I was an English major in college -- about 100 years ago. I work in Accounting, which proves God has a sense of humor! In my spare time (of which I have a very limited supply), I write. On a whim, I entered a contest in a local magazine last summer. We were challenged to write in a 1000 word essay a "slice of life" memoir. For some reason, I found that intriguing, so I gave it a shot. Made it into the top 12 finalists, which were published at an incredibly slow rate of 1 per month, starting in January. My month is October, so I'm in print now (and even got paid for it!). Now I can cross that off the bucket list. Just wanted to share my joy with my fellow veg-heads, as I consider you friends (you're a heckuva lot more supportive than most family!). Here's the link to my very short story: http://issuu.com/ohenrymag/docs
(just click on the picture of the October issue -- I'm on page 44 (the one with the little frilly socks in the corner). FYI, the magazine is called O. Henry because it is local for Greensboro, NC - home of O'Henry (William Sidney Porter) who wrote "The Gift of the Magi" among other famous short stories.
I had to laugh when you said you were a former English major and now accountant because I can relate. I was an English major years ago and I am also a writer and dancer, but my career now is in medical coding and I spend all day calculating dosages of infusion drugs and extracting diagnoses and procedures from dry medical documentation lol.
Well, I was proud of my little story -- and thrilled that people actually like it. In fact, I've become a bit of a celebrity at work! Then, I found out that my cousin, an Astrophysics professor at a major university, published a freaking BOOK. I am officially HUMBLED . . . will console myself with vegetarian food only - Promise!
No need to feel bad! Getting published at all is still a BIG DEAL! Very few people can say they have accomplished this so pat yourself on the back. I felt proud when I finally got my associates degree at the age of 42 (dropped out of college at 21) and earned my RHIT certification and landed a medical coding position this last summer. To most people it is no big deal and so many people have bigger degrees, but no one knows what I went through and how hard I worked to get my degree despite many obstacles. I can still be proud that I accomplished something I set out to do, and so can you. Still, I know how easy it is to compare ourselves to others. Someone will always be smarter, faster, richer, etc. Hold your head high and enjoy your veggie treats.
Congratulations! I graduate from a creative writing major this month... I've been published a few times, but nothing as good as a short story (I write for a magazine, and I haven't gotten exciting assignments yet)... and on top of that, you got paid for your writing! That's awesome. So few people want to pay people for writing these days.
Congratulations! I am writing a novel myself Great fun
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