Writers around the world struggle to pay the bills and maintain a writing career in their free time.

Over at the screenwriting section of Reddit, readers compiled a list of the best jobs you can take while working on your first script.

We’ve collected these suggestions below, but it is a question we’d like to pose for all GalleyCat readers–what are the best day jobs for writers.

1. Script Development: “I’m constantly meeting with agents, writers and producers, reading everything floating around town (screenplays, plays, yet-to-be-published novels, memoirs, etc) and just generally getting to see what people are looking for. It’s demanding. I’m in the office from 8:30-6:30 most days, but it’s also flexible at times. I don’t have tons of downtime to write, but that motivates me to not waste the little time I do have. When something is ready to go out, I have an almost endless network of working people who can read it and pass it on for me.”

2. Production Assistant (PA): “Honestly, just go for a PA job and work up from there to writers PA. I did that route and it was worth the connections alone. Only reason I didn’t stay with it was that I started making more money writing freelance. I still keep in contact with all the right people, and now got one thing optioned last year, though it ended up going nowhere. The PA route is the best starting job I know of to get started with making connections.”

3. Substitute teacher: “My screenwriting professor was a substitute teacher while she was working on her writing career in LA. It’s relatively easy and you can take off days when you have other jobs or meetings. One of my other screenwriting professors was a script reader. Both let you work as much or as little as you need to (I’m pretty sure). Both pay better than minimum wage jobs where I live.”

4. “Jobs that require zero thinking.”

5. “Probably one nothing to do with writing. Neurosurgeon?”

By Jason Boog on March 13, 2013 11:55 AM (Image via qisur)