Switching Genres: Anticipating The Casual Vacancy

See how there’s more blog time now!  The freelancing-office-fun-time job has ended and I once again have the time to use Barnes & Noble, Caribou or Centennial Lakes as my office space.  Yes, instead of sitting in front of a computer making money, I’m spending money on tea and those yummy lemon-raspberry squares; but $4 dollars a day is cheap rent considering how much time I can spend in these locations.  A horrible, really bad day at the part-time job hobby can be totally eclipsed by walking across the street and pulling out my laptop!

Now down to business.  Geeky book business that is imperative to the world as a whole; I tell you.  Who is going to buy, read, or borrow the new JK Rowling book?  It arrives on September 27^th and is apparently already the #1 bestseller at Amazon this year. Thoughts on diversifying your rhetoric as an author – specifically one who writes for a sub-genre (albeit huge…mostly because of her) like fantasy YA?  Goodreads says this book, The Casual Vacancy, is illustrated by Joel Holland.  Who is that?  I think I fell off the information train at some point during the last year.  Who wants to fill me in? Anyone? 

Here’s the goodreads (A site I am addicted to - you know - like tennis and tea) description:

 When Barry Fairweather (hideous name, but also tongue-in-cheek funny) dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey (Was she on the set of HP when they were filming in Lacock?  Because that is an excellent description of both town and abbey and now what I will picture when reading this book.), but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils (At first I thought every Roald Dahl book ever, but then I went to a Hot Fuzz place, and there I’m staying. Simon Pegg and all)…Pragford is not what it first seems (Look, someone more cliché than me!!).

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen.  (There's a lot of war in this book.  I do not think it means what they think it means - or this would be a very dark book indeed.) Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations? (OK? I’m a lot afraid, not going to lie.  But, much like sitting through The Hobbit in three movies; who’s not going to read this, really?) 

And here is the Barnes & Noble blurb they sent to my email account. (Owning a nook means I get more email from B&N than any actual person I know and correspond with.):

A councilman’s death is the catalyst for a cascading series of intrigues in “A Casual Vacancy,” the first novel written expressly for adults by JK Rowling (You say novel but then you put the title in quotes…I expect more from you B&N emailer/copy lackey), creator of the Harry Potter series.  Not everything is as it seems in Pagford, the English countryside town where this irresistible novel is set. (At least the cliché is not lacking from you, B&N lakey).

The actual description on the site is the same as the goodreads site, so I’m assuming this has come from the publisher (Also, I’d do that job and probably love it.  Proudly call me a copy lackey then).  B&N has left in this gem that goodreads removed: Blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising, The Casual Vacancy is JK Rowling’s first novel for adults.  (Is ‘thought-provoking’, especially combined with ‘constantly surprising’, the kiss-of-death for book blurbs?  Like ‘have a nice summer’ or ‘stay sweet’ is for yearbook signings?)

The goodreads readers seem to be seriously disappointed in the cover…reminds me of the infamous hanging chad on the 2000 ballot and also old school Agatha Christie covers. I think I'm just fine with it and probably it is showcasing Joel Holland's illustrations.  On a side note, why does a book written "expressly for adults" need an illustrator?  Oh, publishing world and your confounding, fair weather ways.

I want to have a serious opinion about this entire thing, but I find I don’t.  I’m not as excited as I usually am when a favorite author pens a new novel.  And really, besides YA I read a lot of mystery (I really need to own more cats to establish my quirky crazy lady vibe) and I’m fine with the cozy, it’s what I grew up on.  I don’t think they are always well written – although Ms. Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers certainly had it going on in the writing department – but HP is so very epic.  The kind of thing you end your career with; not start it with.  JK is possibly just working in reverse.  For all I know the publisher and press kit have ruined the actually book to get it out there; maybe it’s not at all like I imagine from these quick blurbs?   Possibly it’s not a mystery or a cozy either, but just feels that way from the cover and blurbs I’ve looked at. Maybe I'm putting too many of my own  preconceived notions onto a book that I haven't read and know very little about.  No, that can't be it! Oh, wait...

