Writing as a dream job

Yahoo has an article on "glamour jobs" and how to get them. The last one caught my eye:

http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-glamour_jobs_how_to_get_one_and_succeed-274

Thanks to for the link!

In what seems to be a recurring theme in Salmansohn's success story, her career jump-started when she got an unexpected lift. "I was working at MTV doing freelance writing for the filmettes that go on between videos," explains Salmansohn, who counts Jon Stewart, Madonna, Jay Leno, and Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Graydon Carter among her fan base. "This guy I barely knew got on the elevator with me, and he said, 'What's new?' and I said, 'I just finished my first novel.'" By the time Salmansohn arrived on the first floor, she had scored a book agent's name and number. "I always joke that if MTV had its offices on the third floor instead of the 24th, I might never have gotten a book deal."

It's funny, but a lot of us who have gotten published seem to have just sorta "fallen into it". A lot of people dismiss it as being in the right place at the right time, but I really think it's about people. Do you talk about your writing with others? Do others know that you're working on a novel, short story--or have one finished?

I think a lot of us--especially those of us who write romance, erotica and romantic erotica--are too shy to talk about it to others. I was open enough to discuss it at a party and got great tips from someone who just happened to work with Neil Gaimon. In short, you never know who you're going to run into and who you're going to meet, and even if they can't get you a gig like in the above example, they may know people who know people or have otherwise great advice for you that will eventually lead you to getting your first novel out there.

Also, I have to add--which this article of course doesn't get into--it's also where you're writing at present. A portion of the AA staff, self included, met each other while writing Star Wars fanfic! I love being able to say the following: "I owe my being a published writer to Vader pr0n."

The article also gives the following advice:

"Create a career pickup line," she says. "Know what you can say in 30 seconds to sell yourself quickly. It's all based on what your unique selling point is."

Useful to know--especially if you might accidently meet book agents and/or publishers on the Net or in elevators.