Hopeful Goal: Living Cheap but Getting There

So here is my hopeful goal:

1. Work really hard and have no social life for the next few months to get my novel finished. Let's shoot for August or September.
2. Then get that novel accepted by some publisher or another before May.
3. Also, get said publisher to pay an advance of at least enough to pay for a publishing institute.
4. Go to publishing institute, work hard, network well, get job.

All of this is a really long shot. The road to the measly pay of a copy editor is a difficult one, and expecting a novel to get accepted let alone pay for a publishing institute is a crazy one, but I guess my chances are better than with lotto.

Blergh.

Confession of an Aimless Wanderer

I'm 25, and I still have no idea what I want to do or to be. Let's track my goals and how long they lasted.

Tech Writer -- February 2011 to present
Copy Editor -- November 2010 thru February 2011
PhD in Narratology or Sci-fi / Fantasy--August 2009 thru November 2010
No Idea -- December 2008 thru August 2009
Database Developer -- July 2008 thru December 2008
Novelist -- First few months after finishing undergrad
Copy Editor -- Last year of undergrad
Middle School English Teacher -- Almost the full first 3 years of undergrad
No Idea -- Junior into senior year, while trying to decide where to apply for college
Medical Examiner (autopsies) -- Sophomore into Junior year (high school)
Surgeon -- Freshman into Sophomore year (high school)
Novelist -- 7th Grade
Chef -- 8th Grade
Marine Biologist -- 5th & 6th Grades
No Idea -- I'm sure as a small person I probably thought I'd be a ballerina or a vet the most often.

The career plans that recur often and fill the gaps between "big scheme" aspirations are probably chef, novelist, and copy editor, so maybe I should focus my energy there. Except I don't want the lifestyle of a chef, and I don't want the pressure to write of a novelist. I guess I'll look back into copy editing.

I need a goal right now. I need something to drive me, but I don't have anything. I have zero motivation right now. Being an adult doesn't suit me...not that I can be a child again. That won't work. I need to find something that I can be passionate about that will pay the bills. My passions do not pay the bills, but I just can't focus or stay with something reasonable.

I also need to indulge my passion for biology. Damn you chemistry for steering me away from biology!

So You Want to Be an Editor? (Maybe)

I always knew it would be hard. When I looked into it during my undergraduate career, I was sure there was no way I could get in. All the internships seemed to require previous internships, and some of them were just not affordable. I wasn't sure publishing institutes worked. Everywhere I looked everyone said being overeducated was a hindrance to getting in, so I didn't go to a publishing institute. Big mistake--though I'm still not sure I want to go into publishing, so a potential big mistake. We'll see. Anywho...

When I met Cheryl Klein this past November, she finally gave me all the information I had wanted:

Step 1. Develop an internet presence. Blog, tweet, comment on other blogs, comment on publishers' web sites. Learning this while in grad school is bad timing. I don't have time for all of this right now, but I'm gonna try. Once this semester starts, I'm committing myself to one blog a week. I'll probably talk about cooking almost as much as I talk about books.

Step 2. Read, read, read. Read the books you like, read reviews, read publisher's weekly. I already read nearly non-stop, and it's often not the stuff I'd be interested in editing. I'm in grad school. There are requirements, but I'll make it work. I'd heard some of this before, but Cheryl made the process seem so much less random, and much more productive.

Step 3. Learn the ropes. If you're still an undergrad, try to get an internship. A lot of large publishing companies offer unpaid internships, which can be invaluable, but you often need to receive college credit to qualify. If you're not an undergrad, take some courses in publishing. Cheryl Klein recommended the summer publishing institutes at Columbia and the University of Denver. I had looked at DU before, but I'm looking again with the assurance that it is worth it, but I'd really like to get a little closer to the action and go to Columbia.

Step 4. Get connected.  Attending a publishing institute is a good way to network, but if it doesn't pan out, get a job in NYC doing whatever so that you can do informational interviews. Cheryl suggested that a lot of people do informational interviews to leave an impression with hiring editors, to gain knowledge about publishers, and to get their resumes put on file.

This is the general plan that Cheryl gave out (with some edits by me), so this is my plan (if I decide I don't like tech writing, but I might love tech writing). It's weird writing this blog to no one, but I'm gonna do it, and perhaps it will stop being to no one. My roommate and I are going to split a subscription to publisher's weekly. I've started reading Cheryl Klein's blog, and I'm hoping to expand my awareness of editors' blogs over time. Does Harriet McDougal keep one?