And now, a message from the man who I would choose as my favorite Broadway composer if you put a gun to my head: http://youtu.be/rJFz-ucuTvs?t=5m27s
The last few days and weeks have been accidentally dedicated to making connections and crafting some foundations to build upon as I work towards what I really want to do. My agenda said benign things like "lunch seminar with CL" or "DN after work" or "NYCT Holiday Brunch". Benign scribbles become major opportunities, though:
Lunch seminar with CL = Meet the person who does exactly what you want to do; talk as best you can without stumbling over words too many times; she lives six blocks from you? great. get lunch sometime; get contacts; try not to drool
DN after work = Talk for an hour about nothing and everything with colleague of a colleague, then have her ask "What can I do to help you?"...try not to admit that just hearing her talk about the industry was enough, but now she'll reread your cover letter/marketing pitch
NYCT Holiday Brunch = Network, network, network; volunteer for things you didn't know existed or were available; now I'm probably the assistant editor of the association's newsletter? wait, how did that happen? That's...cool.
Putting it all together will take time, marinating, and a dash of luck. Possibly a whole cup. Maybe more. I just have to make the right preparations to be ready for when that perfect opportunity falls into my lap. There seems to be little other way to do it.
Very few people can make their living doing literary translation. Even fewer who are not in academia. But they do exist. Would that I should be one someday.