself through college (6 years) doing respite care for a family whose son is handicapped. He suffered a brain injury as a toddler and needs 24 hr. supervision. It was one of the most difficult and most rewarding jobs I’ve ever had.
In 2000, I worked as a camp counselor at a camp in Minnesota (I’m a born and raised SoCal girl) for children with ADD, ADHD, and SED (Severe Emotional Disturbance). It was easily the most difficult job I’ve ever had.
I also spent a Summer working at our local zoo. I did hair-wraps (those thread things you weave into little girls’ hair) and rice-writing (where you write someone’s name on a grain of rice and make a charm out of it).
Whew. I think that’s it. If any of those are something you’d be interested in knowing more about, feel free to email me!
Wow, folks have had some interesting jobs! I work as a fundraiser and have had past stints has a house painter, cook for a fraternity and ticket salesperson at the county fair (not a carnie!). Unfortunately my memory isn’t great but email if those are jobs of interest.
Good luck on the novel!
I was a wedding planner.
I’ve been a wall painter, an Irish dance shoe fitter, a house cleaner for some very rich individuals (for about two months), and a newspaper editor.
I was a wildlife biologist (in a few states, usually in bumfuck) for a while and have been bitten and shit on by various birds and small mammals, stuck my hand in arm deep mud to find turtles, braved death-defying slopes for a salamander, and dodged poisonous snakes :). I still traipse around the woods for my job, but it’s usually around roads as I work for the state DOT–though the stuff you can find on the side of the road can be pretty interesting as well (like ‘bridge porn’!). If you want more, just shoot me an email!
The best I have for you is:
Counselor for an extended day program at an elementary school for the 1st-3rd graders.
Caretaker at a small group home for mentally and/or physically disabled adults.
Both were pretty interesting jobs actually.
My job is to fire people from their jobs…literally. I help companies plan staffing reductions, structure severance packages, and execute the event.
If that tickles your “interesting job” fancy, let me know!
I’ve had a lot of jobs, but none seem so interesting as the rest of your fan base! Most interesting had to be bartender in a dive bar where we sold bait out of the back when the bait shop nextdoor closed. Nightcrawlers for night crawlers! Wasn’t what I envisioned after graduating from college, but I lost track of myself after my father died and made some not-so-great decisions. Made it back, became an RDA (dental assistant) and have been at a dentist owned insurance company for the last 8 years…help dentists when patients sue them!
Have a great trip…I’ll trade you, we’re just staying home. But we are going out to dinner Friday night and watching a performance of Firebenders. If you’ve never seen fire dancing it is AMAZING! Now those are people you want to talk to. How do you get into dancing with fire for a living?!
I wish I had some insightful wisdom regarding overcoming writers block or writers insecurity. But I don’t so, yeah…
I spent most (all) of my career as an architect. Do you want an cynical viewpoint or an inspirational one? I can serve up both.
I personally can’t offer any excellent writing advice, but I will strongly recommend to you a book called “Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott. It’s a veritable fountain of wisdom about overcoming the pain and suffering that goes along with writing (fiction and non), and I’ve found it supremely helpful as an aspiring nonfictioneer. Plus, I’ve never known another instructional book that uses the word “fuck.”
I was a pickle packer at a Vlasics factory one summer. Not interesting, but damn, not many people can say that!
Happy 4th! Hang in there with the writing. I am so impressed that you have the guts to start down a blank page and type, in the first place. That is awesome. Really.
I have always felt that it pays to pay attention to the process of creation, too. Interesting patterns of thought, assumptions, etc. show up in the actual process. These observations often lead to some of my most unique ideas (in academic humanities writing, for whatever the hell that is worth).
I used to be a roofer when I was in college. I also managed a catering crew. I don’t know if those are the kind of “interesting” you are looking for, though!
