- Joined
- Oct 2, 2014
Hey Connor, rather than looking at McDonalds as a dead-end job (which it isn't, anyway) why don't you look at it as paid research for your writing?
When it comes to improving as a writer there's no substitute for life experience -- even in something as ordinary as fast food. It will give you lots of insight into how people talk, behave and interact in the real world; it will introduce you to a wide range of real-life character types; and it will give you personal knowledge of sights, sounds, smells, equipment, etc, that will help you write authentic scenes.
And you'll get even paid for it!
One of the reasons that Stephen King's books are so compelling is that he has a deep understanding of ordinary people in ordinary places doing ordinary jobs. People get invested in characters that remind them of themselves and their friends, families, neighbours and workmates.
You could come home after this paid research each day and, as an exercise, pound out a quick 300-400 words about something you saw that day. It could be a funny conversation, your description of what the big walk-in fridge looks and smells like, or something that happened on the bus on the way home. You'd build up those writing muscles in no time.
When it comes to improving as a writer there's no substitute for life experience -- even in something as ordinary as fast food. It will give you lots of insight into how people talk, behave and interact in the real world; it will introduce you to a wide range of real-life character types; and it will give you personal knowledge of sights, sounds, smells, equipment, etc, that will help you write authentic scenes.
And you'll get even paid for it!
One of the reasons that Stephen King's books are so compelling is that he has a deep understanding of ordinary people in ordinary places doing ordinary jobs. People get invested in characters that remind them of themselves and their friends, families, neighbours and workmates.
You could come home after this paid research each day and, as an exercise, pound out a quick 300-400 words about something you saw that day. It could be a funny conversation, your description of what the big walk-in fridge looks and smells like, or something that happened on the bus on the way home. You'd build up those writing muscles in no time.