Dan Selcke is an attorney and freelance writer living in Chicago, IL. He worked at comedy magazine The Onion as part of The Onion Labs, where he submitted jokes, articles, and long-form advertising ideas. In his spare time, he likes to see movies and write things about what he saw.
Dan on...
The Process...I get ideas for things to write about all the time. On the bus, in the office, whilst resting in my hyperbolic sleep chamber, etc. To actually get writing done, I have to set aside enough time, usually a few hours, to sink into the process such that I cannot become distracted by the nearest whirling object.
SatisfactionI like the process of breaking down my scattered thoughts and organizing them bit by bit into a presentable whole that can be quickly understood and appreciated by people the world over. And the groupies are great.
KnowingWhen I was young, very young, I thought that being a writer was one of those jobs, like astronaut or Olympic pole-vaulter, that sounded great but which wasn't really a viable career. If people could actually make a living off writing, I figured I would have known some. By the time I was college-aged, I realized that there were a whole plethora of writing jobs, from film to newspaper to copy, and that I would probably be happiest doing one of them. My through-the-looking-glass moment came while watching interviews with television writers for shows like Seinfeld and The Simpsons. Here were people, people who had a nose and two eyes and went to school like I did, talking about writing as a career. I could do that.
The First TimeMy written work doesn't actually get performed, but the first time I saw one of my headlines published I called everyone I knew and let them in on my joy.
AdvicePersist. That's probably good advice for anyone looking to break into any career, but I think it definitely holds true for writers. It doesn't always come easy and it doesn't always come fast, but opportunities are there for those willing to tirelessly look for them.
For more information on Dan's past, present, and future endeavors, check here.
To read Dan's movie reviews for Scripted Whim, look here.
