I was totally living the dream.” But then the requests for revisions came. She sent me home with a contract, which I signed within a week. “A fancy New York agent read it and sought me out,” she said. Pretty often that story, if it’s rich enough, can also suggest a book-length exploration.”Īnother writer, whose essay appeared in the early 2000s, is still sensitive about the ups and downs of her Modern Love experience (and requested to remain anonymous). “At 1,500 words, it’s just long enough to form a real narrative arc. “Part of the power of Modern Love is also in its length,” Jones told me. While there are many other venues for the personal essay, the idea that Modern Love features profound stories may be why the column has led to dozens of books. “One of the reasons the column has a large readership in the publishing world is because we showcase the work of so many unknown writers who are telling their most important story,” explained Dan Jones. As she put it, “Mormons were in the zeitgeist.” Still, she isn’t sure that she would have been brave enough to write the memoir if big agents and editors hadn’t asked her to. Mitt Romney had announced his 2012 presidential bid, The Book of Mormon was about to debut on Broadway, and several abuse cases involving the fundamentalist Mormon Church were making headlines. As Hardy understands it, “people want a peek behind the curtain” of Mormonism. It was the right story at the right time. When a friend said that one of the essays sounded perfect for Modern Love, she submitted it. She had started to experiment with more narrative poetry and essays. At the time, she had already published two books of poetry, but “no one in the industry knew who was.” She didn’t know about the column or its influence, either. Nicole Hardy told me that she never would have written Confessions of a Latter-Day Virgin if Modern Love hadn’t shown her that there was a demand for her particular story. And having spoken to several other writers about their experiences, it is clear that I’m not alone. Still, on the eve of my first book’s publication, five years after the essay appeared, I have to admit that Modern Love has indeed had a significant impact on my life and career. ![]() My essay, “ A Measure of Desire,” did not inspire such a dramatic response. Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s recent essay, “ You May Want to Marry My Husband,” prompted a lucrative film rights bidding war ultimately won by Universal Pictures. The column’s longtime editor, Dan Jones, estimates that 50 to 60 book deals based on Modern Love essays have been struck to date. Yet I knew what she was asking: Had agents and publishers beaten down my door after the essay appeared? Modern Love, which began in 2004, has become mythic among aspiring writers-a literary equivalent to winning American Idol. It seemed a little silly to think a single essay could change one’s life. But I was taken aback when one of the women in our group asked, “Did it change your life?” ![]() The column’s high profile and one-in-a-hundred weekly acceptance rate has put it on many a writer’s bucket list. By then, I’d learned that slipping my New York Times Modern Love credit into the conversation quickly established my bona fides with other writers. Three years ago, I spent time at Hedgebrook, the writers’ retreat for women on Whidbey Island.
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