Things you think about decades later

For about three years, between, 1996 and 1999, I did a ton of writing for the Grand Rapids Press Sunday Home & Garden section. They were BIG cover stories (1500 words, plus sidebars) with lots of beautiful photos (here’s a sample), so it was a good gig, although the pay was miserable – $150 max, for 10-12 hours worth of work.

But it was fun to be part of that H&G team, plus, I got to see some fabulous houses. And I have to admit it was also a thrill to see my byline on those Sunday mornings when I’d rush to the mailbox and open up the paper.
(My excitement was really mostly about the photos; I didn’t view them ahead of time and couldn’t wait to see how they looked.)

In fact, I have a ton of clips from that period because on Monday mornings, I’d go up the street to the gas station and plow through their refuse bins in the back pulling out the newspapers they didn’t sell!

Anyway, yesterday I was cleaning out some of my old files and when came across all those GRP stories, I started laughing because I forgot how often I had to use my friends/relatives back then: my mom (on table settings for holidays) my niece (where to find great starter homes) my friend Scott (cool pole barns), etc. There are only so many people who are willing to open their homes and gardens and share them with the entire city of Grand Rapids, so it was hard to come up with ideas/resources month after month.

As I glanced through the stories, I was also struck by my openings. Most of them still sounded pretty dang good, but I did find a couple that made me wince. One didn’t even make any sense: “Did you ever wish that you had a secret garden, but don’t?” What the hell did that mean? And how did it ever get past the editor!

Another one which didn’t get past the editor was an opening he changed slightly. I remembered it because I didn’t like it, and I didn’t see it until it appeared in the paper. (I don’t know if the editors were lazy or if I was that good, but I had very few copy edits in my stories.) Anyway, this one irritated me a little because I thought my original opening was better. It was for a story called “Off the Wall” about ways you could add texture to plain walls.

Mine: “If your walls could talk, they’d probably say, ‘Hey, I’m sick of this flat look. Can’t you come up with something other than another coat of Navaho White to spruce me up?’”

His: “If your walls could talk, they might say they’re sick of the flat look and want something other than another coat of Navaho White.”

Now don’t you think it sounds better to use a direct quote rather than an indirect one? Me, too.
Ahh, such is the life of a lowly freelance writer.

Being the writer in the group

Lately, I find myself spending far too much time editing my e-mails before I send them out. I’m talking about basic, everyday e-mails that are just replies or to ask somebody something. No big deal. I’ll read it, re-read it, think about it, change something, think again, and finally say to myself, “Jesus Christ, Keash, it’s just an e-mail! Hit SEND for God’s sake!”

But that’s kind of a recurring theme with me: I get hung up about writing in my normal everyday life. It’s like when somebody asks me to sign a guestbook, or write a note in a goodbye card. I feel like they expect it to be GREAT because I’m a writer.

It’s a stupid hang up, I know. In fact, it happened again last month when we were at our friends’ cabin up north. Somebody said, “Oh, we have to write in the guestbook,” which we do every year to kind of capture our weekends up there. Everyone usually says, “Give it to Keash, she’s the writer…” but I hate being the guestbook writer. Whenever I pick up the pen, I feel this huge pressure to write something clever or funny or pithy. And sometimes I just feel like writing, “Had a great time, thanks guys!”

Anyway, this year I deferred it to someone else and Art, knowing how I feel, said, to me, “Just write it, don’t even think about that stuff!” And he’s right! I’m the one who’s giving myself the pressure—they don’t care! They just want somebody to put in an entry in the guestbook for posterity. It’s not like I’m competing in a Writer’s Digest contest or something!

So I guess what I’m realizing is, I don’t always have to be “on” as a writer. However, I really would like it if somebody else wrote those guestbook entries.

My constant struggle

When I was slow a few weeks ago, I went out and bought Writer’s Market and signed up for Writer’s Digest magazine, thinking, I have to start pursuing this magazine thing or it will never happen.

I also began reading a book I bought some time ago on breaking into the magazine market. That helped me craft some query letters, which I dutifully sent out (more about that later).

In the meantime, I got a call from one of my long-time clients asking me if I could step in and help out on their newsletter for the next three months; it seems the editor got canned. I jumped at it and am now in the midst of putting together my first issue. Plus, I got a bunch of other jobs. So I’m back at it full time again.

In the meantime, my Writer’s Market sits on my pool table, my WD emails get put into to a folder without having been read, and I haven’t written one rotten, miserable query letter. It’s like I said to Brenna, “After sitting at the computer writing all day, that’s the last thing I want to be doing in my spare time…”

And therein lies my problem: I WANT to break into the magazine market, but I never have time to really pursue it because I’m too busy making a living writing!

I usually end up saying to myself, “Yes, but at least you’ve had a nice career…” And that’s true, but what I REALLY want to do is write for magazines. I guess I have to start looking at it like anyone who starts a business on the side: You just have to make the time to do it and DO it.

Anyway, that’s where I am today, Oct. 5, 2006