I’m not entirely sure I have a strong opinion about switching genres either.  I write YA.  I read YA because I write it and also because I like it.  The book that is closest to being ready for a publisher to look at - in other words, the one I use when querying agents - is a mystery YA, so a sub-genre.  My first and probably most epic like novel (see I’ve already contradicted what I wrote up there about JK and HP?!) is strictly not YA according to a YA publisher I’ve chatted up.  He’s not willing to see anything with a protagonist older than 18 – and I think even that might be pushing it.  Proving once again that everything in the writing world is in the eye of the beholder and mostly based on a whim.

Ahem, I feel like this has turned into a rant about the book publishing world.  Sorry, sometimes I get a little carried away.  All the time in my head, but only sometimes in the blog.  Promise.  

Where were we?  Yes, I’ve thought about writing a few other things/genres, even a cookbook or travelogue to break into print.  But once I’m a writer, who doesn’t need a part-time job hobby, (I just snorted into my tea) would I switch genres?  I guess if the muse took me there.  As long as you have something to say and it’s worth putting out there, why not?  

Oh, I can feel the publishing world rant coming back.  Briefly, I think categorizing is one of the biggest issues/problems facing an unpublished author.  We've been told to put ourselves into these boxes and they don't always - might I even dare say, rarely - fit what we're actually writing.  In recent events like the self-publishing/big house publishing crossovers arising (I'm talking about Penguin Group recently acquiring Author Solutions Inc - a self-publishing service provider) I'm not sure it works in the publishing world anymore either.  The hard part is figuring out when to mold and twist to fit into the publishing pocket and when to hold and stand firm with your convictions, your writing and your characters.  I'm really done now.    

Thoughts, ideas, plot points you’re willing to share? About any or all of that?

A Month of Fundays: Day 5 – The Intimate Dinner Party

It’s hard, this blogging everyday. I feel like my words are coming out trite and ambiguous. And I know I complain a lot about lack of comments, but this week I’ve heard something from someone everyday about the blog – even if they aren’t commenting here, so I can live with that. Seriously though, this is more difficult than writing articles for weekly publication or daily quippy copywriting blurbs that all start to sound the same because really, there are only so many ways to describe a headband. I can only imagine how horrible the grammar and sentence structure looks like once posted. I’m sure if I put on my proofing/copy editing cap and started reading through the published posts I’d find a plethora of extraneous commas and silly punctuation strewn about. This is exactly why I choose not to look back once published – except the checking for comments thing, of course. Yeah, I’m still not over that.

Also, a blog is so much more personal than other forms of writing. I’m putting myself out there this month – it’s an odd experience. Although, once I do this for an entire month, I can’t imagine having any querying qualms ever again. Reject me agent and editor, go ahead! You really don’t have to reject me at all, feel free to publish me any time you’d like.

Now that my faulty logic rant is over, let’s move onto the fun activity for the day: The Intimate Dinner Party. You might consider being a guest at a dinner party instead of hosting it for your fun day. Hosting is always a little stressful, but usually ends up being both gratifying and rewarding. If you have my sense of humor, then even if it’s horrible you can still have a laugh and a story to share later. I did a sort of half-way hosting/guesting thing today. The dinner party at my house included my husband, my mom and her uncle; a small family gathering. My great uncle is a rather picky eater so he decided to cook for us. We had veggie omelets, bakery fresh toast and fruit salad; simple but extremely tasty.

The thing that really makes a dinner party worth having is the conversation; it is the truly fun part. I couldn’t wait to grow up and be a part of conversations like those at dinner parties. It is one of the best parts of being an adult – picking friends who you can have scintillating conversations with and then talking to them for hours over food and drink. Tonight, discussion quickly turned to family stories. My poor husband got an earful, but he seemed to be enjoying himself. My great uncle is intrigued by genealogy right now; on this trip to MN he brought a recorder to tape the family in mini interviews of our life, marriages, occupations, etc. All for posterity and infinitely entertaining! I heard new stories and found fresh correlations and discoveries. We went through old census records and traced a history out tonight, I felt like I was on an episode of “Who Do You Think You Are?”

I’m not saying every dinner party has to revolve around family, or be that historical. Your funday dinner party can be a backyard barbecue or group restaurant outing. For over 10 years our friends Matt & Mara have had dinner with us twice a month – that’s over 260 dinner parties. It’s what makes them more like family now, but also it makes me one of the luckiest girls in the world. People want to sit around my house (or theirs), eat my food (or theirs) and listen to my opinions. Not only does this make me fell like I belong somewhere, but it’s…wait for it…FUN!

