A Writers Other Jobs story by Geoff Orton

I knew when the 10 year old kid had a bread knife to his throat that I was in the wrong place. I’d been called at 9am (quite late in my line of work) to a primary school in Stepney Green. In England, this last-minute, crowd-control type of work is called supply teaching. But I’ve always preferred the Australian moniker of casual teaching, it always seemed more descriptive.

A Writers Other Jobs story from J.Y.L. Koh

When I decided, almost two years ago, to pioneer the career move of corporate lawyer to lollipop lady, I became acutely aware that people around me had conflicting opinions as to whether or not I was wasting my potential.

Writers Other Jobs is a blog series that deals with some of the jobs writers have done to support their fledgling careers and avoid having beans on toast for dinner, again. Some stories are educational, some are tragic. Others are just plain bizarre. However, all of the stories have at their core, the desire to spend your life doing what you love. Look out for stories of toil and tedium from some of the best new writers each Thursday via this blog. (It's so great that we have a tag now, we don't need to keep updating this blog!)

by Michelle McLaren

Writing is my day job as well as my passion. However, I consider the writing I do at work and the writing I do in my own time two very different things.

During the day, I work as a copywriter for an online store, writing product descriptions for all kinds of different household goodies and gadgets. My desk at work is crowded with toasters and frypans and flowery teacups, and it’s up to me to make them all sound absolutely fabulous so customers will want to buy them.

by James Bos

When you are working as a copywriter, sometimes the gigs run dry and you need to apply for whatever jobs you come across. One of the strangest jobs I found was for a blog that showcased erotic literature – otherwise known as ‘literotica’, according to Urban Dictionary.