Hey y’all! So I’m still here, still writing a little bit. The Loop 21 published my op-ed, “Share Your Life So I Know It’s Real.” It’s for all of us who share too much of our lives and ourselves via social media. Do find yourself posting pics and sharing your whereabouts on Facebook and Twitter? Is that really necessary or have we become conditioned? Check it out! Drake would be proud.
As I sat and watched (and cursed at) the train wreck that is Basketball Wives last night, I cringed atleast a million times within the hour. The end scene where Evelyn and Royce fight at the swanky restaurant pushed me over the edge. I’ll be honest and say for a brief moment, I condoned violence among women, hoping Royce would’ve gotten atleast one more jab at Evelyn. Beyond that, I couldn’t believe that they conducted themselves that way in public (I’m lying to myself), calling each other “hoes” and “bum ass bitches.”
It quickly reminded me of an essay I wrote a recently about how black women shouldn’t believe everything we hear, read or in this case, see about ourselves. I used a couple of examples of black women being thrown under the bus, and for the life of me, I can’t believe I failed to mention media’s portrayal of us and our relationships with other women. From just the first half of one episode of Basketball Wives, or any other reality show, we’re put on display to be bitter, malicious, messy and classless. We aren’t all that. For consolation, I have to put on my Naive Hat and believe that women cannot act this immaturely in real life. It’s just a show; it’s just for a check. Right? Please tell me I’m right.
Ironically, my essay, The Milk’s Gone Bad: Don’t Believe Everything You Hear or Read was published on ForHarriet.com last week, but I just saw it yesterday. Read it and let me know what you think.
If you’ve been reading this blog, you should know that Twitter is my friend. Here’s a story I wrote for Parlour Magazine, “5 Annoying Twitter Tactics: Is This You?”
You never know what can happen when you write. Who would’ve thought a little story about the 20th anniversary (supposedly) of Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever would lead to pick-ups from other online magazines and tweets from Spike Lee himself? Yeah, it really happened. So, apparently, Jungle Fever was domestically released in August 1990, not 1991. I couldn’t find that information anywhere. Lee saw a pick-up from the Atlanta Post and tweeted a correction to them. He even signed it HNIC.
I. Panicked. Foreal.
Who on God’s green Earth wants to offend Spike Lee (besides Tyler Perry and Clifton Powell. Did you hear him pop off on Spike? LOL)? I responded to him and apologized for the error. His response? “No harm, no foul.” Thank sweet Jesus!
Long story, short, the correction was made, and Lee was okay with it. Not to mention he shared some thoughts about his iconic film:
Can’t argue with him on that one. She almost gave my boy, Gator, a run for his money. Check the story out, “Jungle Fever 20 Years Later,” originally posted at UPTOWN.
While you’re at it, read my story on soft addictions. They’re not addictions like smoking, drugs or alcohol, but rather shopping, cell phones…and um, tweeting. I wrote the story, but found it to be helpful in acknowledging my soft addiction. Yes, I’m addicted to the Internet. On the laptop or cell. I can’t tell you how much better my life was the day I left my cell at home by accident. I felt…free. My addiction went into overload while I was off work. All day, sitting in front of a computer and staring at my phone. Ugh.
Check it out here.
For anyone struggling to be published in print (no shade to my online gigs. Much love!), Aliya S. King, my Mentor-In-My-Head, dropped all kinds of gems about pitching yesterday. If you’re not following her on Twitter, shame on you. Read her timeline and take notes. She posted a chirpstory to summarize her tweets yesterday. Check it!
Finally, after sitting in my favorites box on Twitter for two days, I read a story posted on Frenemy via Refinery29 (new favorite site!). Sex and the City lovers and writers, have you ever really wondered how Carrie could afford all those Manolo Blaniks, Christian Louboutins and pretty dresses…before she started her Vogue column and wrote her book? She couldn’t possible afford all that stuff. She wrote ONE column for an NYC paper. The Frenemy breaks it down in Carrie Bradshaw Math. Hilarious.
Happy reading and writing!
I’m too tired from my birthday weekend to post, so in the meantime, check out my new piece on UPTOWN Magazine. Just because you can meet someone, date, dump and divorce a significant other just by “pointing and clicking” doesn’t mean you have to. Read “Lazy in Love” to find out the trends in “electronic relationships.”
*Photo courtesy of UPTOWN Magazine
Hey folks! A real post is coming soon, but in the meantime, check my piece in this week’s issue of Clutch, Have Black Women Been Reduced to the Booty? Who knew that story would have come from a plastic surgeon making a comment about the “ghetto booty” in the African-American community. Interesting comments there. Also, though I would love to keep it to myself (a friend called me a music elitist last week), I just can’t. this time You’ve got to hear this new trio from L.A., King. Erykah Badu tweeted about them this weekend, and ever since it’s been on (Did I mention that Ms. Badu, herself, is now following me? Too excited. It’s the little things.). Check out their website and get their EP for $3. I have not stopped listening to them since Friday night.
