I certainly consider myself to be a serious writer: I have published more than 100 short stories in respected journals. But I am also a part-time writer. My students, who range from recent college graduates hoping to apply to MFA programs to accomplished lawyers and entrepreneurs seeking creative outlets, are also resolute about their imaginative work—but few, if any, intend to abandon their day jobs. So while my course offers instruction on plot, voice and point of view, I also have a larger agenda: persuading my all-too-wary students that their current careers and their literary pursuits are not mutually exclusive.