Picture: The motley crew, the set table, or the board game (Always a good dinner party idea. When’s the last time you played a board game?) you played.

Song: Today, I have Crash Test Dummies’ “When I Go Out with Artists” stuck in my head. Although, at our last Matt & Mara dinner party we broke out in a rendition of They Might Be Giants’ “Birdhouse in Your Soul” – you get two songs today!

Tomorrow: Going for a Walk

A Month of Fun Days

I have a plan! Well, I have a project that I’ve been pondering for about 6 months now. It’s taken on many forms but now I just want to get on with it already. At first I thought about pitching it as an article idea, and then I thought I’d pitch it to a company like Disney as a blog idea, but I never quite figured out how either would work. Possibly just doing this thing on my own blog would make it easier to earn money on another blog or article in the future. For this to work though, I’ll need your help and lots of suggestions.

Concept
A month of daily blogs about fun stuff I’m doing. Now, who doesn’t want to read that?! OK, there’s more to it than that. I want to stalk wonder and I want you, blog readers, to join me in the pursuit of fun. I’d also like you to *gasp* comment about it right here on the blog…

Why?
Well, because it’s fun! No, seriously. I’m an unpublished writer and therefore, I spend much of my time depressed about this fact – and the lack of money, or running out of money (I did bills today and realized my savings is dwindling and I haven’t done any freelance stuff in a little while and the part-time job hobby is great, but not really meant for me to live off of without other sources of income). And yes, I do realize I rant about all of these things more than I should on a blog; however, there is a silver lining. Most of the time I am a happier, healthier person than when I had more money and a 40-hour a week office job; I realize this and want to share the fun with others. I think we pretty much live in a craptastic-economy-driven world but there is still fun to be had. We just have to embrace that fun!

When?
Well, I was thinking the month of June, because June is a month with decent outdoor weather for most of the globe. Then again, maybe June already has plenty of fun in it and doesn’t need my help. Also – if I haven’t already beaten this into your heads by constantly talking about it – I will be traveling in the UK and Ireland for the better part of June. One, this is a good thing because traveling lends itself to spontaneous fun times; but two, I may not be able to get to the internet everyday and I may not have time to write a blog post everyday. I think a month of fun days can, and should occur wherever you happen to be and with whomever you happen to be with; but maybe for easier navigation I will wait until July to begin.

In the Meantime…
Feel free to offer suggestions on any of this. I am looking for 30 fun things to do. I do think a lot of fun things happen spontaneously, so that can always be a factor; but if I leave at least a week’s worth of fun activities – people will be able to do them and comment on them on the actual days I do these fun things too. (That was an incredibly awkward sentence.) I also believe some of the fun things I do won’t be remotely fun for some of you; in which case, you would comment with something else fun that you did that day. Yes, this is why I’ve been mulling it over for 6 months now. I think I may have mulled too much at this point.

Fun thing ex: Find a crazy or unique sign and take a picture of it for the blog.
Fun thing ex: Go on a road trip to a little piece of Americana (i.e. Giant ball of twine or that ketchup shaped water tower) and experience its cheesy awesomeness.
Fun thing ex: See a movie on a rooftop with a group of friends.
Fun thing ex: Go to dinner with a group of friends and pretend it’s someone’s birthday. Extra points for best birthday song and best free-birthday treat.

You get the picture; and no, after 6 months of thinking about this, these are NOT my best examples…where would the fun be in that!

It’s The Fire Inside Your Heart That’s Going to Lead You to The Light

Today I read a blog post that literally made me cry. I’m a fixer. I want to fix things. My husband is sometimes exasperated by this fact and tells me to stop trying to find the solution in unsolvable issues. I can’t help it – I want to fix your problems. If you’re reading the blog and thinking I don’t want to fix your problem – you’d be wrong. I want everyone who’s ever read this blog to simply not have problems. I’m like a beauty pageant contestant that way: I want world peace for all. Unlike the beauty contestant I enjoy a fair amount of chaos and upheaval because that makes for the best solutions – why can’t everything be like the Chilean mine rescue? I don’t want to be the hero and I’m not searching for recognition – but damn it; bring on the conflict and resolution already.

