Question of the Day
What did you want to be when you grew up? And if it was writer . . . does it live up to your expectations?
Me? I wanted to be a vet. Now I just have a lot of pets.
Then I wanted to be a psychiatrist. Now I'm just crazy.
I briefly wanted to be a nun. We won't even go there.
Next a reporter. Robert Redford and All the President's Men had something to do with it. At least typewriters and writing was involved. And Deep Throat. We'll leave that one be.
Finally, I wanted to be a writer. F. Scott Fitzgerald and all that. See #2 above about being a shrink. Crazy all right. F. Scott and Zelda as role models? What was I thinking? Hemingway? I could never hunt.
I imagined sleeping in, writing. A life of leisure and salons and talking writing and perhaps living in Paris.
I'll stop laughing now. Unless Demon Baby takes up French . . . .
Maybe I haven't even grown up anyway.
35 comments:
I wanted to be a psychologist.
Now I just analyze everything for free.
I wanted to be a teacher.
I became a parent. Same thing with extra benefits but no summers off.
I always wanted to write a book.
And now I am.
I always want my book on the bookshelves.
That's next!
When I was nine or ten I wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to be Dr. Joe Gannon, on the TV show Medical Center. He was the coolest guy ever, I thought. A surgeon. Whatever a patient came in with, Dr. Joe Gannon would recommend surgery. Just like real life!
I never pursued surgery as a career, but it makes a great hobby...
I wanted to be a ballet dancer, a gymnast, a figure skater. (Couldn't persuade my mother to give me lessons.) I wanted to be an interpreter (still LOVE languages), a child psychiatrist (close enough, although I wish I'd gone that route: more money), an air force pilot, and of course, a pianist.
When I got sick, that became a piano teacher. I was grateful I got sick for that reason, but I guess I'm at an age where, yes, I want more money, LOL.
I was writing for quite awhile before I knew I wanted to be a writer. It was all weird and backwards. Even now, I always worry that I don't dream like others do. I just... write. And I guess that works for me, so why worry?
Musician. That went on a while.
Linguist, that went on a bit.
When I grow up (or if I grow up), I'm thinking I'd like to be an independently wealthy philanthropist.
My list of things I wanted to be various ages includes:
Lepidopterist (ages 9-12)
Marine biologist (ages 12-14)
Ron Jeremy (ages 14 - 22)
Stock broker/hedge fund godzillionaire (ages 22-22.25)
Journalist (ages 22.25 and up)
Writer (from kindergarten on...)
I guess two out of six ain't bad.
JVZ
Erica, a nun? Let me guess. You were either enthralled over the movie, "The Song of Bernadette" or really dug Sally Field's cool habit.
Me, I have vividly bad memories of Catholic grammar school where the teaching population was 90% habit. Teaching method: Torquemada. ;-)
I wanted to be an artist, model or some other job requiring addiction. Instead, reality steered me into lawyer slavery.
Now I just try writing.
Jon:
Which two?
I wanted to be a vet once, went to college for three years to be a wildlife biologist and then met a published writer who taught creative writing. She told me, "You've got what it takes to be a successful writer. Focus and you'll ge there."
Those words unleashed a secret dream I'd been harboring and I've been working at it ever since. In the meantime i tear up Postal equipment to keep my family fed.
I wanted to be an anthropolgist (sp?), doctor, book store owner, attorney, and then realized I'd have to go to school for years. I settled on being a writer. I could research those jobs and live vicariously through my characters. I think I won.
In all truth I still want to be those people on the Antique Roadshow. I'm not sure what they are called, but there job looks so cool.
Hi Amy:
Never wanted to be a teacher. College professor maybe. And parenting is filled with teaching opportunities. :-)
Jude:
Sure. I'd trust you to perform surgery as a hobbyist. LOL!
E
Hi Spy:
I always thought working at the U.N. looked cool (interpretors) but I don't have an ear for language.
E
Mark:
If you get the gig, let me be your intern. :-)
E
JVZ:
Ron Jeremy is WAY more hairy and ugly. I am glad you didn't succeed on that one.
E
kath:
My father's an atheist, so the nun thing had no bearing on reality or homelife. I think I just wanted the peace and quiet of a convent, and then imagined myself running an orphange. Seriously.
E
travis:
That is really neat. And if your blogs are any indication, the person who encouraged you was right.