I know my former life as a junior associate at a ginormous law firm doesn’t count as interesting, but perhaps my current career as a part-time front desk person at a family owned yoga studio/boutique/spa in a small resort town does? Wrangling massage therapists, yogis, and oblivious yuppies fascinates me more than it probably should.
Obviously your readers will be a goldmine, but for anyone else who is interested in learning the juicy bits of a wide variety of jobs, I HIGHLY recommend the book “Gig.” It’s a collection of essays about random peoples’ jobs (from Walmart greeter to porn star), and they are fascinating.
http://www.amazon.com/Gig-Americans-Talk-About-Their/dp/0609807072/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246481023&sr=1-1
Remember the movie BIG with Tom Hanks? I was a dancer on the big floor piano at FAO Schwartz in NYC for a year. There were two of us per shift, one played the top “hand”, the other played the bottom “hand,” all with our feet of course. We did 2 shows every hour and in between would let people on the piano in small groups to play. We always started with Chopsticks and Heart and Soul because they were from the movie, but our repertoire also included Bach, Beethoven, Strauss, Mozart, pop music, and seasonal favorites like Jingle Bells. We had headset microphones and did a little patter with each show. We also had a code system we used to communicate with our fellow worker when dealing with the public. Such as Code 10 for Pushy Mom, Code 99 for I Just Don’t Care, and since they had to take off their shoes before getting on the piano, Code 5 was for Stinky Feet.
I drove a city bus to put myself through college. Don’t know if that’s interesting. I still have my Class B license though!
This isn’t exactly fascinating, but I worked at a wallpaper store for two summers in college. And now I’m the very liberal administrator at a very conservative church.
Seriously, hit up your mortician bro-in-law for details. I know you already know a bunch of them, but that’s a job not many people have!
I’ve working in various positions in hospitals for the last 17 years. I’ve done admitting, insurance stuff, worked in both the lab and xray departments, been a unit secretary in the ER, ICU and now a medical floor. Some of the things I’ve seen I wish I could unsee, let me tell ya.
p.s. LOVED The Glass Castle. Amazing book, and even more amazing that it was her life!
Wow, okay.
I worked at a flower shop for about a year-and-a-half, and it was NUTS. This particular place also sold stationery, like wedding invites and birth announcements. This place is considered one of the top florists in Alabama for event flowers, stuff for weddings, birthdays, business events, etcetera. While there I learned some basic flower arranging, as well as how to make boutonnieres and corsages.
Working in stationery is high stress, let me tell you, because we sold high quality, expensive stuff and you had to go through proof after proof to get things just the way the customer wanted, and if it ended up with any mistakes (a misspelling, for example) SOMEONE had to pay for it, usually hundreds of dollars.
The flower shop itself was really high-intensity and high-stress, as people who drop that kind of money on something perishable are INCREDIBLY picky. I got the rich ladies, business men who knew nothing about flowers but knew their wives/girlfriends did, guys sending flowers to hotel rooms, young men and women ordering corsages for prom, women ordering flowers for their baby showers or bridal teas or for their weddings.
On top of all of that the owner of the shop was also my supervisor, and she was AWFUL. She was really into micromanaging, and she would mess stuff up and then blame it on other people, and she’d scream obsenities (”SON of a BITCH!”). She also once threw a box at me. She was the scariest, worst boss I’ve ever had.
Then the event coordinator/head designer there was loud and obnoxious. He once showed a picture of his boyfriend’s bare ass to a client, an old, rich, tottering lady, and she just thought it was the cutest thing ever. He also once asked me how big my husband’s penis is; I was not so amused.
The other designers there were mean, ornery, and quick to blame anything bad that happened to those of us who answered phones and took delivery orders. If they didn’t like the way you described an order, they’d yell at you. If they didn’t like the amount of money you charged for an arrangement, they’d yell at you. If you didn’t replenish their supplies at their stations fast enough, they’d yell at you.
