Published!!

A couple of months ago I wrote a short piece, as part of a Writers Bureau assignment, on amateur photographers who were taking paid work from professionals.

My tutor liked the piece in terms of the actual writing, but doubted there would be anyone interested in printing it. I was naturally quite disappointed and decided to send it off anyway.

Imagine my surprise when I received a phone call from the Editor of a national magazine (Photo Professional). He informed me he liked the piece and wanted to use it as part of an article in an upcoming issue. I was delighted and couldn't stop grinning as I told everyone my news.

Well, this week the magazine hit the shops. I walked into WH Smith yesterday to check it was actually true (unfortunately I forgot to take my wallet, so I couldn't buy it!) and have a read. I stood in the shop grinning like an idiot, unable to believe it had happened – there was my piece taking up half a page in a real magazine! There was even a photo of me (I hate my picture being taken so it's fairly rare) to prove it.

I'm sure the many writers who are regularly published will laugh at such excitement over a fairly small and unpaid item, but I am still buzzing with the thrill of this achievement. It has convinced me to try harder to get more (and paid) work published. The thrill may wear off eventually – until then I'm the guy walking around town smiling for no apparent reason!