E
Mel:
LOVE that show. That would, indeed, be a cool job. I like the two British brothers who do the antiquing. VERY cute.
E
hahahaha @ the nun thing. I can categorically say I NEVER wanted to be a nun. At the time you wanted to be a nun did you know about the celibacy thing?
Anyway, let's see, I wanted to be a spy, a PI, in the FBI, then finally I wanted to be something that didn't rhyme, an actress, a cartoon animator (before it all went digital), a makeup artist (for horror films), a wedding coordinator (I actually did that one for awhile), a reporter (I think it was the Julia Roberts movie that got me. It played on my earlier PI/Spy thing), an attorney (good at arguing), I may be leaving something out. Being a writer was pretty much a constant since Junior High, if not a little before, while all the other things came and went.
And oh yeah, spy's post reminded me of a couple more. I also wanted to be a ballet dancer, a las vegas show girl, a figure skater.
I like Mark's "wealthy philanthropist" thing.
I really, really, REALLY wanted to be a dancer. But because of the conspiracy engineered by my parents (who no longer wanted to pay for classes) and my body (which refused to mold into the überthin, übertall dancer's body), that dream was dashed at age 14.
Twelve years later, I discovered a path back to dance via group fitness. And even though the students and the continuing education requirements and the gym's management could sometimes be giant PITAs, I love it. It's what keeps me sane.
I wanted to be an artist.
Got talked out of that.
I wanted to be a writer.
Got talked out of that. (however my brother is a journalist/editor for a major newspaper and they were okay with that)
Without these two things I kinda just drifted around.
Still drifting but I think I'm heading in the right direction now.
And I always wanted to see Paris.
To sleep, perchance to dream.
Zoe:
Yeah. I think at the time, I pretty much figured relationships were a lot more trouble than they were worth.
E
Karm:
I think it's great you get to pursue your dance still!
E
Aimless:
You should go . . . eat cheese, drink red wine . . . write. Wear a beret. ;-)
E
I wanted to be a great actress.
No stage or screen experience, but been doing it for years without pay or awards. It's called daily living.
WAIT! I want to change my answer. I want to be an "independently wealthy philanthropist," too! How cool would that be? I could grow up to be Andrew Carnegie, and just give away money all day to make the world a better place. That would So Totally Rock.
PS: I wanted to be a nun, too. I was at mass every morning at 7 am, and I am NOT a morning person, LOL. But then I realized I probably couldn't be a pianist, too.
anti-wife:
I strive for authenticity.
Except when dealing with the PTA.
;-)
E
Spy:
I used to go to daily mass. Now I light candles and meditate. Like it much better. No white collar involved. ;-)
E
I love the twins because they are quirky. Normal people make me wary. Plus, I just have a love for old things. It has everything to do with they have a story behind them. I'm interested not only in the story, but the fact antiques have stood the test of time. Can you say that about most furniture made in today's market?
Yes, but Erica you can't have SEX if you're a nun. That's just crazy talk.
I wanted to be an archeologist, ballet dancer, singer, (I'm blaming that one on the Supremes)figure skater, and journalist. Writing was inside, and showed up at wierd intervals. Something like 10/16/22/30 on. Those were the serious writing bouts. I had to live life and experience, I guess.
I wanted to be a spy, a PI, in the FBI, then finally I wanted to be something that didn't rhyme...
Zoe, I nearly peed my pants at that! LOL!
For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be an artist. My drawing/painting ability is mediocre, so I went through a phase with interior design before settling on graphic design.
I wrote a lot in junior and high school, but didn't pick it up again until last year. I debated majoring in journalism but I hate being pushy, so the reporting side of it ruled that out.
Creativity has always been a big part of my life and I'm fortunate to have parents who've always encouraged me.
ladonna:
I always say I really felt I became a writer when I had something to say. Life experience, i guess.
E
melanie:
I think my parents saw writing as an edicated choice, as something that, if you had a way with words, you did. I don't know that they thought of it as creative. When I sold my first novel to Red Dress Ink, my father said, "Whose novel?"
"Mine."
"You wrote a novel?"
I just never told them--I think they still thought in terms of journalism for me.
E
mel:
YES! I have a lot of funky old stuff that's still wonderful . . . AND tells a story somehow.
E
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