I love a good “About the Author” page. The stranger and more detailed the biography,
the better, in my opinion—and hearing about a writer’s non-writing jobs is
often the best bit of all. It’s like the alter ego of a superhero: Learning that a bestselling novelist worked nights at a Laundromat
or that an award-winning fantasist wrote her stories between shifts at a hotdog
factory is like discovering that shy secretary Diana Prince was actually Wonder
Woman all along.
Not only is it encouraging to know that even the most
admired fantasy authors worked other jobs to pay the bills, but deciphering how
those jobs influenced, informed, or inspired their writing can be
fascinating. Sometimes the connection is
obvious, enriching the work from the foundation up. (Could anyone but a
soldier/scholar/theologian have written The
Chronicles of Narnia?) And sometimes
the contrast between real-world work and written work is startling. (Kenneth Grahame was a banker, until someone
shot at him and he decided to move back to the country and write about otters
and moles.)
My own former jobs are a frequent source of ideas and
scene-setting details. Two of my
book-length works-in-progress stem from my other work, one from my years spent
teaching high school English, and one from the summers I spent as a renaissance
festival performer. What about you,
fellow writers? How have your other jobs
impacted your written work—if at all?
And now, just for fun…
The quiz: See if
you can match these fantasy authors to their own non-authorial jobs. Use what you already know about their backgrounds
or the content/style of their work to make your matches (some of the answers
may be hard to find, even on the mighty Wikipedia…). Enter the correct number and letter pairings
in the comments. One lucky person who
gets all the matches correct by Sunday, August 19th will win a
prize!
The fine print: If
more than one commenter has a perfect score, I’ll choose a winner at random. I’ll post the correct answers in the comments
and reply to the winner on Sunday the 19th. This contest is open to all, so please spread
the word!
The prize: A
beautiful fantasy art journal, including quotes from classic fantasy novels, to
contain your own inspired scribblings, AND a copy of the 2012 Rhysling
Anthology, containing ‘the best science fiction, fantasy, and horror poetry’ of
the year.
Here we go…
The authors: The
jobs:
1. Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instruments) A. Social worker
2. J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings) B. Entomologist
3. Madeleine L’Engle (A Wrinkle in Time) C. Architect
4. Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland) D. Poultry breeder/stamp dealer/firework salesman
5. Franny Billingsley
(Chime) E. United Nations information officer
6. Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone) F.
Children’s television writer
7. Nancy Farmer (The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm) G. Tabloid reporter
8. Maggie Stiefvater (Shiver) H.
Lawyer
9. Roald Dahl (Matilda) I. Mathematician
10. Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games) J. Actress/general store manager
11. Joan Aiken (The Wolves of Willoughby Chase) K. Professor of Anglo-Saxon
12. L. Frank Baum (The Wizard of Oz) L. Merchant sailor/folksinger/boxer/truck driver
13. Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth) M. Equestrian portrait painter
14. Brian Jacques (Redwall) N.
Makeup artist
15. Cornelia Funke (Inkheart) O.
Royal Air Force flying ace
Jacqueline West is the author of the award-winning fantasy
series THE BOOKS OF ELSEWHERE (www.thebooksofelsewhere.com). She has worked as a dinner theatre actress, Montessori
school teacher, juggling instructor, church musician, and coffee shop waitress,
and for one week, she covered corn tassels with little paper prophylactics. Visit her at www.jacquelinewest.com.
Jenny -- you're the winner! If you'd email me (jacqueline@jacquelinewest.com) with a mailing address, your fantasy journal and poetry collection will be on their way to you promptly!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteHere are the correct matches:
1. Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instruments) – G. Tabloid
Reporter
2. J. R. R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings) – K. Professor of
Anglo-Saxon
3. Madeleine L’Engle
(A Wrinkle in Time) – J. Actress/General
Store Manager
4. Lewis Carroll (Alice
in Wonderland) – I. Mathematician
5. Franny Billingsley
(Chime) – H. Lawyer
6. Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone) – N. Makeup Artist
7. Nancy Farmer (The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm) –
B. Entomologist
8. Maggie Stiefvater (Shiver) – M. Equestrian Portrait Painter
9. Roald Dahl (Matilda) – O. Royal Air Force Flying Ace
10. Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games) – F. Children’s TV Writer
11. Joan Aiken (The Wolves of Willoughby Chase) – E. United
Nations Information Officer
12. L. Frank Baum (The Wizard of Oz) – D. Poultry
Breeder/Stamp Dealer/Firework Salesman
13. Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth) – C. Architect
14. Brian Jacques (Redwall) – L. Merchant
Sailor/Folksinger/Boxer/Truck Driver
15. Cornelia Funke (Inkheart) – A. Social Worker
There were multiple correct responses, so the randomly chosen winner is...
JENNY! Thanks for your replies, everyone!
I'm going to try this!! Yay!
ReplyDelete1. Cassandra Clare - G
2. J. R. R. Tolkien - K
3. Madeleine L'Engle - J
4. Lewis Carroll - I
5. Franny Billingsley - H
6. Leigh Bardugo - N
7. Nancy Farmer - B (I didn't know about this!!!)
8. Maggie Stiefvater - M
9. Roald Dahl - O
10. Suzanne Collins - F
11. Joan Aiken - E
12. L. Frank Baum - D
13. Norton Juster - C
14. Brian Jacques - L
15. Cornelia Funke - A
hee hee. Saw that after I posted a comment.
ReplyDeletewow, I've worked as a babysitter, a maid, a sales clerk, a data entry clerk and a paralegal and don't think any of them play into any story I've written. I tend to veer away from my everyday work life when I write. I do bring a lot of emotional issues and experiences into my writing, though. For instance, I've experienced a lot of death in my family so many of my characters do the same. Body image, teen issues I had also come through in my characters. I also traveled a lot when I was growing up so places I've seen, especially castles in Europe, have a huge impact on my scenes.
Now, on to the fun questions:
1(G)
2(K)
3(J)
4(I)
5(H)
6(N)
7(B)
8(M)
9(O)
10(F)
11(E)
12(D)
13(C)
14(L)
15(A)
Thanks! That was fun. By the way, I love your site so much I'm now following.
Interesting that none of your other jobs have slipped into your written work! Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment -- and I'm glad you like my site.
ReplyDelete1. G
ReplyDelete2. K
3. J
4. I
5. H
6. N
7. B
8. M
9. O
10. F
11. E
12. D
13. C
14. L
15. A
Like it says, please enter your number and letter pairings here, in the comments. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhere should we respond with our answers?
ReplyDelete