How has your work influenced your writing?

As a young man I took courses and studied hard nine months a year and drove city buses for three months in order to finance my college education. Even after I was hired by the university to teach English, I took a summer off to dirve buses one more time. Soon I began writing for money while teaching. Now all I do is write, having retired from teaching after 43 years.

I've made more money writing than driving buses. I've made more money teaching than writing.

I have begun to see these three overlapping jobs as more similar than different.

I may elaborate on the matter if this thread goes anywhere.



Posted: 12/05/2012 16:37:22
Last Edit: 13/05/2012 21:59:36 by William Holt

is this a thread to talk about our experiences and influences? i work in a school kitchen. i think this has influenced me alot as i like to write about working class life. i come from a small town and live in a small city/big town. most of my stories are set either where i live now or where i am from so again that has influenced the way i write. do you think your jobs have shaped your writings?

Posted: 12/05/2012 17:38:47

Yes this is a thread about experiences and influences, where anyone may introduce himself or herself by means of these.

I see my three overlapping jobs as similar in that I have always been the solitary figure doing the steering, while different groups of people rode along.

The only times in my life when I've been comfortable as one of a number of simiilar group members have been in structured situations: theater audiences, casts in plays, church congregations, bands, orchestras. I still play in a concert band one or more times in a week (trombone), while the rest of my life is focused on my small family and on writing.

Posted: 12/05/2012 18:47:30
Last Edit: 12/05/2012 18:51:58 by William Holt

theatre is a great mode of escape for shy people! during my time in Edinburgh i attended alot of audience participation theatre. that was really interesting and lead to alot of political debates which helped an awful lot with my writing. my husband influences me alot too. i like to write poems for him. what kind of theatre are you into and how do you think this influences you? do you ever write plays?

Posted: 12/05/2012 19:09:27

I've been in a number of small local productions, doing whatever was needed in the way of acting or playing harmonica or both. Every one I was in improved my people skills a little, I think, including fine-tuning my ear for dialogue. I've written a couple of one-act plays for my creative writing classes--performed in class and only in class, thank goodness.

Posted: 12/05/2012 21:42:52

why don't you upload some of your plays. it would be so nice to read a play on this site. i'm working on one at the mo but its taking me rather a long time.

Posted: 12/05/2012 22:47:45

I might slip one into chapter 2 and retitle the chapter--a little one-act about a yogi and a scorpion, about flash fiction length.

Posted: 13/05/2012 05:57:58

@Rachelsarah--done. One brief play added to ch.2.

Posted: 13/05/2012 06:32:12

cool, i'll get reading that tonight:-)

Posted: 13/05/2012 15:48:03

Enjoy!

Posted: 13/05/2012 22:08:17