My Writing Progress Report

Last Wednesday I stumbled over a local magazine that I'd never seen before. It's one of those freebies that you see in beauty parlors and coffee shops. It's well done, glossy, and well-edited. I sent them a proposal for an article on Thursday. The editor confirmed that she liked my idea an hour later. I started the article Thursday night, but then it sat until Sunday because I was speaking (briefly) at church on Saturday morning. On Sunday I finished it, and I sent it off Monday at 2:00 pm. At 3:00 they accepted it for publication in their November issue. I think that's the shortest period between conception and acceptance for me. I've had good luck in recent months. At the moment I have four pending artciles, one for November, two for December, and one for January. Based on my over-confidence, I took a chance. I sent off an article that I have had sitting on the shelf for five years to a magazine that "doesn't pay for articles." In theory, I'm asking for the editor's comments and ideas, but what I'm really doing is asking him to make an exception and find some way to pay for this article. I've done that once before, and it worked, so I figured, why not take a chance? It won't always work. The article has to be very polished, I think. I won't give the article to them. I've done too much of that. He tried the "you'll see your name in print" routine, but I don't need a byline in his magazine, which is targeted towards the insurance industry. The old saying that you're "building your portfolio of published work" just doesn't wash for me any more. I have plenty of articles in print in fifteen or more magazines and one more magazine title doesn't do anything for me. I'll still write for free from time to time, but only for a charity or cause that I believe in. Robert Heinlein said keep trying until you publish everything you write. Well Bob, I'm trying. I think I have one or two more on the shelf. (I also have about five in various stages of production, but that's another story.) Stay tuned. I'll tell you if he finds the money somewhere in his budget. Stilo Arripere - Seize the Pen - and keep on writing.

Amazing Find! American History at my Fingertips.

I dropped into an antique shop in Eugene and prowled through their assortment of books, pamphlets, and ephemera. I was looking for things that might interest me - and I have a wide range of interests. Without going into detail about what I saw or where, suffice it to say that I came home with a small bundle of papers that I paid what, to me, was a lot of money. I paid $40. I didn't go through the bundle until I got to the office, and then I got a shock. The Continental Congress met three times. What most of us think of as "The Continental Congress" was actually the Second Continental Congress, which culminated in the Declaration of Independence. Before that, in 1774, the First Continental Congress laid the groundwork for what was to come. Among other things, they listed their grievances against Britain, and approved the first draft of the Bill of Rights. When they adjourned they contacted a local printer and commissioned a pamphlet called "Extracts from the votes and proceedings of the American Continental Congress held at Philadelphia on the 5th of September, 1774 containing the resolves, the association, an address to the people of Great-Britain, and a memorial to the inhabitants of the British American colonies." It was dated September 5, 1774. You guessed it. In the back of the packet of miscellaneous papers that I purchased was an original pamphlet dated 1774. It needs some gentle restoration, which I will probably turn over to a professional. Then I probably need to find a museum to donate it to. I'm still shaking.