I also worked for a dating service for a while that did telemarketing, calling random lists of people to ask if they needed help getting a date. It was pretty terrible. I quit after I got a handicapped and ill woman on the phone who was desperate to find a way to get to our offices so we could help her find a man. It was too much.
I’d say the most interesting job I’ve had is a summer camp counselor for a mostly Jewish summer camp in New York. I’m from Montana. And Catholic. And of German heritage. Yeah, it lead to some awkward conversations…
My most interesting job was as a small-town newspaper reporter. Carl Hiassen’s got nothing on me, Florida-wise.
The rest of what I have to say involves book-writing, and consists of only, I KNOW, RIGHT? Frackin’ hard. I was such a smug ass thinking if I made the time, it would be so EASY. I mean, after all, I’ve had a book swirling around my head for YEARS!
And then … oh yes. Hard. So hard. Damn damn damn.
Two pretty interesting jobs:
1) Housecleaner for VERY rich folks’ vacation homes in Aspen, CO (very rich as in the Estee Lauder family, among others).
2) Teacher in the County Jail.
Not sure how many of these qualify as interesting, but here goes: cashier at an oceanfront pharmacy, gift-wrapper for Williams-Sonoma, receptionist at a dental office, operator at a food delivery service, arts instructor for kids, photo lab rat (processed & printed film…oh, fun stories there!), paper pusher at a now-defunct ISP in DC (more fun stories, most involving sleazy salesmen, cocaine, and vomiting on the Metro), tech support rep for a big camera company (was once told “YOU MEAN LADY! YOU LIKE HITLER!” by an insane Asian woman), and most recently, went from barista to store manager and back again at the green apron empire.
Oh, and I also worked briefly as a massage therapist. Forgot that one.
And “The Glass Castle” was one of the best books I’ve read in a long, looooong time. Another good memoir is “Crazy for the Storm” by Norman Ollestad.
My most interesting job to date was an administrative manager for a non-profit organization (based here in the US) that trained doctors and nurses in Africa. Had never been to Africa before I got this job (basically a desk job doing stuff like writing reports, paying the bills, organizing vendors), but I had to travel to several countries in Africa to attend some meetings and conferences. The travel thing to that little nook of the world was, well, let’s just say I have some stories. I would never have been able to go there if it wasn’t for that job, so I’m really grateful for that perk, so to speak.
Other jobs included: bartender, cashier at drugstore, beer cart girl at a golfcourse, and secretary.
I was a host for Match.com events. Their “speed-dating” things? Yah, that was me with the whistle and stopwatch.
I was also legal assistant to a Republican Governor. I’m not Republican.
I made caviar for 3 summers in Alaska – from robbing the eggs out of the fish to shipping the product to Japan. Good times!
I repaired Oriental Carpets. I loved it, my favorite job and WORST BOSS ever. I wish I still did it. Shoot me an email if you wanna know more!
I work at a city hostel in Australia… ostensibly a ‘backpackers’ hostel but in reality we get all sorts, from the migrants trying to get their lives together here, the drifters and other local people who are essentially homeless, international students who are paying top dollar to study at Australian university but skimping on accommodation costs, visiting sports groups and bands, etc. I don’t know how interesting the job itself is but the people who pass through here (or… stay longer because they have nowhere else to go) are often interesting characters.
Good lord, lemme see. My memory ain’t so great either. Jobs I’ve had:
*office clerk in my Pappaw’s gutter business in Texas, which meant I was paid to play around with CAD and design my dream house
*receptionist/secretary for a crazy Jewish podiatrist in Dallas who cried all the time and thought that when she meditated, alpha waves from her brain went up to God
*one day stint in a food processing plant in Wisconsin where I stood at a conveyor belt and shoved off bad-looking diced potato pieces, all while wearing a hideous hairnet, no makeup, being ogled by creapy men who probably had never had a girlfriend
*valet for a very posh wedding at a rich Texan’s ranch (got to park some very nice cars)
*caricature artist for big parties
Let’s see…
Currently a golf pro (the teaching kind, not the kind you see on TV)
Worked in a day camp on a military base in Germany in 1992
Lived and worked in Brazil for 3 years
Worked as a student secretary/gopher for a pediatric heart surgeon at the University of Minnesota – my greatest accomplishment was successfully acquiring the t-shirt from the following request…he walked into the office one Monday morning and said, “hey, I was in New York last weekend and I ate at a restaurant near 47th and ?, I can’t remember the name of it, but the wait staff had the coolest t-shirt. Could you get one for me?” – I found the effing t-shirt, they wouldn’t let me order one, but the manager of the restaurant I talked to on the phone happened to grow up in the same town that I did (in Minnesota) and I knew her!
