🙂 Man, I’m going to make some of the folks from the doctor’s office read this. Can’t exactly call nursing boring, but still…
Melanie Anderson is guest-blogging today…
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Writing and your Job.
Often when I’m at work I’ll be in a conversation with some coworkers and they’ll be like, “Melanie is going to end up writing about this one day.”
Uh…no. There are at least three reasons I’ll never write about my job. Those would be:
1. It’s just not interesting enough. I deal with telecommunications. As soon as I even mention the word telecommunications, I see peoples eyes glaze over. Not to mention, writing is my escape. I’m trying to get away from my life not relive it. I really don’t want to think about those hours spent trapped in a cubicle.
- Melanie picked up the piece of paper. She put it back down. She entered the date into the database. She picked up another piece. She did the same with that one then took a sip of coffee. She surfed the internet. Just then the phone rang. Who could it be? It was…her mother. An hour passed…
2. I still work there. If I was to write about the coworkers I have now, I’d have to leave the company. Because they wouldn’t be flattered by some of my descriptions. I can see it now. “Uh…this whiny complaining coworker…this isn’t me, right?” Me: “Hmm….”
- Melanie turned on her computer slowly, her small cubicle walls like a sanctuary to her. Picking up her cup of coffee, she took a sip, then nearly spewed it out when she heard, “Goddamit. Another f-ing email. I don’t have time for this sh-t!” Ahh…she was home.
3. I write romance, not depressing stories without a happy ever after. And no, I just don’t see this job having a happy ending. Other than going home after an 8 hour day. That’s it. That’s the happy ending. Oh and my paycheck twice a month. Not enough for a full blown novel, is there?
- Melanie’s heart quivered with longing when she saw the envelope on her desk. She felt the thrill of desire go down her back. Could it be? Was it? She slowly reached a hand out and touched the envelope, feeling the crispness of the paper. Not wanting to rush it, she slowly opened the envelope and pulled out what was inside. Her paystub. “Oh God,” she moaned. It was so huge. God, how she loved overtime.
That’s not to say I don’t use what I see everyday. In my first book, On the Run, my heroine Pam worked in a dead end job where she was stuck in a cubicle just like me. But even then none of her coworkers reflect anybody I know in real life. They were all fiction.
Basically, to me, the point of writing is so that you can look up interesting careers and pretend like it’s your career. That’s why I write about car racing right now. Car racing is sexy! Then next series of books it’ll be something else.
Sitting in traffic, Melanie thought, will I have my happy ending? Will I ever get to drive in the HOV lanes? Or will I be forever single in the slow lane…
Thank you Shiloh for letting me guest blog today!