Unemployed and Underemployed NaNoers Unite!

Unemployed here, too. Got laid off in August. On the bright side, this should give me more writing time. :)

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WIP 2009: Birthright
Member of: SFFMuse, RPoL, UCF
Writer for: BrightHub, eHow

Having more writing time is good, especially for NaNo. Oh, time, how I cherish thee.

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http://www.sushimustwrite.com

Count me among the under-employed.

I've been working for over five months at a company ,and was even counted among the skeleton crew. The only bad part of being down to a skeleton crew is that everyone's getting short hours. I'm on a two week layoff, but there were three weeks prior that were 16-24 hours of work a week.

So yeah, plenty of time to plot and write and figure out what my characters are going to do. Also plenty of time to make sure everything's in order before NaNoing takes over everything.

This seems to happen every October, at least.

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Twitter * Livejournal * Dreamwidth

Exit Dusk
NanoWriMo 2009 (41,005/50,000)

I'm unemployed. I get some babysitting hours every once and a while, but that's really it and I make lower than minimum wage on that. I'm hoping to get a snow route in December if I don't have a real job by then.

Unemployed and on a medical leave of absence from school so I am bored out of my mind. Hopefully Nano, doctor's appointments, and SCA garb making will help with that =)

College grad here! Underemployed as a server currently, about 20 hours a week to pay the bills and buy food.
At least I'll have time to write.

I, too, am unemployed.

It always seems to work out that by the time Nano-season comes around, I don't have a job.

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~To learn your ways, I don't mind cutting the roots of the future~

Working part-time making minimum wage in a bookstore. I actually love the work, but I'm not really making enough to get by. In theory I'm a freelance writer, but . . . well, there's a reason I have a retail job. This is a bad economy for trying to make it solo. Glad to be a part of the group!

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www.allysonwhipple.com
My Lulu.com storefront

2005-2007: Epic fail!
2008: Winter White Lights (Winner!)
2009: Loveless Gospels

I, too, am unemployed at the moment - I'm taking the semester off from school for various reasons, and have spent the last 2 months attempting to find a job. Unfortunately, no one wants to hire an 18 y/o with not work experience... I'm looking into one of the Santa booths at the mall right now. xD

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NaNo '09: Ctrl-Alt-Delete (tentative title)
Attempt #5, Hopefully Win #1

Hey!

Unemployed since I was laid off in May. Looking for work...but hey, no job will give me more writing time in November. So I can look on the bright side! :-)

I'm with you :) except, that it looks like my hours will be more constant soon enough :).

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~Louise

I'm a substitute reference associate (a reference librarian with just a BA instead of a Masters). Both of the branches I sub for just took on two new part-time staff, so my next workday after this coming Saturday is December 27. I'm sort of tempted to apply to the Panera near me that's hiring, but that's my writing hangout and that'd be weird.

Funny I should find this thread. I got laid off today.

I didn't especially like the job. I took it because I got laid off from one I did like last March. Both were for the same reason, which is that the economy is really slow and my strongpoint is making high dollar desserts. I'm a pastry chef, or was, but the last job I took was managing a gourmet cookie/gelato shop at a mall. Long commute, endless classical mall music and an assistant manager that didn't know what she was doing but thought she did. So in a sense, it's good riddance, but then, I still have a paycheck coming. I may think differently later.

Maybe now, I can clear my head enough to figure out what I'm going to write about.

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Winner 2005: The Tribe of Palmetto Bay
Winner 2006: The Blue Light
Winner 2007: Fido
Winner 2008: Disappearance
Winner 2009: Comp Psi

http://cookingback2reality.blogspot.com/

That whole mind-clearing thing hasn't really been working for me, alas. I keep going around in circles about what I'm going to do if I don't find a job by the time unemployment runs out (probably go hit up food service), which is actually a less scary scenario than if I do get a job - because that'd mean I'd have to move to it, which means packing and lining up a new place to live and such. My chances of finding another marine science job locally is nil, and I'm kind of disinclined to stay here anyhow. Need a change of scenery. ;) It's just stressful to not know exactly when I might actually land one.