I have no idea if that’s interesting to you, but I still get smile when I think about that story. Good luck with the book and I can’t wait to read it and give it to all my friends.
I was a dog groomer. For real. It was my high school job and my boss would call me AT SCHOOL (before cell phones) to fire me about every other week. Usually because she’d found A HAIR in one of the kennels I had to clean every night. Then she’d call back a few days later like nothing happened and be all, “See you at 3?”
I still can’t stand the smell of Pine-Sol.
My job is not very interesting per se, but my sister’s is! Well, it’s more her volunteer job that she does once or twice a week. Heather volunteers/works at the Wolf Hollow wildlife rehabilitation center on San Juan Island. Absolutely fascinating and I’ve gone to help her a few times. Her blog about it is full of the cutest baby animal photos you’ve ever seen, as well as graphic surgery descriptions. I know she wouldn’t mind talking about it with you! Here’s her blog:
http://hollowhappenings.blogspot.com/
I’m currently an archives grad assistant, and in the past, I’ve worked at a small, local toy store and with horses as the barn manager/show groom. Lots of stories of dealing with wealthy people from both of those. As a kid, I was my dad’s assistant – he’s an electrician who runs his own business.
I was a flower arranger at a these small stands – the kind in parking lots – in college. I also worked as a courtesy clerk in a grocery store, a waitress on the wharf in Santa Barbara and a tutor at school. Hit me up if you need somefun stories – hopefully I remember them all.
PS – love your writing and will absolutely buy your book *when* it gets published.
I’m a scientist; I did my PhD in molecular biology. I’ve spent most of my years in research doing cancer research, with a couple of years of work on E. coli (hamburger disease) tossed in. Is that recognizable but out of the ordinary?
Interesting jobs I’ve held:
-fed/raised baby/orphaned birds at a Wildlife Care Center
-worked a horrific job in retail for a summer
- nannied for a family where I was asked to fold their laundry and to go grocery shopping, in addition to taking care of their kids
-taught deaf children at a school which shall remain nameless
-worked weekends supervising pool birthday parties at a recreation center (it involved LOTS of time out of the pool due to “fecal matter” in the pool…ewwww)
And on that note, a Happy 4th of July to you!
don’t know if it will help but if so here goes:
I used to paint scenery for theatre productions. And then for a company who built newsroom sets. In past lives have also been a technical writer (medical software), a reference librarian, and now edit dissertations for a living.
email if anything strikes your fancy and/or is useful:
babelbabe(at)comcast(dot)net
I am sure your book will be great, looking forward to someday buying it at B&N and reading it.
So, first thing. If short-form blog posts are your thing, make your long-form fiction out of short posts. David Sedaris’ books are made up of chapters that are longer than blog posts, but could really be viewed as three or four semi-related posts mashed together. It’d be harder to string a whole story out of that, but certainly possible, and it would play to your (perceived) strengths. Personally, having been a lurker here for 8 or so years, I’ve always thought that some of your longer, more thoughtful posts were without a doubt your best works. Maybe storyboard it out like a graphic novel, then narrate your way through a page at a time.
