I know, I know, I know, I should be studying like crazy for the big and scary upcoming test that will determine if I even have a shot at getting into graduate school. But I have big news. With a capital “B”.
Do you remember back in December when I told you I was going to take a break from blogging because I was super busy but then I kept blogging anyway because I could not stop myself? I was secretly cheating on you, or at least trying to cheat on you. But really cheat is a strong word. Let me just get to the point.
In December I submitted two original, not previously written, sample columns to a rather large newspaper in our area (their website claims circulation numbers of 85,000 daily and 100,000 on Sundays.) Every year this paper selects around 5-7 reader columnists to contribute, in rotation, throughout the year. It is a nonpaying gig but you get your words published along with your headshot and a little byline. I was not expecting to get a positive call back. Yesterday I did. I proceeded to do a happy dance, while on the phone with the editorial writer. Carter who was rolling out the top pie crust for a homemade raspberry pie just looked at me like I had gone crazy.
Today I went in and got my photo taken. Holy moly, I have a headshot that is going to go in a newspaper, a newspaper that people actually read! I then met with both the editorial writer and the editorial page editor. The editor happened to mention that I beat out a lot (and he actually said “a lot” twice) of other people who had sent in submissions. Total warm fuzzy right there.
I have given it a lot of thought and I have decided not to put my blog site in my byline. While I am sure it would increase my followers and break all current stat records I may or not be secretly keeping, it just doesn’t feel right. I am quiet happy and comfortable with this little blogging world of mine. But I am over the moon happy about this opportunity and so I simply had to share it with you. I will be sure to post my column submissions for you to read so it does not feel too much like I am cheating on you. I have to say that back in December I was itching to post the two pieces of writing I had sent into the paper so you could read them too but I was not allowed to. Now I am and so I will sometime soon.
Oh, and since I have your ear, I want to say thank you for all the wonderful comments, they mean so much to me. I miss blogging and I greatly miss keeping up on all your worlds.
Alright, back to relearning high school algebra, geometry, and composition so that I have a shadow of a chance of passing that test.
Shoes On The Wrong Feet 
Wow!, congratulations – this is huge! And so well deserved..happy dance for you over here too…
Thanks! I still can’t belive it. As an added bonus to getting selected, I am now thinking about what to write for the paper instead of stressing over tests and grad school.
That is incredible!! Congrats.
Thanks! I am still grinning over it. 🙂
Ohh congrats!! Which paper is it? Ill have to keep my eyes out for ya!
The News Tribune – I am pretty excited about it.
Which section? and When will it be printed?
That’s great…congrats!
Thanks, it is pretty exciting!
Amazing! Those other writers didn’t stand a chance!
Hehehehe – thanks!
YAY! That is absolutely awesome! You don’t have to tell the newspaper about the blog, but feel free to tell the blog about the newspaper! (And by that I mean please include links to you columns so we can read them ;D
Thanks!! Humm – if I supply a link to the paper then the cat is out of the bag on who I am and where my family lives. I am not totally sure I want that out in the world but the more I think on it the less I wonder how much that matters. I will either link or copy my column and post it here.
That’s great! I’m looking forward to seeing your articles. When it rains, it pours, right? You are getting to be one busy lady!
Ha, you got that right. I need an umbrella with all the rain that is coming down these past two weeks. It is good rain, making me rethink where I want my life to go, but it is a little much all at one time.
Sweet! Congrats!
Thank you! 🙂
congrats — how sweet – now get back to work young lady
Thanks – yeah, yeah, yeah – back to work…
Congratulations! That’s fantastic news! And good luck with the studying. Sorry I haven’t been around lately. I’m hiding out from the blog world…not really sure why…just need a break from …. everything! 🙂
I totally get the needing a break from things, I feel that way from time to time. I am glad you are listening to your internal voice and taking a step back.
The studying is going well but it is a bit overwhelming sometimes.
That is awsome news! You are on a roll.
Why wouldn’t you put your blog site in your byline? This is a perfect opportunity to grow your blog. It may even lead to more opportunities.
Thanks – I just keep rolling and rolling these days – it is great!
I have gone back and forth (A LOT!) on putting my blog out there, but in the end this is my safe and happy place to write whatever I want. Only a very small handful of people in my life actually know about this blog. Husband and the boys know about it but no other family and maybe six friends know about it. I will put an email address on my byline so if people want to contact me they may, but as for this blog, I want to hold onto the anonymity for as long as I can.
I hear you. However, if you ultimately want your writing career to grow, it will be good to grow the blog and make it part of a website. You know I just started one and it is hard but I am trying to keep the long term goal in mind here.
So happy for you!!
Thank you. It has been a week since I got that phone call and I still bust out the happy dance for it. 🙂
ya gotta tell me the name of the paper now!
Well, I have been doing my best to keep my real life and my blogging life separate but I think that is going to get harder now. I will be writing for The News Tribune as a reader columnist, in rotation with four others, all this year.
I will look out for them online- will you give a heads up in the blog? Writing is writing so they aren’t technically separate! 🙂
I will give a heads up on my blog. I think I will try to hang onto a thread of anonymity by linking the blogging world into my newspaper writing world but not the other way around.
Woot woot!! You go girl. Congratulations!!
Hehehe – I am going like nobody’s business! Thanks!
Congratulations! That’s great! It’d be lovely to read your submissions. 🙂
Thank you. I will be sure to post links or copy the submissions into blog posts.
That is so awesome!!! Congratulations!
Indeed it is! Thanks. 🙂
Wow, that’s awesome!! Congratulations!! Can’t wait to read your articles!
Thank you. I am trying to look my newspaper submissions as just blog posts so I don’t freak out over the amount of people who will be looking at it. I can’t choke now!
Congrats 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
As DJ Lance Rock would say, Iiiiit’s AWSOME!
(You watch Yo Gabba Gabba, right?)
How about posting a link to your column when it runs?
I am happy to say that I (we) do not watch Yo Gabba Gabba. For some reason I have managed to dodge that bullet. We do love us some Phineas and Ferb and Shaun the Sheep over here. I will post a link to my column for you all to read. I am a little mixed on that as I have tried to keep my real name and where we live off my blog and this will link that up, but in the grand scheme of things I don’t think it will really matter.