I was reading Dean Wesley Smith's blog http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?p=2929#comments He was invited to do a story in an anthology with stories based on Saberhagen "Mask Of The Sun " book. One person who made a comment posted his dream job. That reminded me of my dream writing job. So I wondered what dream jobs you all have.
I have two. First to be invited to write in David Weber's Honor Harrington universe. I just happened to have a story in mind, Actually two one with Honor and one without her or any of the other characters. Of course I'm not sure if he is still doing those anthologies but it would still be nice.
Second is to do a Bolo book. Again I just happen to have a story in mind. Actually, one and a half.
Oh yes and to do a seperate character in Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden universe. Some one who lives here...
no not the treehouse but where I live.
Even though now that I think about having him live in the treehouse has possibilities too.
There's probably a fourth one or fifth and if I can think of them I will add a PS.
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My notion of a "dream job" is something that makes a great deal of money but leaves me with a lot of free time, to write (and read and goof off in other ways.)
My current job with the USPS is not this kind of job. I eyed it with that possibility when I took it, but soon was disillusioned. It's soul-draining, physically demanding work that keeps me in a perpetual state of exhaustion that interferes with my work of writing. I've heard a lot of stories of writers who were postal workers here and there over the years (William Faulkner and Charles Bukowski come to mind (I may have misspelled the latter name.)) But it didn't work out that way for me.
A job I had that was good for writing was working in our family used bookstore. It wasn't too busy...I had plenty of time to read and think up stuff...and I got first dibs on anything that came in in trade. But there wasn't a lot of money in it, either...and, besides, it ended when we sold the store.
I suppose, like every other writer, I'd like a job where somebody tells me, "Here, have a big pile of money, but you don't have to work too hard at it." Maybe there's one out there, but I haven't found it.
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My idea of a dream job is similar to Robert's....and I almost have it. I will have it, in fact, when my youngest child toddles off to school in a little over a year: It's my husband's job, which earns enough to pay for all our needs. My earnings are "extra."
I work as a freelance translator, and that's a pretty dreamy job in itself: I work from home, in the hours of my choosing, on projects with a clear beginning and end, without colleagues and with minimal client contact, mostly over e-mail (I detest the telephone), on a variety of projects: technical books, novels, marketing texts, film scripts, personal letters, charitable organization website texts, and more.
Robert, perhaps patent office clerk would work well for you...it seems to have allowed plenty of creative brain-time for Einstein and Charles Howard Hinton (a mathematician). :-)
[This message has been edited by Grayson Morris (edited January 20, 2011).]
A pro writer with enough published books to quit your day job would fulfill both dreams. Of course being a translator, where you can work at home, doesn't sound so bad either.
But I was thinking more along the lines of a certain writing job. Maybe I should have said project. But I was thinking like an architect has a job when he builds a certain building.
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I would very much enjoy writing movie scripts, or writing episodes for a television series. On my plane ride home from the Bahamas last year, I write an entire episode of Criminal Minds inside my head…including a prog metal song that would play during one of the no-dialog action scenes. I might eventually translate that episode to match one of my ‘worlds,’ but at least I’ve since written lyrics to the song!
Although, with that said...earning enough money from my stories to 'retire' from my day job would make me a very happy boy. And, since I’m one of those who still (for the most part) likes his chosen profession, retiring from the field of web applications development will not leave me without; I will have more time in my home studio to build up my web-based writers’ admin tool (which currently tracks my submissions, and controls the vast majority of my content on my writer’s site, among other neat tricks).
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Of course for a "dream writing job" I had in mind something that'd support me but not get in the way of writing---if I could get a good gig where writing itself paid the way, I'd probably be even more pleased...
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To re-focus the topic back on to the point; I believe the question LD was asking is what sort of project would you be eager to partcipate in if invited?
For me I would be thrilled to be asked to submit something for the Man/Kzin War anthologies that had a nice run for a while. I have an idea already in mind.
Other than that, to be approached by Harry Turtledove to join one of his themed anthologies would be sweet. To be asked by him would have meant I have reached the pinnacle of my wildest expectations.
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Well the day after I finished Harry Potter 7 my brain started plotting out a seven novel series about Teddy Lupin.
I also have a Marvel Comics miniseries in me (kind of like Neil Gaimans 1602.)
Edited to add: Robert, I'm sure there is a stark difference between postal workers of the past and now. Now I'd bet it has more relation of factory/mine work.
[This message has been edited by Pyre Dynasty (edited January 23, 2011).]
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Come to think of it I would join Snapper with Harry Turtledove. I like his writing and I love that sub-genera. I don't have any stories in mind to go along with Harry's stuff but I'm sure I could come up with one.
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quote:Robert, I'm sure there is a stark difference between postal workers of the past and now. Now I'd bet it has more relation of factory/mine work.
Oh, yeah. The job I took, twenty-three years ago, bears little resemblance to the things I read about writers who had these jobs.
The job I have now bears little resemblance to the job I took twenty-three years ago, too. When I was hired, I got to (1) sit, and (2) use my brains---neither of which happen in what I do now. Effectively, they worked a bait-and-switch on me in the name of modernization.
