Treasure Tuesdays: Chicken Soup Helps

The day of writing, reading, and books. *****

It was another Sunday in church.

I was pregnant for the seventh and the last time.

My discomfort had me out in the foyer sitting on a couch instead of a pew in the chapel.

When people came by the only thing they asked is, "when are you due?"

I bit back my sarcastic responses, mourning the days when I was more than an incubator, back when people saw me as a person and asked me a variety of different questions.

My anger and frustration resulted in an essay I wrote about being pregnant which I sent to Chicken Soup for the Soul. Because that’s what you do when you’re mad. You write something snarky and send it to a feel good publication.

And it was published.

I was thrilled. Excitedly my single copy (just one copy back then) came in the mail. I eagerly found my story. It was in a book that would be around for years and given as a baby shower present.

There it was, early in the book when people are still reading, the first story in a new chapter AND opposite a cartoon! I read it over. It had been edited but that was expected. I was paid for the story and it was my first real published work!

And then there it was. The wrong name at the end of the story.

Oh sure it was my name. But at the time I had two names. My married name and the maiden name I had decided to use as a writer. When the contract was signed there was a place to put the name you wanted published, and a space for the name to put on the check. So I put my my writing name on the publishing space and my married name for the check.

But they published the story under my married name.

I looked at the back where the contributors list is. There was my writing name.

No one would be able to attach my story to my contributor name!

I’ve since solved this problem by getting a divorce and getting rid of the married name.

That published piece gave me the confidence to write a humor piece which I took to my local newspaper. They gave me a weekly humor column that paid me almost nothing but gave me a portfolio and some recognition. Then I was picked up by a bigger paper and doubled my pay which was almost nothing. This gave me more recognition.

And then a new editor decided he didn’t like me and fired me.

But it lasted for five years and for a few years after that people still recognized my face and name.

Now I live in a place where no one knows me. So it’s all about starting over again.

Maybe I should write another snarky piece and send it to Chicken Soup. Hey, it worked before.

Oh, and the name of the story just in case you have a copy and wonder what I wrote…

“Did You Just Eat a Watermelon?”