Whoa!
I was cruising the wwww. and found this site:
"http://www.visit-newyork-online.com/saratoga_springs.htm
Guess who's very first online "practice" article is featured on the front page?
Moi's!!!
I was totally and absolutely gobsmacked! I had no clue whatsoever that anyone had picked up my article. Early last summer, I did a "practice" submission to a free online e-zine website, writing a semi-mock tourism feature. (I mean semi-mock, because, tho' the facts are accurate, and I was writing seriously,I wasn't writing for an actual publication, but merely to keep in practice--hence my utter shock). I can't believe it!
I'm just so...gobsmacked, flabberghasted, stunned. I'd no idea. And...
Other sites have picked me up as well--not a lot, but enough to make me think maybe when I get out of my blue funk that I'm presently in, I should seriously start thinking up some feature article ideas and start doing some research and maybe even some interviews.
I had no clue--no indication on the original website---that other websites would pick me up--and give me credit--no monetary compensation, mind--but hey--they gave me credit! Cool!
Beats the limited circulation of the college newspaper, hands down.
Now, I've been bombarded by reality enough in the last two years, to realize that this may lead to nought--and I certainly don't expect to get rich or anything naive like that...but, I love to write, and, well, any port in a storm, ey?
I may not be talented--and that's fine, I've long since learned to be okay with that--, but I do feel that I'm a pretty good average writer--good enough for a few feature articles and essays maybe, at any rate.
But wow--the homepage of a major NY tourism website? Whoa--I really needed bit of a lift, and well, this is something nice to find out about, isn't it?
Other sites have picked it up: Saratgasuckers, Leisure and Sport Review, Article Rose.
Another site picked up a long ago piece I wrote on removing moldy build up from old saddles...fancy that? That one was written in 2000!
And something on Yahoo!, called Citymanual, picked up my other "practice" article on Adirondack adventures. Who knew?
Well, I'm still in a bad way, emotionally, tonight--and physically not feeling great, either. Cabin fever? Winter blahs? Depression? Physical illness? Not a clue, I'm afraid. Just wish it would go away already.
ADDENDUM:
As if depression or whatever wasn't bad enough--now moi has insomnia--and I have to start my 10 hour shift in seven hours, which means, at best, I have all of 5 hours sleep left to me--assumming I ever actually do get to sleep, that is. Damn. That's all..just, Damn.
