Ditto!

I hate it when CT takes a day off! SYA is one of my morning habits!

To the LW-- like most people keep pointing at: there's a lot of ways to get what you say you want, and the fact that you haven't really explored any of them seems to be the biggest challenge that you are facing.

So what's up with the excuses?

Find the community newspaper or the publication your coffee shop prints, or someone's zine and volunteer articles to them. You won't have to do it that long to get some clips you can show.

Unfortunately, it's hard to break out of the "administrative assistant" role, in my opinion. (also I hate to tell you this, but newspapers don't pay all that well.) Here are some approaches that have worked for people I know, or for me:

* Take an administrative job for a publication (trade magazines are less picky about moving people up) and volunteer to do writing tasks.

* Volunteer for writing jobs at work. I did a department newsletter for a while right after college, and that got me an opportunity to write and edit the company-wide "quality newsletter" the next year.

* Volunteer to write training or documentation materials at work. Send out a "Word and Excel tips" newsletter to the administrative staff. Document the shipping procedures. Write about the marathon you ran in and submit to the employee newsletter. Whatever - any opportunity you see.

* Rewrite your resume to highlight the things that you did that relate to your next job, rather than the tasks you actually did the most of.

Stop worrying about the people who have less talent and get jobs - believe me, you are not the only one wondering the same thing, but really there's no point. Just start making whatever connections you can and be "that writer who is an admin during the day" rather than the "admin who wants to write." Say it until you believe it yourself. Good luck!

LW ALREADY HAS A BLOG so would y'all just knock off telling him/her to start one? Sorry, I"m just cranky b/c it's still yesterday's letter.

The truth about creative professions is that to be successful you have to not only be good at the creative part, but good at the game of networking, selling yourself, and getting your foot in the door. If anyone ever told you that all you need to make it as a writer is writing skills, they were lying.

This goes for being a photographer, painter, musician... in fact, you could say that it goes for any competitive profession. You might be the best stock broker or psychologist in the world, but if you don't know how to build your reputation and attract clients, you'll never be successful.

So, you learn to play the game. Others have given you ideas for doing this (grad school, internships, etc). If you are bad at the game, or don't want to play, it doesn't mean you can't write. Have another career doing something else and write for the pure joy of it.

Look, that's a major occupational hazard. Talking to people is the only way to get real stories. The world does not need another writer sitting at a desk regurgitating information other people have already reported. Do we care what you think? Uh, no, actually.

But I understand. When I was a newspaper intern I was also afraid of interviews. But the thing is, people LOVE to talk about themselves. I learned that when I was assigned to go to a hotel where a bunch of construction workers were staying; they had all been hired by the town for some major demolition project, and I was told to "go talk to them and write a feature." (Yeah, that's about as detailed as most assignments get.)

I was a shy college girl and they were a bunch of rough-and-tumble construction workers. What, little old me talk to these scary strangers? I remember sitting in my car outside the hotel, dreaming up ways of getting out of the assignment. I could say they had all gone out when I got there! They were all in bed by 7 p.m.! Or hey -- they had all checked out, and each one had moved to a different hotel!

I finally put aside my fears -- because I was even more afraid of my editor -- marched in there and ended up having one of the greatest nights of my life. Also wrote one of the best stories of my life.

That she has actually interviewed someone?

Is it necessary to be paid to do so? I think not. I'm not a writer--tho I fancied myself one in my younger days. But I can, off the top of my head, think of 10 or 15 subjects that would be absolutely compelling to write about/read about, and would demonstrate the truth of her high opinion of her talents.

If you want to write--write. Go down to the nearest intersection at lunch from your assistant job and ask the first 25 people you talk to what effect, if any the housing crunch is having on them.

Go to the nearest mall on Saturday and ask 25 teenagers how the drop in the economy, coupled with the continuing rise in the cost of a college education, is affecting their choices for after high school.

Nike said it, but it's still true: just do it.

In addition...

-Your college newspaper is a fine source of samples. Your blog is a fine source of samples. Newsweek actually went into several months ago. Might have been the issue that dealt with college porn? But it doesn't hurt to diversify your creative sources of samples (and as a sidenote to Cary's remarks on working freelance, if someone pays you to write something - doesn't matter what it is - you're legitimately freelance).

-Things in America are weird right now. I don't know as much about writing as I do about music, but the businesses/industries parallel each other. Like Cary said, there aren't that many jobs out there (partly because of things like your blog - the P2P networks of journalism, as far as I can tell). But, you might not be happier at writing jobs than you are at your administrative assistant job. Probably make less money, too. Might be worth it to skip checking the MyFace and The Craiglist or looking at the Daily Puppy, writing something you think puts Dostoevsky to shame, and sending it to whatever publications you think you can sleaze your way into. A lot of them (including this one, and The New Yorker, and I'm sure many others) accept e-mail submissions. Takes 30 seconds to send it. Might get yourself into trouble, have some adventures. Take that secretary paycheck and pay for it (the adventure). Maybe you'll end up getting something published and will get $25 towards the next one (the next adventure).

On that note, don't get on a high horse, but don't let people humiliate you/take you for granted, either. No "Dream Job" (what a joke) is worth that. Maybe Broadsheet will do (or has done a piece) on how The Casting Couch is alive-and-well and just manifests itself as a high divorce rate and a "I wonder what life would have been like..." mentality in women in what may be your position.

If they do, I expect Cary Tennis to give me that '92 Celica he has sitting on concrete blocks in his front-yard.