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Before they became world-known.Writers Odd Jobs.

BEFORE THEY BECAME WORLD-KNOWN Writers Odd Jobs Aspiring actors and actresses all move to California. Here, in the "film capitol" of the world, they try to get readings/auditions for movies – even bit parts will do until they are "discovered." The problem that most of them have is that they do have to eat. And so, they take jobs as servers in restaurants; they park cars as valets; they work in retail. The same is often true of writers. Because most do not have a best-seller overnight, they take odd jobs just to live. Here are some early employment ventures of some of our most famous authors. James Joyce Piano and Acting - Alternative Vocation to Writing During all his childhood, Joyce had pretty big family issues. Though, his father's musical talent must have been in Joyce's genes, because his early employment was as a singer, piano player, and even as an actor. He often said that music was his alternative vocation if the writing thing did not work out. Chuck Palahniuk Become Famous while under Truck Chasses! The Fight Club was written when Chuck Palahniuk was working as a diesel mechanic. Other odd jobs have included dishwasher, movie projectionist, and bicycle messenger. William Faulkner F Boiler Chief and Postmaster While in college at the University of Mississippi, he worked as a postmaster at their mail room; later, after he married and needed income while he wrote, he took another job at the University - this time on the night shift in the boiler room. Ken Kesey Too Old to be a Beatnik, too Young to be a Hippie. Before his movie - adopted novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, received 5 Academy Awards, Kesey took a job as a night janitor at a VA mental hospital. At the same time, he participated in a CIA study at the hospital, researching the effects of psychedelic drugs, such as LSD. J.D. Salinger Military Guy first, Entertainment Director next Given his reclusiveness, it's hard to imagine that this man was once an entertainment director on a Swedish cruise line, but he did take that job after World War II while he pursued interviews with former Nazis or those who had defected from the Nazi regime during the War. F. Scott Fitzgerald Get Some Penny on Writing Slogans. While Fitzgerald waited for his novels to bring in some income, he was forced to "whore" himself, as he called it, by selling short stories to magazines. But he also took other jobs, one writing slogans for placards on the sides of trolley cars and another repairing car roofs. His novels The Great Gatsby and Tender is the Night are wholly autobiographical. Jack London Pirate, Tramp and the Socialist Nature enthusiast, socialist, writer - these are the three things that describe Jack London. When young and in order to make ends meet, London had a short stint as an oyster pirate himself, until the ship was destroyed. He also became a tramp for a while and was arrested and jailed for vagrancy. Charles Dickens "Let me Shine your Shoes, Sir!" Growing up in 19th century Victorian England, Dickens was forced to take a job in a shoe polish factory where he spent 10 -12 hours a day placing labels on cansof boot black. This experience influenced his writing, much of which is filled with social criticism for the plight of the poor - Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, Tale of Two Cities - most notably. Harper Lee Nothing Special - Simply the Booking Girl Born into an affluent family in Alabama, Harper Lee (a pen name) enjoyed a privileged childhood. In this sense, her one novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is somewhat autobiographical. To support herself, she worked as an airline reservationist and, in the late 50's, accompanied Truman Capote to Kansas to help with research on his novel, In Cold Blood. Stephen King High School Janitor Stephen King is probably best known for his horror novels, including Carrie and The Shining. Before selling his first novel, Carrie, King wanted to be an English teacher. Unable to find a job, he worked in a laundry and as a high school janitor and wrote short stories. He eventually did get a teaching job but, once that first novel was published, he retired to work full time on writing. Sources: http://www.james-joyce-music.com/joyceandmusic.html http://chuckpalahniuk.net/ http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/magazine/how-william-faulkner-tackled-race-and-freed-the-south-from -itself.html?_r=1 http://www.key-z.com/ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/books/29salinger.html http://www.biography.com/people/f-scott-fitzgerald-9296261#synopsis http://jacklondonpark.com/jack-london-biography.html http://www.harperlee.com/bio.htm Essay Thinker.com

Before they became world-known.Writers Odd Jobs.

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Every life experience has its benefits. Even if it has been devastating, we learn, we grow, and we emerge stronger than before. Here is an infographic that shows what some very famous authors endured ...

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