Fester

Recently, I’ve been job hunting. It hasn’t been going well because of the economy (which means no one is really hiring), and also because I’ve never had a job before. No experience + limited opportunities = the near impossibility of getting a job.

But despite all that, I put in an application at a clothing store (nothing high end, just a department-esque place), and got an interview. My mother did the same and got an interview, so it’s not like I was special, but it was a shot. The second interview in over eight months of hunting.

And guess what? My writer’s instinct kinda sorta maybe actually blew it.

I’ve been focusing a lot on Demonized, a story that came to mind after reading Kelley Armstrong’s Darkest Powers series. My protagonist, Teagan, finds out on her sixteenth birthday that she is a Demon, descended from Daemons, who were guardians in the ancient world. The Human world has since ‘demonized’ them (hence the title), and they’ve made a home in a system of tunnels underground, called the Underworld.

Teagan’s first problem, aside from assimilating into this entirely new culture, is finding exactly where and how she fits into it. There is more than one kind of Demon, nine to be exact, and no one else can figure out where her powers lie either. I know, of course, which kind she is, but Teagan is systematic, and uses deductive reasoning to figure it out. She needs experiments.

So I’d been thinking of ways to disprove why she’s not certain Demon-types, and when I woke up on the morning of my interview, I had an idea. And this one, like a well-aimed stone, disproves two types instead of one.

But I woke up a bit late, and had to rush a bit to get out the door, so I never had the chance to write down my idea.

I don’t know about you, but when an idea hits me, I have to get it down ASAP. I use the notepad I keep in my purse for this, or the notepad on my computer, or even the notepad on my cell phone. If it gets down, I don’t lose it, and my brain stops acting like a kid after two bags of Pixie Stix.

But I didn’t have time to get it out. I had to let it fester instead.

I walked into my interview (which was an experience in itself — the woman was running late, so I spent a half hour browsing the store until she was ready), and the whole time I was thinking about my characters. Teagan would do this, but then what would Greg do? And Lane? Meghan? Heather? But then what would Haru do? My mind was following these racing thought-bunnies when the woman had me take a seat.

We got through the basics, names, excuses for the delay, blah blah blah. And then she asked me my first question. All I can say is that it was something along the lines of, “What have you done in the past?” Any volunteering, babysitting…?

I said something along the lines of babysitting family members and volunteering at a church, even though I hadn’t volunteered at a church since I was thirteen, five years ago. In the back of my head, I was imagining Meghan and Teagan going through the events before Teagan’s Branding with a fine tooth comb.

“How would you handle an angry customer?”

As calmly as possible, of course. Diffuse the situation. Actually, I’m doing that right now, because Lane is giving Meghan the smackdown, and she’s not going for it.

“How do you handle an argument with someone?”

Again, diffuse the situation, and understand both sides of the story before coming to a compromise, which, by the way, is something Haru is being pretty crappy about right now. Seriously, Haru, you’re smarter than this, can’t you act like it? Oh wait, no, you can’t, there’s other stuff going on—

And when I walked out of the interview, my heart sped up like I had had a sugar rush, and I scrambled into my van and pulled out that notebook from my purse. I plotted out what I’m thinking will make up the next two chapters. And, to top it all off, by the time I was done, I was less and less excited to hear if I would get the job. What would happen if I had an idea on the job, and there was nothing around to write it on? Story comes first, story is a much bigger deal than giving out numbers at the fitting room! You wear clothes, but you get entertainment out of a story!

The sad thing is, I really do need a job if I want to go to school in the fall! But my obsession with story-telling is always going to be more important to me than anything else (even Mythbusters and Harry Potter). So it looks as if it’s going to be a beast of burden (one I’ll always remember to feed).

What about you? Has your passion ever gotten in the way of something important? Have you ever chosen something you want over something you need? Did you regret it? It’d be nice to know I’m not alone! ;]