Also, I (personally feel that I) have an interesting job in the medical field that includes a fair bit of cleaning up after people do bad things to other people – and I love talking about it. It’d be a gas if there was anything I could do to help out.
i know ive mentioned some of this here before, but:
[1] currently i am a night nurse in a VERY busy pediatric icu in nyc. its intense. some days i save kids lives, other days i hope i help them die as graceful a death as possible. while maybe not what you’re looking for in terms of exotic, ive got some interesting stories for sure.
[2] prior to that i worked as a night nurse in the same children’s hospital as i do now, on the hematology-oncology-bone marrow transplant floor. my bald-headed cancer babies! i LOVE them. equally intense, but also some interesting stories. lots of family dynamics here.
[3] before THAT i worked as a home health nurse in the tenements of east harlem. i worked young pregnant moms, new mexican immigrant moms and some classic nyc characters that managed to hold onto to their east harlem roots, despite the neighborhood changing around them. great window into the city. also, pregnant teens are equal parts sad and hilarious.
[4] im an almost pediatric nurse practitioner who has seen her fair share of interesting things in pediatric ERs, adolescent clinics, schools, long-term care facilities and what not here in nyc.
[5] in my “spare time” [the, oh, 30 seconds i have a week to myself...] i teach at a local gym–spinning, pilates, dance, etc. weird people go to gyms in nyc, let me tell you.
[6] i spent one summer working in a restaurant…kinda “standard.” i spent another summer calling schools around the country to update a data base for a educational supply company. [man those school secretaries in those little po-dunk middle-of-nowhere towns can sure talk some east coast chick's ear off about nothing and everything all at the same time...]
AND…oh i was an RA when i was in undergrad as well. college kids are really stupid, sometimes.
I’ve had two interesting jobs…
1. I’ve sold french fries at fairs and festivals every summer for the last 13 years or so. Family business.
2. For a summer, I sold surfboards and skateboards in Myrtle Beach. I hadn’t (and still have not) either surfed or rode a skateboard.
I know you’ve written before that you are a fan of Anne Lammott. Have you read her book on writing called “Bird by Bird?” I’m in the middle of it right now and, omg – inspiring! And, of course, funny! If you haven’t read it yet, check it out. It’s great for writers trying to figure it out.
As for cool jobs, my favorite ever was as a camp counselor for a couple summers near Yosemite. What a blast. Past experiences as telemarketer and waitress are about as boring as you can get — can’t help you out more!
I agree with Jake about your longer posts making great book material.
A) RA in the dorms at a large state school in the midwest. Whoever said it was right – college kids are stupid most of the time.
B) Proofread the phonebook. No lie. World’s most mind-numbing job.
C) assistant to a one-woman business owner. I did all kinds of weird stuff including catering a NASCAR event for the drivers at a race, creating her company logo, and manning the audiotape booth at The National Funeral Home Directors Convention. Maybe your brother-in-law was there? :) The boss lady ended up being so shady that she had me handing out rubber paychecks to illegal workers who didn’t speak English. I quit after being diagnosed with an ulcer. She never filed
my W-2 or my insurance!! Awesomely, I was at a training event for work about 2 years ago and the same woman was part of the hotel wait staff. She poured me some tea and refused to look me in the eye.
i currently work at an auction house, run by a delusional boob. at times its like an episode, or even a full season, of survivor. would be happy to chat with you if thats of interest.
you’re way ahead of me in the writing department, if i had any balls i’d do a writing class, but i don’t, yet. we’ll see. good luck. i do love to read your blog, i hope you keep that going regardless of how your career as a novelist goes.
Yes x1000.
Cleaned up horse shit once.
dishwasher to cook to server in a restaurant, did the McD’s thing, RA at college plus worked at the campus diner, varsity college athlete, hippy tree planter for a week but quit b/c too destructive lifestyle, cushy overpaid summer job with school district cutting grass and hanging out in crawlspaces under the schools.
Good luck to ya!
I can’t agree with you more that for a blogger writing fiction for the first time is PAINFUL. SO SO PAINFUL. Like giving birth painful! It was about a billion times harder than I expected it to be.
