Re: The Writers One Loves
Tim O'Connor (oconnort@nyu.edu)
Wed, 28 Jul 1999 01:07:16 -0400
On Wed, Jul 28, 1999 at 12:47:33AM -0400, Mattis Fishman wrote:
> Favorite writer? That'e easy, L. Manning Vines.
Or Hinds.
Years back when I earned a living as a freelance writer/editor, I wrote
under a variety of pseudonyms (because some publishers are unwilling to
give you two by-lines in one issue), thereby allowing me to sell two or
three articles at once.
About a week after my articles hit the readership, the magazine was
contacted by an outfit in Chicago, which wanted to hire "Mr. Vines" to
write copy for them!
I had a typesetter friend make me a nice letterhead for "L. Manning
Vines," with my real address. I politely declined, citing my overload
of freelance work. I imagined myself running all over New Hampshire
(where I lived) trying to do something with a check made out to a
fictional character. It was too absurd. Like the plot of an indie
movie.
--tim o'connor