Natalia Lusinski
Los Angeles, Calif.
I moved to Los Angeles when I was 21 to pursue a career in screenwriting. Now, I'm 34 years old and still barely getting by.
I'm a television writers' assistant, and I've worked on some great shows like
Desperate Housewives -- but since I'm on a freelance basis, my income is far from steady.
I've taken side jobs waitressing, writing dating ads, and even pet-sitting. Since I'm not making enough money to pay rent, I gave up my apartment and decided to couch-surf with a different friend each week for 52 weeks.
It's been more than a year now, and I'm still basically, homeless. To make matters worse, I have $99,000 in student loans to pay off (don't go to two private schools in a row!).
The good news is, even though I still barely have an income, I am extremely happy and have started to write a book about the whole experience. I'm calling it
52 Weeks, 52 Couches: How I Slept my Way Through Hollywood (Without Sleeping with Anybody) and I hope to sell it soon. In the meantime, I'll continue surfing from job to job, and couch to couch.
By Annalyn Censky
NEXT: Temping to get by
