I wrote something on spec,

Over the course of three months, I went back and forth with an editor at a dream publication. One dozen emails ended up in an ultimate pass.

A lesson in writing and life: When to write on spec and when to take a nap.

I have never written anything on spec. But when an editor at an extremely well-known publication asked me (in response to a pitch) if I had a draft, I thought about it carefully. If there was ever a time to write something on spec, this was it. There were several follow-ups. I told myself that the back and forth alone was an honor. I told myself that this was still a win. Until I got my final pass. It was pretty standard: my idea wasn’t the right fit right now.

What surprised me was that in spite of my pep talk before reading the final rejection email, I was still far more disappointed than I would have expected to be. I had a moment where I didn’t want to deal with that phenomenon anymore. The pitching, the waiting… the passes. And then all of the endless writing projects. I just got tired.

I asked myself if I had made any mistakes or if there was anything I should have done differently. I knew I would have regretted not writing a draft on spec or having the guts to keep following up. I literally did everything I could to try and go for it. If I had refused to write a draft without a contract first and then gotten a no, I would have regretted that. I even still like my idea and my draft.

Was it disappointing? Terribly.

Was I surprised at how disappointing it was? Yes.

Did I feel like quitting? Definitely.

But I knew deep down I was just tired, and that’s okay. So I took a little break. And thought of Carrie telling Big something like, “You take a nap-a, you don't move to Napa!

I started celebrating Christmas in July with my son to cheer him up at the onset of the pandemic, but we never stopped; I wrote about our tradition at Insider.

I had a lot of fun reminiscing and putting together a travel post and photo journal of our Forsyth Park visits while in Savannah, Georgia. My favorite thing about Forsyth Park: once I’m there, I feel like I’ve found where there is.

My grandmother raised ten children. By observing her, I picked up tricks that helped me as a single mom on a tight budget; I shared them at Insider. This was a piece that I had pitched elsewhere with a very different angle. It’s a real life example in reshaping an idea and then looking for and finding the right home for it.

Reading: I’m reading Raymond Carver’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. He has a way of describing situations in plain language on the surface (very much like Hemingway), but the characters’ actions really leave you thinking.

Watching: I’m just getting over the flu. I’m so thankful for Amazon Prime, where I relied on all of The Summer I Turned Pretty (can’t believe there won’t be a Season 4) and Daisy Jones and the Six to get me through it. When I was teaching high school English a couple of years ago, many of my students were reading those books.

Listening: I can’t stop listening to this song Metaphor by Marlon Funaki which I found on The Summer I Turned Pretty soundtrack. Every time it starts, I marvel at the simplicity of the lyrics that are no less powerful because of it.

Apartment Therapy is looking for seasonal pitches across three verticals: Life, Cleaning and Organizing, and Real Estate. See their form here.

It’s the most wonderful time of year again - time to send your holiday pitches out!! Why not check out Apartment Therapy’s pitch form to help you brainstorm?

Write on,

Ashley