The Life of an Article

Aside from fiction, I also freelance for magazines and do academic writing. This is the true and very frustrating story of a recent article that has been hanging over me for basically ever.

• April 2006: I write a paper for a graduate class that I really like. I file it away for future publication.
• April 2009: I pull out this paper, and dust it off for publication. I send it to a quarterly mag I know in the field. They say they love it, and will get back to me with edits.
• January 2010: I email again to inquire as to what is happening with that article. They respond - so sorry, it got missed in the process, etc etc... We'll get on it.
• April 2010: I receive and do a series of edits. Am told it is done, and to please send suggested illustrations, which I do.
• May 2010: On my birthday, the week of the biggest event of my career (requiring a lot of preparation), I get an urgent email - Please do this huge gob of edits for us, and please send illustrations, as we need to run this article this week. I do the edits (ON MY BIRTHDAY), and re-send illustrations.
• June 2010: Am told the article was bumped from that issue, due to some mid-east crisis, and it will run in the fall issue.
• September 2010: Get email from a different editor, and am asked to do whole new set of edits, which I do. Am also asked to send illustrations suggestions, which I re-send. Am told again that the article is fine, and will run in November issue.
• October 2010: Get an email (at 8pm Saturday night) from yet another editor, and am asked to do a whole new round of edits - largely putting back in the stuff that ED1 and ED2 gutted out of the thing in the year and a half these people have had it. Am asked to do these by Monday, as they are running it the following week.

Well, I did the edits and sent them in, so now I guess it *may* run. I emailed and asked if they need me to re-send the illustrations, as I assume they will. I mean, why not make it four times I have been asked, right?

ARGH.