Free Wisdom

NOTE: I wrote this post back in July, then took it off after I got a bit paranoid about writing in the big leagues and having a somewhat revealing blog. Rereading this, I realize I wrote nothing that could get me in trouble, and what I wrote is, I think, really worth having up here. I'll even add an update at the end.

****

A few weeks ago I noticed something: though it's happened sporadically, I've added a total of one new publication to my list of credits for every month that I've been back in Bozeman. I think that's pretty good, so I'm going to try to keep it up.

Let's see, it's now July, and I got here in October. That's nine months:

1) The Tributary
2) Billings Gazette
3) Belgrade News
4) Outside Bozeman
5) Distinctly Montana
6) Christian Science Monitor
7) North Bay Bohemian
8) High Country News
9) Jackson Hole News and Guide

Not bad, huh? The trick now is to keep adding the higher-paying publications, and try to up my ante a bit. That's what I'm working on.

I've come up with a theory to that effect, which is based on my long and varied experience waiting tables. I have worked in lousy two-bit diners and high-end candlelit affairs, and everything in-between. In all those places there were some really good servers and some really bad servers - it didn't make much difference whether the place was a horrible place to work and you made really bad tips, or if it was just the opposite. Well, maybe it made a little bit of difference, but not as much as you'd think.

I noticed there were some really good servers in really bad restaurants, and some bad servers in good restaurants. The same, I think, is true for publications. I don't know how bad writers end up in good publications, but I'm not going to worry about that. The thing that concerns me is the really good writers who work for the really - well, not bad, but low-paying - publications. And, naturally, I'd venture to put myself in this category.

Whether we're waiters or writers, why do we do this? Convenience, ignorance, fear... there's a lot of reasons, I think, but none of them are very good. The thing is, if you realize you're doing it, that's probably the first step to changing it. I think a good writer can write for high-paying publications, just as good servers serve for restaurants in which they make a lot in tips. It's just a matter of confidence, timing, and persistence.

So that's what I'm gonna do.

****

UPDATE: It's September now, and I've been itching to reveal my new additions to the list. Some of these I'm still awaiting contracts for, and none of the articles have come out yet, but I'm excited so I'll list them anyway.

10) The New York Times (two articles awaiting publication)
11) Montana Magazine
12) Outside's GO
13) Big Sky Journal

I'm even two magazines ahead of schedule!