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“After doing the research needed for my Writing Histories subject I’ve found I’ve got a genuine interest in the field.”
Professional Writing and Editing student with Box Hill Institute, Jacqui Knipe will never run out of writing inspiration if she continues to work in retail.
“You really see the worst in people, but at least I’ve had some fantastic stories come out of it,” she said.
An unfortunate encounter during her first day at work led to the inspiration, which won her the first prize in the Australian Council of Trade Union’s (ACTU) National writing competition and a $250 cheque.
The competition asked students to send in a short story describing their first day at work. As Jacqui puts it in her story, her first day “was an absolute disaster” and made for a perfect insight into life as a ‘check-out chick’ with a large supermarket chain.
Jacqui had only entered the competition to satisfy a requirement for her assessment. “It was part of non-fiction to try and market our work, so I decided to enter it,” she said. “I was very happy...it was such a big shock, I didn’t expect to win.”
In the future, Jacqui hopes to see her supermarket days long behind her, and use her writing ability for a more prosperous career. “I’d like to do editing or researching,” she said. “After doing the research needed for my Writing Histories subject I’ve found I’ve got a genuine interest in the field.”
For the time being, Jacqui will stay at Safeway. “It’s pretty good money and it fits around my studies which will lead to something more promising,” she said.
09 October 2003
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