By Wendy Lyn WatsonMany thanks to the Working Stiffs for letting me crash their little corner of the web!
Many thanks to you, Wendy, for being here!
With the recent release of my second book, Scoop to Kill, I’ve spent a lot of time talking about ice cream, writing, murder, cozies, Texas accents … the list goes on and on. For today, I wanted to talk about something different. Something I haven’t talked to death yet.
One thing I rarely discuss in interviews is my day job. Like most writers, I have one. Indeed, my day job keeps a roof over my head and my cats in kibble. Even if I made a mint off one of my books, I’d probably hold on to the day job, both for the security of a regular paycheck and because I genuinely love what I do: teaching.
When I do mention my gig at the university, most folks assume I teach English or creative writing. But, no, I teach political science (American politics, judicial process, and constitutional law, to be precise). I make sure our newest generation of voters know how the electoral college works and all the would-be lawyers apply to law school with their eyes wide open about what to expect.
This is where most people say, “But, uh, you don’t write about …” And then they trail off and look at me with the expression my students have when I explain the rules of a filibuster. Helpless confusion tinged with a smidge of disbelief.
They don’t have to finish their thought. I know what they’re thinking. No, I don’t write about lawyers, or politics, or any of the lovely subjects I studied in the hallowed halls of academe. By the same token, I don’t teach my students about ice cream, or murder, or any of the other lovely subjects that fill my books.
My writing life and my day job hardly overlap at all. Oh, sure, I killed off a graduate student in my newest Mystery a la Mode, and occasionally one of my students earns a bit part in one of my books. But really they’re separate worlds.
Personally, I prefer it that way. When I write, I get to play make-believe, live lives I’ll never know for real. Why would I want to spend my make-believe time “doing” what I do every day? That wouldn’t be fun (for me) at all. And while I adore teaching an occasional writing workshop to fellow travelers, the thought of spending every day trying to dissect the muse for a classroom full of college kids makes me a little sick. For me, I think it would take much of the joy out of writing.
I won’t rule out the possibility that someday I’ll write a legal thriller. Heck, maybe someday I’ll even teach writing on a regular basis. But for now, I appreciate keeping my writing life and my day job in separate boxes.
What about you? Do you write what you know? Or what you wish you knew? How much does your day job intersect with your writing life?
Wendy Lyn Watson writes deliciously funny cozy mysteries with a dollop of romance. Her Mysteries a la Mode (I Scream, You Scream [Highly recommended by Paula!]; Scoop to Kill; and the forthcoming A Parfait Murder (June 2011)) feature amateur sleuth Tallulah Jones, who solves murders in between scooping sundaes. While she does not commit--or solve--murders in real life, Wendy can kill a pint of ice cream in nothing flat. She's also passionately devoted to 80s music, Asian horror films, and reality TV. (http://www.wendylynwatson.com/)
