So about a month and a half ago I was connected to the editor for Vivyd magazine by one of my fellow book club members Raymond. I was ecstatic. I was in my apartment giggling like a little girl when I received the email from the editor. The only problem, I was in a writer’s slump. Y’all know about it. I hadn’t written anything for this blog or anything else. Now I need to come up with some material for a magazine 😳.
Yes, I was so nervous but I gave the editor a deadline when I would submit a couple of blog posts. I knew if I put a time limit on when I would submit, it would light a fire under my ass. I couldn’t let this opportunity pass me by. I knew I wanted to do a blog post about summer because I was hoping to get featured in the next magazine. The other post was up in the air. I had a conversation with my coworker that spark an idea. Now I have my two blog posts topics, I just have to write them. Easier said than done 😆.
Here I am the day of the deadline and I have maybe a couple of lines, nothing solid. I’m at work and I get the worst fucking headache ever. I had to leave work early. I go home and take a pretty long nap. Now it is about 8 pm my time, 5 pm the editor’s time. I can push through and get him these posts before it is too late. Thank God the headache is now a dull ache. I get to writing.
The content I created was not my usual but it was definitely not bad. I haven’t written for any publications besides my blog in a long time. Proper grammar, sentence structure and punctuation, no cussing 😬. Dammit, I shine the brightest when I can just be myself and not worry about all the politically correct stuff. How to put all this personality in a post? I didn’t.
Just this past week I received a follow up email from the editor. Yep, I giggled again like a little girl. He said he did enjoy my writing but it was not enough content. I had about 300 – 320 words and the norm for his magazine is 600+. As Bob Odenkirk said in the movie Nobody, “I might have, uh, overcorrected.” So by trying to be a little less opinionated, a little less Ebony, I strip those posts down a little too much. Lesson learned.
Now I am going to go back and beef up one of the posts and get it to 600 or more words. The other post about summer is too late to get featured so I’ll put it on here. I think you all will like it. And I have to get through this writing slump and get the editor at least one more. “I am not throwing away my shot!” Blame my niece Chalupa (not her real name 😆) for all the Hamilton references lately, she has everyone watching and singing the songs from the musical 🤦🏾♀️.
Anyways, I got this! I can do this. I will do this. There is no doubt. There is only belief. Belief in myself and my abilities. I love writing. I am a writer. I am an author. I will have my writing published in a magazine. I will have a book that people will read worldwide. Writing is one of the gifts God gave to me. Now, he may have cheated me on some of the other ones, like singing, but I’m sure of this gift.
Quick update. I am starting to feel a little better. Day by day. So many wonderful people have reached out to me after my last post. Thank you 🥰. Thank you for your care and your concern. Thank you for the uplifting words. It truly means the world to me. Stay well and whole. Much love 🧡💚