Exclusive AC Club for Never-Been-Featured Writers

Sigh. I just read another post in the AC forums from a relatively new CP saying she's only been writing for two months and has already been featured on the front page twice. Congratulations. Really, I mean it. But, in the same breath, I am jealous.

I published my first article on AC in February 2007, have almost 100 articles, am a level 8 and one of AC's top 1000 CPs and have yet to be featured on the front page. I have been featured in a few different categories over the year and a half that I've been here. Time for a New Lawn Mower was featured in the home improvement section some time ago. Hillary Clinton Drops 'Rodham' from Name was featured in the society section. And, After Christmas Green Cleaning was featured in the lifestyle section.

But, I have yet to score the big feature article spot on the front page. I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe it's just that nothing of mine has quite clicked with the powers that be when they make that daily decision. Maybe there is always an article that's just a little shinier than mine or a little more timely that seems to scream 'front page' to them. Whatever the reason, I'm learning to live with it.

Now and again, I've written things with the specific goal to try to snag that front page feature spot. I wrote Are We Conditioned to Formula Feed Our Infants? with this end in mind. It happens to be a topic I believe strongly in and is slightly controversial, so I thought it might work. I was still an AC newbie then, as that was written back in March 2007. I learned that sometimes controversy works to get some CPs on the front page, but it didn't work for me.

I used to check the front page several times a day hoping to see one of my articles there. But, I gave up that habit long ago. I know that if I do ever get a featured article, it will most likely have a spike in page views and comments. Now, when I check the featured articles, I see that AC posts a comment telling the writer that he is on the front page. I think that's a great idea so the writer is sure to see the article in its moment of glory.

Though I've never had a front page feature, a lot has happened with my writing career in the meantime. I've never been one to put all my eggs in one basket, so after I got over my early feelings of being left out at the cool kid's lunchroom table, I got busy writing elsewhere. I applied for and got accepted at Suite101. I also got a promotion to a Feature Writer position at Suite and have had several Editor's Choice awards on articles that I'm quite proud of.

I've even spread my wings beyond the internet and officially become a 'real' freelance writer. I sold one of my Suite articles to a print magazine, written and sold another article to a different print magazine and sold yet another one to the on-line version of a very popular print parenting magazine. (OK, that's still on the internet, but it was the most I ever got paid for an article.) And, I continue to query, learn about my craft and write.

If there are any other CPs out there who have been here for more than six months and have never been featured on the front page, join my club! Show your face, or rather, your avatar, and stand up and be proud of all that you have accomplished with your writing. It's not a bad club to be in, really. Maybe not getting kudos at AC is what spurred me on to write outside of this little corner of the web. Maybe it's actually the good luck charm that has gotten me where I am today with my writing.