But…
You totally love it, right? I mean, I KNOW you love it. You just have to love it. Don’t you?
I have had two interesting jobs. I was a parade performer at Disneyland for 3 years, and for the last 8 years, I have taught jazz, tap, and ballet to toddlers as young as two.
I have been a standardized test grader (the essay portion), a flood map reader for an insurance company, and I packaged rat and mouse RNA and DNA for a research company. Oh, I was also a process server, briefly. I’ve also worked in a major art museum, and a vegan deli that served hippies as well as prostitutes at the ranches outside of Reno. I also sold football tickets for a college team over the phone. The first day I had to learn where the 50 yard line was and why everyone was so interested in it.
I hear you on the writing tip. I just started my first ever paid writing gig (partly inspired by you) and it’s only a matter of time before I’m revealed as a total fraud!
Open your cupboard or go to the supermarket and it’s full of food products right? Doritos and ho-hos and frosties and caramel crunch and 100’s of different flavoured yoghurt… Have you ever stopped to think SOMEONE had to come up with them? I mean someone actually sat in an office thinking, ‘I wonder what a chai latte would taste like as a yoghurt?’ Yup. I do that for a living. It’s called New Product Development.
I am currently trialling granola to make sure it stays crunchy when added to yoghurt. Sometimes I can’t believe I get paid to do this.
PS. It’s harder than one would think too. Hope it helps!
I am a Assistant Pastor and a Youth Pastor (head over the youth and children’s ministries) at my church. Not sure if that could remotely fit into your novel, unless you want a Pastor following up on all the scenes for moral support or whatever.
I have also worked as a hotel manager/auditor.
I have 5 children (1 adopted) and been a foster mother for troubled teen girls.
If any of my life choices interests or can help you, feel free to drop me a note.
ahhhh…
counsellor at a mental health drop in clinic, servicing mainly OCD clients and presently a mortuary worker for a coroners court in australia.
Now I am a fourth grade teacher. During and right after college I was a toll collector. Lots of crazy stories from the supervisors and collectors I worked with to the CRAZY people who drove through the tolls. It was strange to still stand for 8 hours while people fly past you.
I figure you’ve got the mortician angle covered with your brother in law. I used to do that, but now I’m working in the anatomy lab in a medical school.
Past jobs that might be of interest – security guard at 1984 Olympics.
Career for last 20+ years – 911 dispacher/supervisor/manager. Fairly out of the ordinary.Drop me a line if interested :)
It’s called DVD player in car.
I worked at a science museum doing public demonstrations/experiments for kids and adults (look! i can make your hair stand on end!). Also, I worked in a few provincial parks doing canoe trips and guided hikes, and wayyyy up in the north of Canada as a junior architectural designer on buildings that can withstand -50 C extreme temperatures and permafrost. Email if any of those would be helpful!
I’m an opera singer (now doing more jazz and musical theatre) but I have some funny stories that I actually wrote about on my old online journal (remember Diaryland?. I could pull some of that up if you want. I was actually going to start posting some of that on my new wordpress blog.
You already have a bazillion comments about “how about THIS for an interesting job” so I’m not sure if I can contribute or not, but just throwin it out there – I’ve worked retail (book sales, clothing sales, interior decor, custom picture framing, blahhh) but now I’m a Sustainability Coordinator (aka: tree-hugging green girl in charge of a manufacturer’s environmental baloney). Hubby has spent the past 10+ years in the Army (Infantry, then Psychological Operations) and is just now finishing up his bachelors, but he’s also worked as a snowmaker at a small ski resort, which makes for some interesting tales that he’s always willing to share.
