When you've been a freelance writer as long as I have, you amass quite a collection of article clippings and tear sheets that fill a file cabinet -- or maybe two, or three.
In almost 22 years in my field, I have filled a cabinet with op-ed pieces in addition to articles about bridal, business, hospitality, history, personal profiles, travel, and much more. Add to that book reviews, corporate copywriting pieces including content and newsletters, and I'd have an issue finding something specific if I weren't organized. And, I'm not always organized. Recently I began working on a piece of fiction -- actually it's part memoir with some "make believe" added -- and, as I worked on it, I recalled that I had in the latter part of 2017 submitted a short story of mine which in the past had met with rejection at a few literary magazines, one where an editor remarked that "your writing has merit." I followed up with the recent online magazine who declared they are behind and my submission was still being considered. The woman apologized for the delay, and I readily accepted the apology. I was glad the story was still "in play." Buttressed by that bit of positivity, I dug internally back into old files, searching for other stories that I've authored which have met with rejection, and now needed dust blown off the covers. Two stories that I found, both with a romantic tone, I thought had and still have worth. Reading both, I was wowed by the word usage, both the dialogue and how everything "moved." Fiction writers, can you relate? So, during these busy times with my freelance writing business, I'm stepping back, taking a breath, and reading creative works from my past, and not only using them as a reprieve, but reading them analytically to see if now if I should pitch them, again. Truth be told, though, the reading of these works, or better yet uncovering a bit of my past writing life -- the stuff you write or read, you need, when you just have to break away from the biz end so (as a fellow freelancer put it) you don't die -- may be all the reward I need. Steve
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Steve Sears is a New Jersey based freelance writer
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