Post Title.

Breakthrough – Newly Jobless, writer moved ahead with a goal, a deadline and a plan B

The lengthy title above is also the title of my article in the September 2012 edition of The Writer Magazine.  I have been extremely fortunate this year in having two articles published in The Writer.  I write freelance not to make a ton of money but to add depth and variety to my writing life.  My primary focus will always be writing novels which has been compared to a symphony for a composer.  That’s why novels are often called ‘the long work.’

The first article with the writer appeared in the May edition and was only 225 words.  The editor for this piece made changes and didn’t consult me because the changes were fairly minor and amounted to cuts not changes.

My editing experience with the Breakthrough column was a different editor.  There is a limit of 750 words so I had to skip a lot of detail.  The first comment my editor made was that he wanted more detail and I shouldn’t limit myself to the 750 words.  I never expected that response.  He said after the second submission that he would sharpen the article and send it back to me for approval.  The editor created the tile which is a perfect log line for the piece.   “Sharpening” amounted to a few word changes and a few changes in sentence structure.  I learned a great deal from his editorial changes – especially in writing for print magazines.  

I have been freelance writing since January 2010 and pinch myself  to believe that, in such short time, I’ve had two articles published in the preeminent magazine for writers in America.