Fast food

After writing mostly fluff for Associated Content, this weekend I submitted an op/ed piece I'd originally written for a Vanity Fair essay contest. Since the prize was something like $10,000 and a trip to Italy, it was a real long shot. I'm still fond of the essay, though, and I thought it might play well online because of its pop culture references. (I will never, ever admit to adding a Paris Hilton allusion that wasn't in the original.)

I was only offered $3.11 for the piece, but considering commentary by other contributors on the site suggests they don't offer payment at all for editorials, it was still encouraging. I've been following forums and blogs of other contributors who have had articles rejected, so now I'm curious to see where the line is.

Since the piece has a certain timeliness and little chance of being published elsewhere, I'm glad for it to have some kind of audience. It was just accepted today and hasn't been published yet, but I'll probably copy it here in its entirety when it's up, just because it's a little showier than what I've done so far.

I recognize that all I'm accomplishing here is feeding my ego, and on a steady diet of fast food, at that. Is $3.11 still enough to buy a Big Mac?