Sunday: Heads Up! returned from Flash Me, with critical commentary (as usual I’ll wait about a week to study it, so I can appreciate if they have valid points instead of reacting with high dudgeon).
Monday: An article on a Southern food-history project returned from Georgia Backroads, with compliments and an invitation to try again when they have more openings for lifestyle pieces (the editor warned me that might be a problem).
This is why I don’t do much in the way of freelance articles any more: Heads Up! can be rewritten (if need be), resubmitted and if nothing else shown off to my friends. There aren’t many places that I can resubmit nonfiction if it’s turned down (there’s lots of markets, but the number suited to any given piece tends to be small) and I can’t really show it off to friends or family.
Up until 2005, I kept plugging at it anyway, because at least theoretically articles bring in more money. In practice … it doesn’t. I’ve never been able to reach the point where it made a serious difference to my income (which wouldn’t take much, believe me), and writing fiction’s more fun.
I started looking at articles again earlier this year because all the nonfiction I did in 2008 for the various online sources had gotten me hooked on making more money. But I don’t think that’s the way to do it (and with Enemies Within under way, I don’t really have the time either).
