Cracking Concepts #13: Odd job
We are often fascinated to be taken into a world with which we have no experience but where the people who inhabit that world have a particular expertise.
Think about a job that is a little out of the ordinary.
Like the person who, by Jewish law, must guard a dead body overnight until the burial.
Or the person who does lie detector tests.
Or the person who draws sketches in court.
Or who drives a hearse.
Or works at a pet resort.
Or makes speciality sausages.
Or distills gin.
Or builds boats.
Or artificially inseminates lambs.
Or works as a strapper at a racecourse.
Or a pilot that brings ships into harbour.
Or looks after the props in a theatre.
It could be something that vaguely interests you. Or, if you have the courage, something that utterly repulses you.
See if you can convince them to let you spend a day with them. Or a few hours at least. Or at the very least, let you interview them.
How did they come to do this weird job?
How is it different from a normal work environment?
How is it the same?
How could a character in this world become the central character in a story?
Or how could this work environment provide a pivotal scene in a film?
But don’t go in with expectations. Just do it for the hell of it and some time down the road this experience will bubble up some where.
Writing gives us a great excuse to try things out so make the most of the calling card we all have.