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WIP 2009: Birthright
Member of: SFFMuse, RPoL, UCF
Writer for: BrightHub, eHow

I wonder if I count in this category. I don't have a job, but that's because I'm on SSI (that's a type of disability benefit for all you non-Americans out there).

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You can count if you want. :) I had a housemate on SSI, and he still tried to find employment so he could contribute something and not just sit around doing nothing all the time. He had a couple of part time jobs. They wore him out doing them, and the state would also punish him by taking SSI money away if he earned over a certain (very low) amount, but he kept trying.

There's also another thread in here for disabled/chronically ill writers, if you haven't found that yet.

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WIP 2009: Birthright
Member of: SFFMuse, RPoL, UCF
Writer for: BrightHub, eHow

The mind clearing thing hasn't worked for me yet either, but I hope it will. I am going to a family affair out of town for 5 days, and now I actually have time to pack sensibly, not just take things because they are clean.

I've only ever collected 3 unemployment checks before I found this last job. I won't run out anytime soon, but Tenn. is one of the lowest paying states. I guess they make sure you keep looking for a job, because you sure can't live on it.

The problem with trying to jump to food service is that the wages have dropped considerably. It's nearly impossible to make a living that way anymore.
So it'll be different being home, and I'll probably be bored in two weeks, but right now, I plan to kick back and live at a human pace. I'll be one less car on the road in prime time, and i can catch up with the world later.

And maybe figure out what I'm writing about this go round.

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Winner 2005: The Tribe of Palmetto Bay
Winner 2006: The Blue Light
Winner 2007: Fido
Winner 2008: Disappearance
Winner 2009: Comp Psi

http://cookingback2reality.blogspot.com/

I graduated in May, got married end of June and moved to a different city and have been trying to find a job since then, but no luck so far. I thought I had a few leads, but I'm you guys know how that goes. The moment you get your heart set on something it disappears. That's half the reason I signed up for nanowrimo, I figured that I'd have plenty of time to work on it.

hi, all--

i'm currently underemployed, and just returned to school this fall (figured it'd be a good time for it)--yay! i have my evenings free for the Nanoing, which will hopefully be the ticket i need to achieve GREATNESS. *giggles* (yeah, right. my real goal is churning out 50k by nov 30th. ;))

laurie

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“I don't know which is more discouraging, literature or chickens” -E.B. White

Unemployed here. Got fired/let go in June, though my boss kept me on until she found a replacement in September. Yea, I know. Weird.

Desperatly looking for a job, though I'll admit, it would be nice to have all this extra writing time come November...

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I'm 23 and unemployed and have been for years now. Will be 2 years exactly the end of this month. I am, also, on SSI. I hate it. I know everyone who isn't on it complains, well trust me everyone I do not get enough to live off of. I'd give anything to be able to work! I pay rent, bills, any items I need, etc with what I get monthly, or should I say I attempt to pay all of that? Most months I am behind in my bills, haven't been able to pay on my loans at all. My credit has gone to hell and back and there again. It sucks. I also have to worry about some jerkoffs in my own family reporting me and making me lose my ability to not be living out on the street because I am currently pregnant(not planned!) and not taking my meds that are considered "life-sustaining"...yeah well I'm not willing to take meds that will kill my child, thanks. I just hope I keep doing okay enough to not end up in the hospital :/

Right now, I am looking for a place with my boyfriend. He works and has a pretty good paying job. He just got the job in August though and lives with his mom because he has one more class until he will finally have his degree. He would have graduated this summer, but of course his college screwed him over and kicked him out because they got his finances screwed up and said he didn't pay them when in reality he did...so he got that worked out but not in time for fall. So now he won't get his degree until next year. Unfortunately, the bank says we make too little to get a loan and the low income housing places say we make too much to live there. We are now calling all of the local private landlords in the area and begging them for something. Today we plan to go right to the house of one and beg them to let us rent-to-own a house they are desperately trying to sell since they are older and in poor health.

Anyway, I know my baby will have plenty. I already have a lot of stuff for her. I also plan to return to college(online) after she is born and work hard on getting my degree(so far I have 64 credits) and the heck off of SSI. I plan to be off of it by December 2010. That's my goal. Of course that all depends on how my health issues progress. Right now its not good and there's no way I could work. I can barely go grocery shopping at this point. But hopefully with doctor's help I can get better someday soon enough to handle a part time job at least. I really miss working. A lot.

