First Payday as a Writer!
One year ago, I started submitting my writing to be published… yesterday, I woke up to my first ever payment for writing. While the short story won’t come out (digitally) in Cutleaf Journal until March 2023, it feels so good to actually be paid. (Most literary journals do not pay their writers because they can’t afford to. Cutleaf Journal is run by EastOver Press)
The House Always Wins is a work of fiction that has been in the making for 1.5 years. It started as a setting exercise for Lauren J. Sharkey’s writing workshop. I wanted to write about something I couldn’t get out of my mind—this was it. The story started out as, for lack of a better term, word vomit, and I had to set it aside. After a few months, I outlined a tighter story that finally felt like it had something to say. Truth merged with fiction, and several drafts later, the story found its footing. After being accepted, the ball is now in my court to review line edits from EIC Keith Lesmeister.
One thing that’s been surprising to discover is how much living in southern Virginia has inspired my writing. I’m both repulsed and comforted, on some level, by its familiarity. This dynamic plays a huge role in the story.
Anyway, I can’t wait for you to read my first published short story! Here’s to being paid for a labor of love.
<3 Sara