payment upon publication.

7:15 PM




When I began freelancing almost two years ago, it was excruciating to wait for an editor to get back to me about a submission. Is my idea at all interesting? Am I entertaining? Does this make good copy? Waiting to hear truly sucked. There are still times I feel impatient upon pitching NON-autobiographical material.

However, no one is happier than me about the fact it takes months for a submitted CONFESSIONAL to be accepted by a magazine, published, and then paid for. 

Why the discrepancy?

Exhibit A. The illustration above by Aaron Romo (of me and my son) accompanies a humor piece I wrote for this month's PARENTWISE AUSTIN'S "My Life as a Parent"column. The piece here paints a picture of a very hormone-licious me in classic OCD mode after discovering the kitchen, screen porch, and deck are covered with hair. Thanks for running this, Kim and ParentWise Austin.

See, when you write about raising teens or feeling imbalanced or freaking out badly, or all three, it's kinda nice to have some time to get past whatever it is you were ranting about. It's nice in the happier, more stable-er (shut up, I like it) future--I mean present--to read and re-live that more regrettable chapter you were out of your mind with worry or rage or grief. (A BEYOND CRAZY idea just occurred...DUDE...what if I wrote about the times I get it RIGHT as a parent?????Nah.)

If things were published straight away, the wounds would be too fresh (WOUNDS? Ok, busted. I'm a rich American with sometimes rebellious kids...we'll call em 'scrapes'). A few months gives me a chance to hopefully heal and forgive...

until publication when I can feel shame all over again.

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