How you ever gonna know if you never chase the dreams…

And that’s why today found me reading a blog post and crying. I can’t fix it. I totally get it, but responding to the post seems pointless and self-serving. Does it help to know that writing makes me feel that way too? I find myself constantly on the verge of greatness and then shying away from the edge to wallow in a comfortable, meaningless, part-time job-hobby. I’m not sure I would actually know how to react if I did get a book deal. I too build my castles and dreams in the sky and am afraid to build them here on earth; they might crumble and fall. Do I tell you that I know I’m “home” in every sense of the word - by your blog post standards - and yet still sometimes find myself pining for a time and a place that can’t ever exist for me again…a flat on the corner of Earl’s Court and Cromwell Rd and a stroll through the constantly damp streets and mews of Kensington? Do you want to know that my favorite writing place in the world is on a cold stone wall surrounding a sunken garden on the grounds of what is now known as the Enchanted Palace (seriously – that’s what their calling it now)? It doesn’t help you, find you a job or patch that hole in your soul.

How you ever gonna know what it's like when dreams become reality…

I’m left with one memory of two fourteen-year-old children walking home from school after just learning they made their high school marching band; gleefully chanting about going to Spain and Africa. I had help remembering – I recently read it in that blasted journal. But the euphoria of realized dreams is a sweet memory that leaves the tang of wanting more fulfilled dreams. It also makes me want to go to Spain and Africa since I’ve yet to see either. I’m not sure if that euphoric feeling is forever concealed in the wisps of childhood recollection – or if it’s possible to feel that happy and excited about any recognition of brilliance? I’m also not sure where this is going exactly. I said I didn’t post a comment because I knew it wouldn’t help – yet here I sit writing my own blog post with the small hope that it somehow will and knowing it can’t. Maybe what I need to say is simply this: I cried today and looked inside myself today and I wrote today; and I did all of those things because I read one blog post. Apparently words are power.

How you ever gonna know your potential if you never take a chance?

And on that note, it’s the last day of November and my NaNo novel is done – well not done, but at 50,000 words. 51,012 to be exact! As I don’t write sequentially – especially in November: where I tend to jump to the next big scene when I’m stuck so as to not slow down the pace – I will now begin the grueling editing, rearranging and expunging process. Alas, I love every minute of it. The computer and I are on speaking terms once more. For those of you participating, I hope you are able to cross the finish line by midnight and win a feeling of accomplishment, because that’s what you’ll win. Maybe this one will get published. Oh, I’m lying. And I promised to be completely honest in this particular blog post. It’s a load of twaddle – this year’s NaNo. It was excruciating and I’m fairly certain two-thirds of it will be deleted tomorrow and in the upcoming week. I have no hopes it will ever be published. On the optimistic side: I’m writing, the computer and I ARE friends again, and I will honestly try harder for publication. When you write, you tell everyone you know so they can constantly ask you about it; thus keeping you on track and embarrassing the crap out of you if you give up or stop looking for an agent/editor. Posting the information on your blog is ten times worse somehow. Knowing people will randomly check your blog for updates and progress reports. Well, I’d hate to disappoint you all but mostly I’m sick of disappointing myself and I’m really fed up with the fear. Fear should be no one’s constant companion, especially not mine. So I will try harder for me. I will try to recapture the joyful exhilaration of accomplishment and dream fulfillment I once had at the age of fourteen while chanting about Spain and Africa.

Listen not to the critics who put their own dreams on the shelf. If you want to get the truth to admit it, you gotta find out for yourself.

Oh, and in case you do not know – all bold words, and also the title of this post, come from a Garth Brooks song – “How You Ever Gonna Know”. Check it out – says the non-country music girl constantly toting Mary Chapin Carpenter, Alison Krauss and now Garth Brooks. Something else I need to admit to myself apparently.

Really Cool...albeit too late for my readers

I'm catching up on my blogs today while I wait for responses from magazine editors. Maureen Johnson, author of some really fun novels like Devilish and 13 Little Blue Envelops (my two favorites - and pictured on my blog book shelf) wrote this blog post a couple weeks ago titled Accio Books.

Wow, see what wonderful things are being done in the name of all things Harry Potter! The HPA and their efforts sounds like something to look into. Imagine all the things we can do if we just put our minds to it. Words and books for everyone.

Sorry I didn't share this link earlier - I will try not to procrastinate in blog writing OR READING in the future. Hopefully it inspires some of you nonetheless!

