Other Jobs That Authors Have Held

       There's a popular saying among writers: "write what you know." This often makes me think about all the crazy things that writers know, or think they know and where they get it from. Where do writers get all this extra knowledge from? Side jobs. It is a truth universally aknowledged that authors are not generally independently wealthy. Thus quite a few of them work odd side jobs before or after writing books. I, myself, have held quite a number of random side jobs such as, selling bridal gowns, coffee shop barista, (complete with nose ring,) busing tables at a Korean barbecue, art museum data entry intern, assistant coach, and one very brief foray into birthday party entertainment that shall not be repeated. I was interested in just how many odd jobs out there authors have held, and if their jobs shed a new perspective on their books. I've notated some of the most interesting jobs that I found. It seems that authors know much more than just how to write a good story.

Jack Prelutsky- Sang in coffeehouses in Greenwich Village where he met Bob Dylan. Drove a cab, was a potter and a door-to-door salesman.

Jennifer Allison- Was a preschool teacher, played piano at a shopping mall, and worked on an assembly line at general motors.

Michael Buckley- Worked an internship at the Late Show With David Letterman and held a television production job on documentaries.

Scott O'dell- Worked as a cameraman for Hollywood on the movie Ben Hur, was a rancher, and served in the air force during World War II.

Lisa Yee- Worked as an inventor, a hand model, worked for a creative think tank and as a writer/producer at Disney World.

Tom Angleberger- Was a lawn mover part assembler, a juggler, a weed boy and a biology research assistant.

Mary Amato- Worked as a dance teacher and a choreographer.

Louisa May Alcott- To help support her family, worked as a domestic servant and a teacher. During the civil war, she worked as a nurse in Washington, DC.

Norton Juster- Was an architect and served in the Navy.

Laura Ingalls Wilder- Became a teacher at just 15 years old. Later in her life she worked on the farm with her husband.

J.K Rowling- Worked as a researcher at Amnesty International and taught English as a foreign language in Portugal.