Does it feel like your day job is holding you back from your dream of writing? Do you yearn to quit so you can spend all your time writing?
Instead of seeing your job as a hindrance, why not put it to good use? Let’s face it—writing may satisfy the soul, but few of us make a killing at it to quit our day jobs.
But you can leverage your day-job expertise when you put on your writer’s hat. You may have special credentials, degrees, and valuable workplace experience. Finding a way to connect those skills with a topic that appeals to your audience could help you score a contract. Academic work can lead to both nonfiction or fiction.
When I first started writing for children, I envied teachers and librarians. They were surrounded by children and books all day. Surely, they had the inside track on what editors want and what children like to read! Plus, they had all that training in English and humanities—a big plus when it comes to writing.
It took me a while to recognize that my own education in Molecular Bio & Genetics and my work at the Child Development Centre provided nearly unlimited topics for children’s writing. “Oh No, It’s SNOT! When A Nostril Goes Viral” — a topic that often gets children laughing, but it also takes a deeper look from the inside out, edutaining them on how our body fights foreign invaders.
I’ve also leaned into my background of over 14 years in business development, which provides plenty of experience and stories to create a collaborative book with Thought Leaders—a project I’m currently working on.
No matter what your job is, there’s something interesting about it to you, so there must be something interesting to others as well. Everyone’s job involves people. If your job impacts people’s daily lives, there’s something worth sharing, no matter how serious or technical.
Remember that what seems normal and mundane might be incredibly unique to others. Ask yourself: What do you know that others outside your career don’t know? What inside scoop do you have? What “strange-but-true” facts could interest kids or the general public? The answers to these questions may provide the spark for a book.
The market for well-written nonfiction is enormous. Take a look at what you do each day at work. Consider the product you make, the service you provide, and the people you meet. If you can describe complex concepts in simple yet colourful language (and I don’t mean swear words 😀), there will be a place for your writing. And if you’re experienced in the field, your work will gain additional credibility, making it very attractive to agents and editors.
Don’t just work at your day job—put your day job to work for you, and success may be yours. It could write your next bestseller.
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