A long time ago--probably decades--I read that freelancers recycle. They take a story or an article, rework it to give it a different spin, and submit it to another market. Even if it's been published, once you rewrite it and give it a new focus, it's a new piece. That advice never left me.
I figured it was a frugal way to spend one's writing time, but I never knew just how jazzed I would get about it until this week.
This week I have been busy submitting to the new collections that are called Not Your Mother's Books. And here is how I am recycling:
- My son and his trumpet. It's a Chicken Soup story, and also a couple of submissions for "Not Your Mother's Book--On Being a Mom" or "On Family." I'm taking his practicing--that torture is the center of its own story--and when he was in marching band and had to deal with his long hair, and when he played in college and needed to buy a tux at the last minute and the freaky way he dressed going to his weekly trumpet lessons. One subject, lots of stories. (And shouldn't the kid who made me addicted to hair dye be the subject of money-making stories?)
- My adoption. It's going to be a CS story for parenthood (I hope) and I've also spun it into a NYMB story.
- My body's rapid decline. I have already submitted a story about what happens to breasts during menopause. (What a fun, versatile accessory they are now!) My stomach is pushing itself forward, trying to get its due attention. Then there's facial hair--on women. The topics are endless.
