Adventures of an -In print- writer

So just about the time when I stopped writing blog posts here, I had picked up a fun gig writing for a local paper. I had been reading this paper since it had come into the community several years ago so this was a bit exciting for me!

I was approached about writing advertorials which were on a full page each month. This was a bit daunting because I had never done anything like this before....I'm an eater, not a writer. I tend to write like I talk which can sometimes be a bit Glimore Girl-esque…...descriptive and hopped up on coffee.

My first article proved to be a difficult one. I had never been to this particular restaurant and meeting up with the owners was likely not going to happen because of a serious time crunch. The very first article I had ever done in my life was written solely by email communication. Not the best way to dive right in to new waters. I had wondered what the Hell I had gotten myself into......

Moving right along, some were easy. Places I had been, things I loved and people I know. These were the fun ones. These were the ones I enjoyed sharing and the ones I was/am most proud of.

Being a self-proclaimed food blogger is an expensive hobby. I was excited at first that I was now being paid to write about food, however with these articles come things you won't see in print.

Most times I had to go at off times of the day so the owners could have time to sit and chat. This also meant there was no food going out and this added up to me purchasing food in order to take pictures. Some places were generous and shared an abundance of goodies but most were out of my pocket.

There were also HOURS put into each article for the writing, anywhere from 4 for the easy ones and 13 (yes 13 hours of sitting at my computer writing, walking away out of frustration and coming back for more).

In the end the frustration, money out of my pocket and hours spent simply didn't add up to my return in investment and even traffic to my page.

I had heard many great things about my articles. People were reading them and going to check out some of these spots. That often made it worth it.

I am grateful to have the chance to give it a try but this was one adventure that was clearly not for me.