Someone asked me the other day what was the first piece of writing I had published. I’m sure any writer, author or poet would know the answer to that question without hesitation; and probably more so if they were paid for it.
I can remember mine as if it was yesterday. It was in fact a two sentence, four-line filler piece in the January 2002 Reader’s Digest. I remember how surprised i was when i received a cheque! Yes, a cheque in the post for £60.
My dad would have loved to visit Pompeii, but he wasn’t able to later in life, so i took lots of photos for him. When i showed them to him a few days later, he was delighted. asking lots of questions, really ‘in the moment’. Anyway, I won’t tell you what happened next, you can read it for yourself (below).
While i was writing this i wondered if the Reader’s Digest was still being published, so i google it; and yes it is, the same compact format, published monthly. I was tempted to take up the special offer, 6 months for £14.99, but then thought about the pile of magazines i hadn’t yet looked at and decided to see if my local newsagents have a copy. Who knows i might find something of interest to submit to them.
Bye for now,
Oh, and finally, if you enjoyed reading this why not sign up to my blog.
Jilly