ANywaY! On the bright side, not only do I have plenty of time to sit around feeling my baby kick me...but this year I have plenty of time for Nano! When I'm not at the doctor each week for various appointments, birthing classes, baby shower, or celebrating a birthday/holiday.

Good luck to all in Nano and in somehow getting better financially!

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If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it. ~Toni Morrison

*wave*

Oh goodness I need a job. My brain works better when stimulated by having to do stuff, so my creativity is suffering despite the surfeit of time on my hands.

I know that feeling. I lived with my parents for several months after graduation, and being jobless+living in a small town=one miserable Sushi. At least I'm out in time for NaNo (which was a significant reason for moving out).

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http://www.sushimustwrite.com

So we're not all coming here from the same place, but this doesn't have to be negative.

A lot of you folks are young, anxious to get started working, whereas for me, this is a bump in the road after many years of work. In fact, it may be harder for me to recover. Getting laid off twice in one year is not going to look good on a resume. And I would not have been in this position if I hadn't moved 2 years ago. It's easier to downsize people who haven't worked for you for years.

But there will be days when you are cussing traffic, tired and grumpy and thinking that your co-workers are morons and you need to pick up something for dinner because you don't have time to cook but wish you did and you have to get something for your mom's birthday and on and on . . .

And you'll remember being able to get up at 2am to work on your nano because you wanted to and you didn't have to get up the next day until you were ready. Or taking a day hike on a beautiful fall day, or doing artwork.

Yeah, it's corny, but I live in a hollow below a main road. This morning, I got up to get the paper after the sun was already up. I could hear the traffic, and I wasn't in it. I was walking with my dog, and other people were sleep deprived and rushing around. So yeah, this sucks, but there's good in it too. We don't need to wait until we miss it to appreciate it.

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Winner 2005: The Tribe of Palmetto Bay
Winner 2006: The Blue Light
Winner 2007: Fido
Winner 2008: Disappearance
Winner 2009: Comp Psi

http://cookingback2reality.blogspot.com/

Heh, believe me, I'm definitely enjoying all my extra time right now. Though a lot of it is taken up with sorting two decades' worth of accumulated junk - tossing, recycling, goodwilling, freecycling, sending stuff back to their original owners, etc. (On that last: I dug to the bottom of a box of papers and found a former housemate's birth certificate. o.O Hope he hadn't needed that in the past decade....) The ultimate goal is to move as little as possible when the time comes. Because there will be a move - marine science jobs aren't exactly numerous even when the economy is good, so I'm applying up and down both coasts. Much of science is also highly specialized - just because I have one highly specific skillset does not mean I can find another job that uses it. Plus all of my degrees have since gone stale, so, I'm basically back at entry-level. Yeah, I'm not sure about that whole recovering thing either.

On the whole though, it's been a nice lengthy vacation so far. I'm enjoying it and looking forward to getting some writing done. ;)

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WIP 2009: Birthright
Member of: SFFMuse, RPoL, UCF
Writer for: BrightHub, eHow

Unemployed here. College student. Hoping to use this time for Nano and possibly an internship and volunteer work.

Hi, I am a teacher (with no teaching job) and I currently work as a cashier at the local grocery store. So, I definitely feel underemployed. In my spare time, I read tons, write as much as I can stand, and play a variety of video games and RPGs. I look forward to more writing in November and the craziness it brings!

I've been unemployed for TWO YEARS. I was laid off 11/1/2007. At this point, being unemployed for so long will count against me in the job market. I've tried going freelance, but that's not working, either. Even if I could get a minimum wage job, that still wouldn't even come close to paying my mortgage, utlity bills, food, medical care, etc. I'm on unemployment extension right now, but that stops in another month or so, and I don't know what I'm going to do then.

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2005 In Back of the North Wind WINNER!
2006 Leopard's Paw WINNER!
2007 The Old Straight Track (finished) WINNER!
2008 The Other Side of the Wall (finished) WINNER!
2009 Dark Inheritance

Hi, my name is Kate and I'm unemployed.

(and I'm beginning to suspect, unemployable xD)

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So Many Words, So Little Time

I'm starting to suspect the same thing.

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