Choosing a job or career for your characters can be an experience to say the least. There are several ways to do so. But as writers we feel pressured to pick the right one the first time. So it may feel like it has to be the perfect one.
I am here to tell you however that it doesn’t need to be perfect. In reality are any of our jobs really that perfect? They all have their issues. Those of you lucky enough to write for a living (even though for some of us it’s a dream career), you may still encounter issues along the way. If you are trying to make your characters realistic than make their jobs realistic too.
There are four different ways to decide on a career…
- Based of off the storyline : Most stories have a reason for a career path. Or it’s incorporated within the storyline and the job is determined by the flow that you create.
- Based off of the personality of your character: In some cases Authors will create the character for the story to revolve around. Meaning first the character is figured out and their job as well before the main storyline is.
- Based off of itself: As in the career that is chosen determines the character’s personality and the overall path that you set for your character. So job then the rest follows behind that choice.
- Finally Based off of the Author: Some writers want to write a story based on what they know for a career. The storyline and characters may be different then their life but the overall job is the same.
There are common jobs that many write about being…
- Doctor
- Lawyer
- Teacher
- Police Officer
- Chef
Then not so common….
- Scientist (Rocket, Geologist, Zoologist etc.)
- Store Manager
- Banker
- Construction worker (road crew etc.)
- Truck Driver
I always find it interesting when I read a story with a job in it that isn’t commonly written about. However, the best thing you can do with any career you write about is research. Do you know someone in that job? Or have you done that kind of work before? If it’s a no to both questions then the internet will be your best friend moving forward with the storyline.
A small insight into the storyline in the current novel I am working on…one of the careers of a main character is a Police Officer. Yes it’s a career that has been written about many times over but there was a lot of research involved. I’ve never learned so much about police scanner codes and other details about being a cop in my life lol.
Because as much as you want to be creative, you also want to be authentic to the details of that particular job. Even though each position out there has its own trials and errors you want to include those specific details to give it that authentic feel.
So when you’re stressing over what career to give your characters just remember, no career is perfect, to make the choice based off of what direction you plan to take your story, and ultimately to just do your research. I’ll also leave you with one final thought, who says that the career your character starts with in the story has to be the one they keep throughout? People change careers all the time.
Thank you for reading my blog, I hope you found the information useful. If you did, feel free to comment and tell me how it helped. I love to hear how other writers are doing with their work.
Until Next Time….Just Keep Writing
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Tiffany’s Writing Journey 
Yes! Even if you don’t use the information, the research subconsciously helps add depth to the character. I’m guilty for not doing too much research though, because I primarily write sci-fi, and there’s only so much you need to know about futuristic drug dealers. This was a very insightful post though. Thanks for sharing, Tiffany!
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I’m glad that you found it helpful 😁 There are several different storylines where I would imagine doing research for a job would be difficult, especially in a Sci-Fi novel. But that’s where some amazing amounts of imagination and creativity come in. I’ve read some great books like that. Thank you so much for commenting and good luck on your novel 😁
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