Interesting jobs do pop up. There was this guy, Lance Armstrong, who got a job for the USPS which involved bicycling around France. I got to thinking---why wasn't this job put up for bid? I've worked for the USPS longer than this Armstrong guy, and so have a lot of other guys. Why couldn't we get that job? (Also, it was at a higher pay level than my current job...I'd'a bicycled around France for that much money, no matter how I feel about the French...)
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LD, I suppose I'd be humbled to be asked to write for any project--like skadder has. What a compliment.
I was even inspired by one of the Writing Challenges we had last Fall, was pleased to be a Finalist, lost to Ethereon's superb tale (now to be published!--congrats E!), and learned a lot in the process.
I don't know of any particular past or present anthology or series I would like to write for--though to dabble in Middle-Earth would be fun...(I'm one of those who actually reread THE SILMARILLION and read all 12 books of son Christopher's THE HISTORY OF MIDDLE-EARTH)...though realistically, I know, that will never happen.
I was invited to submit to John Pelan's TALES OF ZOTHIQUE (a tribute to this world created by Howard and Lovecraft contemporary Clark Ashton Smith, a favorite of mine), and I had outlined a sequel to The Empire of the Necromancers, but I found it more a pastiche than my own style and did not complete it by deadline. And this was years before I really considered to be more serious about writing.
I similarly would have enjoyed writing for a similar anthology recently published based on Jack Vance's world, SONGS OF THE DYING EARTH.
And I'd attempt a visit to Lord Dunsany's THE GODS OF PEGANA. He was, perhaps, the first "flash" fantasy author.
But I fear I'd only create pastiches, where each of these authors' wonderous styles are merely emulated, and poorly by comparison. I need a few more years of writing my own works to have my voice heard, evenif only a murmur, among their powerfully resonant ones.
Respectfully, History
P.S. I believe my novel, THE KABBALIST, is in part inspired by Jim Butcher's THE DRESDEN FILES--and potentially occurs in the same universe.
Now there would be a dream job...cowriting an urban fantasy with both Harry Dresden and Rabbi (unordained) Jacob Cane. Perhaps even as antagonists!
No...now stop it, LD...I don't want my mind to wander down that path and begin outlining something that could never be. That road leads to madness (or, at least, a bad headache).
[This message has been edited by History (edited January 25, 2011).]
quote: P.S. I believe my novel, THE KABBALIST, is in part inspired by Jim Butcher's THE DRESDEN FILES--and potentially occurs in the same universe.
I would take and rejoice in most writing jobs if I was ever asked. Big if there.
But I wouldn't mind doing one in Butcher's Dresden universe. I just happened to come up with a character that would work...he would live here(Where I live not the treehouse) though not on Chicago .
And there are a couple of other writers I feel that way too. I mention David Weber but I would enjoy also doing one in laura anne gilman's Retriever or Cosa Nostradamus universe. She already has two different series going on in there.
And of course being asked to send in a story for one the Urban Fantasy anthologies that seem to be popping up all over the place would be very cool. I just happen to have a dozen stories ready.
Oh well, I can still dream.
[This message has been edited by LDWriter2 (edited January 26, 2011).]
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I'm thinking I wouldn't mind being some of the guys I've read about...I wouldn't mind being John Carter of Mars, fighting my way across the planet with a Martian princess at my side...but writing about them? [Mental shrug.] I dunno.
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I don't think I'd look good in a John Carter breechclout and scanty armor a la Frank Frazetta--more like Ichabod Crane with a small middle-aged pot-belly. And my tallis (Jewish prayer shawl) and kippah (skullcap) would look distinctly out of place.
Then there is all the fighting with swords, and multi-leggged thoats and banths and white apes, mad scientists, and four-armed four-breasted tusked Tharkans... and I bet there is not a single good kosher deli on Barsoom.
No. Not for me.
Though I wouldn't mind a ride on the Fabulous Riverboat with Mark Twain and other historical figures on the Riverworld. This would be very intersting to a literary and history buff like myself, and would be a genteel mode of adventure. I wonder if Sam serves iced tea?
Respectfully, Dr. Bob
[This message has been edited by History (edited January 26, 2011).]
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Speaking of the Dresden universe. I realized that I have a story that" potentially occurs in the same universe".
I didn't do it on purpose but it worked out that way. It's my second darkest tale, which I think also fits in with Dresden.
I was going to say darkest but I recalled one where a unicorn helps a father get revenge on the group that gang raped his young daughter. Or it might be the other way around.
But I would rather by with Dray Prescott of Kregen than John Carter.
And that reminds me of another writing job I would love. I haven't thought about it in years. But the writer of the Dray Prescott series died a few years ago. I would love to be able to take over for him. Of course my style would be different but I could get the basics down.
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And I was reminded of another writing job. This one is different.
I mention a calender I get every year called "Star Trek: Ships Of The Line".
All types of Star Trek ships and not all the Enterprise either. Anyway two years ago they put out a picture book with each pic from-at that time- the last three calenders. Along with each pic was half a page blurb explaining what was happening in the pic.
As an example: one pic showed a sister ship to the, what is now, first Enterprise. That small one with Captain Archer. The ship had crashed landed on a desert planet and was being extricated by what looked like Deep Space Nine people. The blurb explains that the ship had been brought down by the Dominion in an early trip into our sector of space no one had known about. Evidently the Dominion had forgotten about it also. If you haven't seen DS9 you may not understand the significance of that.
So I would love to do the blurbs in the next picture book.
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