I recently signed a contract for my first publication, a very brief story about my grandmother for Guideposts magazine. I was thrilled when they accepted my manuscript. I expected editing, but I admit to being disappointed when they sent their verison of my story for approval. I understand the changes they made, but it was hard to swallow. The story appeared in the November issue. It now reads like a letter.
My first published piece isn’t something I’ll show off, but I learned from it. Before I signed the contract, I asked myself three questions about the edited story: was it a lie, would it hurt anyone, and did it have merit. Those questions were the gift in this process. I’ll print them and stick them on the bulletin board to use as criteria for future writing projects. Even though this wasn’t an ideal situation, it did build my confidence and I’m encouraged to try more submissions.
