If you've got a paid publishing credit under your belt, feel free to stand up here and shout it out. We'll all cheer for you.
You deserve it; if you're like me, you've got a nice, tidy file of rejection letters that you pull out and mull over when the writing bug feels more like a curse than a calling.
Or maybe you're not like me; for your sake, I hope so.
Moving on...it's my turn to boast a bit.
I just received my two copies of GreenPrints in the mail last week. The editor bought my article about my gardening-while-preggers debacle. It involves a hugely pregnant me, two insane canines, and a nest of baby bunnies.
All of it, true.
When I opened the envelope last October, I fully expected another, "Nice, but not right for us, yada-yada-yada," letter.
Instead a check fell out of the envelope.
I ran shrieking from the mailbox into the house, nearly giving Knute a heart attack. From the decibel level of my high-pitched hollering, he'd thought that one or more of our children had face planted on our hilly driveway. He's never been too good with blood, that man of mine.
While it was thrilling to get my first acceptance letter (and to get real dollars for it, too), the thrill faded fast.
It was actually my dear Knute who spread the word to my mom and my dad about the article being published, not me. My mom has enjoyed her God-given right to brag about her offspring; I can appreciate the importance of this, seeing as I am a mommy myself.
And me?
I've confirmed something about myself, something I suspected all along. It's all about the writing for me. That's why I'm here at my computer, tippity-typing away to you fellow mommyfolk rather than doing something with more immediate impact in my life - something like scrubbing the mud from the backyard off my legs.
(We weathered some storms last night; the tornado sirens went off twice.)
It's the writing that matters to me, not the money or the fame (ha-ha! Good one, Mare!) or the comments or the StatCounter. The words matter, not some editor's pre-determined filler needs for his/her upcoming publications.
So, fellow writer-mommies, brag away in the comments section. I'll cheer for you.
But if you do take me up on bragging a bit, I'd love to know if the thrill was just as big as you'd hoped it would be or if you discovered an inner truth about your writing, too.
Share if you care...lurky turkeys always welcome.
WM
None. Nothing.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your article! I had never heard of GreenPrints, but it looks great (are the articles not available online?).
Glad to hear you weathered the storms!
Jane, I actually found the listing for the article on Helium's Marketplace.
ReplyDeleteAnd no, the article aren't available online as it's a small publication.
Congratulations, WM! I recently sold my first article to an online newsletter/website (www.stretcher.com). Does that count? I was just about as ecstatic as you. :) After I heard the news, I found myself wanting to write and write...so I started my blog. After writing resumes (my primary source of part-time income the last several years), I have enjoyed the change of pace, writing about things that are important to me (ways to save money, cook easy recipes, and mother my children). I'm still learning the whole blogging thing. So far, it's been fun! Enjoy your success!
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