You have to know that Teedra Moses, my favorite underground and underrated artist is now signed to Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group. It’s about time she was picked up by a major label, as she’s paid her dues (check out my latest interview with her) and continues to grind hard. I was scanning her website, only to find out that her debut album, Complex Simplicity. has been “chopped and screwed”!!! Rejoice!! I fell in love with “chopped and screwed” music, made famous by the late, great DJ Screw in Houston, after attending school in Louisiana. I was officially made “Third Coast” after living there for five years. Chopped and screwed makes everything better, trust. Here’s the link.
My FAV!!!
Enjoy and see you later!
*Image via Getty Images
The fact that I even included “Advice for Writers” in a title of my blog post speaks volumes. I’ve always been a writer, but I didn’t aggressively pursue freelance writing, really, until I was a few years into my first professional full-time job. Not including being published in my university’s newspaper, The Digest, a few pesky things like becoming infatuated with public relations and attending graduate school for PR, instead of journalism got in the way. I’ll tell that story someday, but moving on.
Honestly, I’ve only been at this thing seriously since my first story was published in the inaugural 2007 issue of Clutch. I guess you could say it’s been on ever since….kind of. Over the years, I’ve gotten a few emails from readers who want to know how to break into freelancing. My usual response is simply pitching editors and yes, sometimes writing for free to build your clips. Regarding pitching stories, all you can do is ask, and all they say is ‘no.’ The catch is being prepared and putting your best foot forward.
How did I begin writing for Clutch? Editor-in-chief, Dede Sutton wrote a blog called “Clutch & Lipglass.” I followed her for a while and read about her starting Clutch. After reading about the mission and manifesto of the magazine, I emailed her and sent writing samples. Voila’! She and Clutch were gifts sent from God, but there were many other times I was given the “no-sir” by editors. It’s the way of the world for freelancers, so why not write about that experience and how to recoup from it? Here’s a snippet of my latest work published on Mediabistro.com:
What to Do When Your Pitch is Rejected
At any given minute, a writer somewhere is being told ‘no’ by magazine editors, book agents, consulting clients, and these days, even potential connections on LinkedIn.Aspiring freelance journalist Ishea Brown Arnold says she might have received the quickest rejection email in history after pitching a story idea to a popular online women’s magazine.
“I was both excited and slightly nervous to pitch my first story idea,” says Arnold. ”Imagine my surprise when [the editor] responded to my email within five minutes. I attempted to throw a few more story ideas her way and was once again shut down in record time.”
Even the most established scribes know that for every 10 ideas they generate, a paltry one or two might actually result in a byline. But if you are committed to your craft and story, stick to it. Rejection may be inescapable, but it’s the recovery that makes all the difference.
What One Publication Won’t Accept, Another Will Pitching is as unpredictable as a roll of dice, says Demetria L. Lucas, relationships editor at Essence. “Sometimes you can pitch something to say, six or seven different magazines, and the first six will say, ‘Eh, it’s not really for us,’ but the seventh will say, ‘I think this is great.’ Sometimes somebody will pitch something and it’ll be a great story, but not for us.”
Short story writer and author Dolen Perkins-Valdez avoided rejection of her novel Wench because she didn’t submit the manuscript prematurely. She also says writers often are too preoccupied with the logistics of book publishing, instead of perfecting the material first.”
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You’ll have to read the rest here, but it requires an AvantGuild membership on Mediabistro.com. It’s a great source of insider information for writers–new writers especially. It’s worth it.
I am in no way an expert on the do’s and don’ts of journalism. I’ll leave that to Aliyah S. King. I can tell you what I know from experience though, and the most important thing is to try, and remember it’s a walk, not a race. I think I’ll make this my first post in a writing series (I’ll think of a title later).
Here’s Mary Mary’s latest single, “Walking.” It describes what I’m talking about. While you’re at it, check out my (old) interview with them on Clutch.
Yes, I’ve actually been writing. Two snaps for me! Yet another (maybe the last) rant about this natural hair thing. Check it out at Clutch Magazine! Don’t forget to comment and share.
Take a look at extreme poverty in the Mississippi Delta.
The Final Call (Front Page) **Fist pump**
Finally, finally, I think I’m out of my writing slump. Think is the operative word. Check me out in ForHarriet.com, another great site for Black women. I’m discussing African-American heroes and Wayne State University professor, Danielle McGuire’s new book, At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance– A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power
http://www.forharriet.com/2010/11/african-american-heroes-are-we-being.html
Later!