The Deafening Silence

I know, I know. It’s been a few weeks and I haven’t posted a blog. I promised everyone we would be starting HP 6 last week, but I still have more to say about HP 5. And yet, I haven’t spent any time this week (or last) thinking about Harry Potter – I’ve spent all my time this week (and last) delving back into the freelance world.

I’m glad to do it – I like the research and the confusion that inevitably comes from trying to decide which magazine to pitch to. In this case, I’m researching a hot button issue with lots of government overtones (and no, it’s not healthcare) – talk about your shades of gray! You wouldn’t think adoption would be that much of a conservative/liberal debate. Jump on the bi-partisan bandwagon everyone. I mean who doesn’t want children to be safe and secure in loving arms? Apparently a lot of people!

In the long run this one small article could turn into many, larger articles because there is just so much to say on the subject. Of course every day the legislation changes or fluctuates and at this point I’ve read three or four pieces of info stating it’s our government’s fault and three or four pieces of info saying another country’s deportation issues are the problem. One magazine praises the way both countries smoothly co-exist and the easy chain of events that will get kids to their parents in lickity-split fashion, while another magazine is afraid prospective parents will be in limbo for years.

Yes, I’m being vague for a reason. Needless to say after two short weeks of fact checking and trying to get a straight answer about what is going on, I’m so frustrated I could spit. And then I realize there are a number or parents (I can’t FIND out how many exactly, so a number will have to suffice. Interviewing two such parents gave me the closest estimate I currently have for kids waiting to get into our country at “2,000”; so if you must have a quantifiable number there it is.) out there without their children and with no clear concept of when their children will be home with them; and I can’t even imagine how frustrated they are. So, I’ll spend some more time doing this and trying to be a voice for those who can’t speak – or write – in the medium I’ve chosen. Do you hear me world? I’m going to write this article and get it published [shake fists above head and look towards the sky here]!

Wish me luck blog followers. Write to your Senators, representatives and government officials. Tell them to make HOPE Act a bill (like School House Rock told us to do in Cartoonville). Just say “yes” to H.R. 4603 and unite children and parents. As one parent told me it’s the not hearing anything that’s the hardest. “The silence is deafening.”

And yes, one day soon I’ll get off my soap box and you’ll see a Harry Potter or Mariah-trying-to-get-her-book-published blog again. I promise that too.

Dancing with Mitzi

Sorry in advance for my lack of humor today. This is one of those venting posts where I mostly just need to write out my feelings before I go insane.

So, I’ve been fighting – well not really – with a magazine about an article. I say fighting because I originally received a positive response for a pitch, then went about ironing out the contract with the editor, only to have the editor get laid-off. Not surprisingly, the new editor was less than thrilled to take any articles the old editor had agreed on that hadn’t been signed to a contract yet.

I’ve pitched the article to a couple other places and offered to submit this article on spec. On spec – or speculation – means the magazine can do whatever they want with the article – publish it or not – and they don’t have to pay me if they don’t want to. Why would anyone do this you ask? Well, to get the darn thing published!! Why do I want this article published so badly? Well, it’s about this really wonderful woman who’s lived this amazing life and I’d love for her to see her story in print. To make matters worse, I found out today that she has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, making this article all that more important.

I’m leaving my pitch here, and in a couple of weeks if I don’t hear back from those pitched magazines, I’m going to post the article here too. Your good thoughts, prayers, wishes, chi energy, whatever you have to spare would be greatly appreciated. Not just for the publishing of this article but more – and most – importantly the improvement in health of my friend and anyone else who’s struggling with a life threatening illness.

In 1942, President Roosevelt signed Public Law 689 – the Navy Women’s Reserve Act – enabling women to enlist in the reserve branches of the Navy. These women became known as WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Services).

At the age of 20, Mercedes ‘Mitzi’ Ward – with two letters of recommendation from outstanding members of her Minneapolis community and her parents’ consent – joined the ranks of the WAVES and was shipped to a Navy hospital in San Diego for the duration of WWII and six months.

