Hi, SEers! It’s time for another Mae Day on Story Empire. Thanks for joining me for an up-close look at character occupations. This is one of the most important elements you’re likely to choose when developing your character. Often, it’s crucial to the plot—think a doctor, nurse, or lab technician in a medial thriller, a cop or PI in a crime novel, an attorney in a legal thriller. You get the idea.

Other times, the character’s occupation may be less prominent, tucked into the background. As an example, my female lead in A Desolate Hour was a records clerk at the county courthouse. While that position factored into the plot to a degree, it was Sarah’s hobby—an avid interest in town history and genealogy—that became critical to how things played out.

Think about how someone’s job or career impacts their personal life. Your character could be…