Friday, February 9, 2007

What's It Gonna Be?

I'm truly torn between writing fiction and writing nonfiction. Seems like I continuously bounce back and forth between the two. I know it takes a lot to be a freelance writer, more work than you would imagine, but the up side to it is the immediate gratification--especially if you write for newspapers and regional magazines. The down side is that you hear more complaints from the small town and area markets. I checked out a book at the library called Sell & Resell Your Magazine Articles by Gordon Burgett. I learned that the best on-hand source for article ideas is the newspaper. That news is public domain and there will be no 'rights' problems. All you have to do is take the subject or idea, the sources, re-interview them, add your own sources to the article and write it. I've often wanted to do that but never had the so-called gumption to try it.

Once, I saw a human interest story on the evening news about an elderly woman who has everything under the sun relating to Elvis Presley. She lives in a retirement home and her room is like a museum. Would an Elvis magazine be interested in her? Maybe.

Nonfiction -- something to think about because a lot of little checks coming in sporadically are certainly better than no checks at all. Yet, I remember what it was like writing for the Beaumont periodicals. {sigh}

Went to critique tonight. They truly have a lot of problems with my inspirational romance. Of course, this go around, Jan was hesitant to comment. Lena didn't care for the chapter and Marymarc is just totally turned off by inspirational/Christian writing period. We ate. I took my own salad and fruit while they ate poboys from Darryls. I'm not sure I'm doing the right thing by being in their critique group. Most of the time I don't understand where they're coming from and they sure don't understand me. Are we doing more harm than good?

The weeks are flying by so fast my head is in a constant spin. If I think about the calendar pages flipping, flipping, flipping... I get an anxious feeling in my chest. I have to inhale several deep cleansing breaths to calm myself. Guess I'm prone to anxiety attacks in my old age. :)

The CD I ordered -- Volkan Orhon's Multiplicity came in today. I tore into it at the post office and listened all the way home. It's different. I've never listened to bass and can't begin to explain how and why it speaks to me, but it does. Check out his website at http://www.volkanbass.com/ . He has a new CD coming out this summer.

Another side of me? Willie Nelson or Volkan ORHON? Go figure.

No comments: