Courtney Maum on how working as a waitress and a barista shaped her path as a writer

“I blame MFA programs for not positing restaurant work as a viable option at the beginning of a writer's career” Courtney Maum is the author of I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You, Touch, And Costalegre, the publishing guidebook “Before And After The Book Deal: A Writer’s Guide To Finishing, Publishing, Promoting And Surviving Your First Book” and the memoir The Year Of The Horses. In this week’s interview, Courtney shares her past jobs as a waitress, barista, and crepe maker, the stigma around restaurant work, and how MFA programs don’t always provide practical job advice for writers. Courtney is the author of five books, including the groundbreaking publishing guide that Vanity Fair recently named one of the ten best books for writers, BEFORE AND AFTER THE BOOK DEAL and the memoir THE YEAR OF THE HORSES, chosen by The Today Show as the best read for mental health awareness. A writing coach, executive director of the writing retreat “Turning Points” and educator, Courtney's mission is to help people hold on to the joy of art-making in a culture obsessed with turning artists into brands. You can sign up for her publishing tips newsletter and online masterclasses at CourtneyMaum.com***In this episode, we talk about:Courtney’s time working at a restaurant in FranceHer past employment as a crepe maker and a barista at Starbucks  How stepping outside of your comfort zone and interacting with people from different backgrounds can be valuable for writers The flexibility service industry jobs allow and how that benefitted her writing life. How the publishing and teaching industries can be elitist and fail to provide practical advice on job opportunities and rates of pay The stigma around restaurant work and how it needs to be reversed. Country club culture Exploring other job opportunities can provide financial stability while pursuing a writing career.***In the Weeds is a podcast and a weekly newsletter created by Kailey Brennan DelloRusso | subscribe here for letters on novel writing, the creative process, and working in the service industry.Where else you can find meAs the editor in chief of Write or Die MagazineCommunity Manager at Chill SubsOn Instagram: @kaileydellorussoClips of the podcast can also be found onTikTok