I’m contacting you to pitch a profile of Mitzi, whom I met while working my first part-time job in high school – cashiering at a local grocery store where Mitzi still demos frozen pizzas and other food on the weekends. I still visit her frequently at the store to listen to her tales, and for the pure motivation she inspires in those who listen. This story will highlight just some of the most fascinating aspects of her life: her activities with the WAVES during WW II – focusing on Mitzi’s job rehabilitating amputee soldiers by teaching them to dance; visiting some of the big band dance halls/hotels of California; and dancing with a young G.I. named Gene Kelly. Although she’s now in her eighties, Mitzi still has a mischievous sparkle in her eyes and a young, sly smile. Her sense of humor is almost as strong as her no-nonsense demeanor. She is an Everywoman who still remains active in her Minnesota community. In her own words, Mitzi’s lived. She’s (literally) danced through life with an undying optimism that makes her story relevant to your target audience: smart, savvy women who enjoy empowering histories and profiles.

As an experienced copywriter, I’m skilled at self-editing my work. You can expect a well-researched and fact checked feature article for your Life section. Mitzi’s dance through life is a choreographed journey worth taking. Thank you for your consideration.

I’d like everyone reading this post to really think about talking to friends, relatives, teachers, anyone about their lives. Listen to your friend’s favorite life experience, and feel free to comment/post those stories here. There are a lot of good stories around that may be lost if we don’t start listening to each other.

I'll step down off of my soap box now, thanks for listening.

Acquired Reading: The Love of a Good Magazine

Today I’m tooling around the magazine shelves at Barnes & Noble looking for prospective short-term employers: Who wants to publish (and pay for) an article by me?! There are so many to choose from – shelves upon layered shelves of magazines on every subject; which one will I choose to solicit next? Each magazine is a bright, scrumptious fruit in the jungle of freelance anonymity – pick the right one and I could be famous…I’ll settle for just published!

I like Barnes & Noble for their variety. Want to read a magazine on Colombian coffee? There’s one at Barnes & Noble for you. Want to learn how to knit with only wool from a lamb named Baa-rty living on the side of Blaven in the Isle of Skye? Surprisingly, there’s a magazine at Barnes & Noble for you too. OK, I may have exaggerated on that last one, but you get the picture.

Back to topic: The most productive way to pitch an article is to find the publication that needs your words and ideas the most – if they need you as much as you need them, you are almost guaranteed a job. Once I’ve narrowed it down I get myself to the library and do some major research on a couple particular publications by looking at back issues to see if they’ve already done something similar to my idea. It’s not always bad if they have because you can work off that knowledge and pitch a continuation or more in depth piece; but sometimes it means no, they’ve been there and done that – move on to someone else.

As I’m searching through the jungle laid out in front of me, I can’t help but smile sardonically. Maybe you have to know a little bit about my love/hate relationship with magazines to fully understand the irony of my current situation. And maybe you have to understand me a little more than this blog will let you to understand how utterly fascinating – and truly enjoyable – that knowledge is…and why I wouldn’t trade my current situation at all, not even a little bit. Let’s stick with the magazines for today.

I used to see magazines as reading nuisances. They don’t have the same smell or flavor of books – even textbooks (gasp) are preferable. I can count on one hand the magazine subscriptions I’ve actually had in my life. There are a lot of things I don’t like about magazines. I don’t like the little postcard-sized subscription cards that pop out every time you turn a page. I don’t like the super-concentrated cologne samples that give you a headache and smear the words as you try to read while wiping your hands on the shiny cover in a vain attempt to get the stench off; because inevitably the sample always rips open, spraying you with a blast of something that may have smelled good originally, but is now mixed with paper, glue and other perfume samples into a cacophony of evil potpourri. I also really don’t like the amount of advertisements – from a marketing standpoint I get them, some of them may even work on me – but I don’t have to contend with these attention distracters while reading a book. Mostly, I don’t like the break-up in flow. If I’m into my article on the benefits of yoga and meditation, I don’t want to have to find page 125 in mid-sentence.

At this point you are wondering how I can possibly be a freelancer; right? Why I’ve chosen to make this my career? I can and I do because once you make it past all of the stuff I just talked about (and most people really don’t have a problem with that – just throw the postcards and samples away before you start reading – how lazy are you anyway?) some of the content in magazines far outweighs the content in the latest mystery or YA book I’ve read. It’s uplifting, it’s motivational; it is smaller, intense doses of good literature and it is geared toward a target audience who can’t stop seeking knowledge on the subject at hand: Magazines are pure dead brilliant! How lucky am I?