I work as an analyst for a company that monitors the internet for brand / IP infringements, conunterfeiting and piracy. My monthly reports for a given brand often include screenshots of porn sites where I’ve had to add little black boxes to protect the reader’s delicate eyes.
psychological research for the US military…surrounded by circle-jerking PhDs who look down on us single (or double) degree-ers as complete dumbasses (who know way more about what’s going on behind those closed doors than they give us credit for)
probably not what you’re looking for, but regardless, boy do I have some stories to tell my grandkids some day
I’m a trucking dispatcher. God, I never in a million years thought I would be doing this. I also do office stuff. Not that thrilling but I thought I would share.
Have fun this weekend!! Drive safe!
Lunar Seismologist? I must know more about this. And so disapointed to not see a link to her personal blog.
I don’t have anything very interesting – was a civil engineer before I quit to be a SAHM. My husband, however, was a computer network consultant for small businesses in Seattle. Even though his job was not that fascinating to me, hearing about all the places he went and what other people did for a living was very interesting. Some places I can think of…
The place where they manufacture all the espresso machines that Starbucks uses. A coffee bean roaster. A really high end appointment only-jeweler – one time some young rich dot-com dude in shorts and birkenstocks came in and bought 30k worth of jewelry. A high end chocolatier. The shipping company that ships something like 80% of all goods to Alaska on container ships.
It is amazing the things people do to make a living. Things I never though of before. Also, most people keep porn on their work computers.
My most interesting job was the first one I had out of high school….selling Kirby vacuum cleaners. Humiliating, dirty, stinky, hot, filthy, yucky cannot begin to describe that two weeks of my life! But it did build character…and has resulted in other job offers when I tell people about the experience!
In his former, pre-med life, Simon, while working as a researcher at a multiple sclerosis center, once dabbled in phlebotomy. As part of the training, he had to draw blood from his own arm, and the look on his face when he tells the story makes me go hmmm….He describes feeling sort of high after he did it, like he wanted to do it again, and again, and often. A phlebotamist addicted to self-phlebotamy…now that would be a good story.
I used to pierce ears in a hideous little seafront gift shop, when I was FIFTEEN!
Also, I used to be a respite carer for terminally ill and very disabled children and babies. Lots of tales to tell.
Call on me for criminal court, lawyer stuff, and people staying and doing stupid things. I also know a fair bit about substance abuse and recovery.
I look forward to seeing whatever you come up with!!
I’ve had some weird ones. In college I worked for an “indoor landscaping” company that lent plants to fancy offices and sent people (me) to maintain them. I also worked for a county’s environmental protection division and we conducted fish, plant, and amphibian inventories in the county’s waterways. This included a process called electro-fishing which is just as weird as it sounds. Perhaps weirdest of all, I conducted medical surveys for a pharmaceutical company and I had to ask people questions about the frequency and textures of their bowl movements.
If juvenile probation officer in Arizona and Alaska sounds interesting – I would be happy to talk.
Architect & formal florist employee…unfortunately, I love the job that brings in a smaller paycheck, and, you know, since I went to school for 5 years for the other one, that’s what I’m doing for the moment. While paying the bills and such. But someday, maybe as a part time job I can do when I have children so I can still be home for them, I’d like to have a floral design business of some sort. As an architect I think I’m already programmed to have the sense of balance and color that’s required to make beautiful arrangements…but yeah, first I have to put in the time & pay off the cc debt…
ANYWAY, TMI, would love to answer any other questions about either profession/dream, if you want something from my point of view :)
A certain VERY BIG blogger (in popularity, not girth) forgot something major when moving from blog posts to book: It’s a BOOK. Not necessary to WRITE IN UPPERCASE TO CONVEY MEANING. Also? Important to have a storyline that isn’t all over the fucking place because DUDES THIS ISN’t A BLOG POST. So if you know who I am talking about, read her latest book and DON’T DO THAT. JUST DON’T. Otherwise you’ll be fine. I have faith in you.
Not sure if it’s that interesting but I used to help my dad install satellite dishes when he had his own company. I spent time on roofs, crawling under houses and digging a trench. For a summer job it was pretty cool. I also worked in a retirement home as a server and by far the best stories were from working at a hotel as the turn down service girl.
