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Voice Lessons with Amy Wallen
An expert’s take on keeping writing real (and fun)
On my to-do list I have an item that says, “Pitch piece to Oprah.” I don’t have a particular piece in mind, I don’t have a piece in my head that I think would be perfect for her, and I don’t even read O Magazine. But every time I scan my list of to do’s and my finger grazes that line item, I pause to think of what I have written, what hasn’t been published yet that I could maybe send Oprah’s way. I flip through the lengthy list of concepts I am working on. Every time I come up with nothing that would work for Oprah, and move on to the next to do. It means my to-do list will never be completely crossed out, with this lingering task “Pitch piece to Oprah” hovering for eternity. But every day, it gives me pause to think of all I’ve done, not just all I have to do.
- Amy Wallen
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
It took me a whole day to contemplate this, but it was like a light bulb when I re-read it this morning! Interesting. Maybe we should all have something on our to-do list that never gets done, but makes us think of the the things we’ve accomplished.
It is good to remind yourself of all you’ve done and it’s also good to keep in mind that are so many other things you could do. In both senses, this strikes me as a positive thing to do.
Over the years I have written five letters to Oprah in the hope she would do a show on Lyme Disease. I didn’t get a response, not even a measly postcard or acknowledgement of any kind. Maybe I should approach this differently, put pitch Lyme Disease article to Oprah? I like Amy’s take on how to turn a negative into a positive, remembering all the good ideas I did manage to bring to fruition.
Amy, go ahead and pitch your favorite piece — what have you got to lose? I did and the editors at O accepted my essay. Now, I must add that 2 editors and 2 years later they just killed my essay but the validation and the paycheck were great.