I worked at a model agency booking models and teaching courses. It is strange how ‘usual’ some of the tasks like taking polaroids of men in their underwear and taking young girls to get properly fitted for underwear becomes. And on the flip side there were the parties where the office water cooler was filled with vodka and the owner would ‘check out’ the models personally in the catwalk room. There were the crazy make up artists and the precious photographers, the gorgeous girls who rated themselves far too highly and the not so gorgeous girls who couldn’t understand why there weren’t booked. Oh fun days!
At least you have SOMETHING down on paper……eh….hard drive. You are miles ahead of me and hundreds of others out there. Remember, even half-dozen words a day is progress, and you are writing a FIRST DRAFT. After which comes a second, and a thirds, and…..and……and……
There is no rule that you have to get it perfect the first time.
As my clever eldest son says: There are two kinds of writers…ones who get it perfect, and ones who make their deadlines.
Good luck with the writing. I was a National Park Ranger for a few years; my favorite post was living alone on an island at a lighthouse. I gave tours during the day and had the island to myself every night. Yep, I still miss that job.
Wow, that’s a lot of replies!
*In high school I was the “sample lady” for breyer’s ice cream at the local supermarkets. Let me tell ya, fat kids don’t just love cake.
*Then I worked as a clerk at a video store. One of my favorite stories to tell about that job was on a super busy Friday night a little boy about 2yrs old kept tugging on his mom saying he had to go to the bathroom reeeeallly bad and she kept saying “hang on honey, we’re almost done.” Couple minutes later I see the little guy scooting around the floor, dragging his butt like a dog with worms. He’d just crapped in the castle in the play area and was trying to wipe his bum. I handed the mom some paper towels and told her to have at it. Little did she know her son saved my Friday night. We shut down early enough that I was able to meet up with some friends for some underage debauchery. Fun, fun.
*The following year I worked at a tanning salon. One of the most disgusting jobs EVER. Smelling burnt flesh, BO, coconut and the occasion bodily fluid left in the wastebasket starts to get to you after a while.
I’ve also been a barista & a cart pusher at a supermarket. All in high school.
After high school and college my jobs were less interesting. I was a volunteer lunch lady at my son’s school and before that was a bartender in a brewery. I hosted Belgian beer tastings there…that was lots of fun. Free beer, mmmmm.
oooh! oooh! pick me! I was a professional groomer for years before I went to vet school!
I have a close friend who was a professional pig inseminator for a UCSF medical reserach grant. I could hook you up with her–she is verbose.
I was a rollerskating rink manager for YEARS. Never a dull moment.
Head of campus security at a small town farm college, oh yeah, did I mention I’m afraid of the dark and the boogieman? Vet tech college learning how to pregnancy check cattle “in the butt Bob”. Ten years as a veterinary technician. “Sir that’s not a tick it’s a nipple.” Currently I’m in human medicine and to afraid of HIPPA laws to talk about that, but email me and I can give you some good stories about security and vet med.
Looks like another juvenile probation officer beat me to the punch. But I also write a monthly book review for a local magazine and of course would love to review your novel down the road!
I work as a secretary for a military helicopter repair/overhaul place in Vancouver. its very interesting to see them build blackhawks from the ground up, and the pilots and mechanics here…can you say – heavenly?
I fell in love with a co-worker, and it ended in tragedy when the helicopter he was flying crashed
I worked for Child Protective Services for 6 years, working with children in foster care, and working with those that had been sexually abused.
Too much?
Yeah, I know.
I have been flirting with writing a novel for a LONG-ASS time. Cheers to you for getting it going.
I don’t know if it’s very interesting, or if you still need help, but I work as a tower host at a tall tower. The most interesting part of the job is when it gets windy, and when we’re driving the service lift (we rotate positions around the tower) things get kinda hairy in there. Email me if you want!