Hi Y'all

I made a general post on one of the other forums last week. I have been away for couple of years and not been posting anywhere. My writing, so far, has been magazine- especially devotional (Upper Room and Secret Place). Since have had good success with both of these, I am kinda stuck. Working on longer article for Mature Living (Baptist Mag). That will be my greatest writing venture yet. Most of you guys are doing BOOKS! I would like to do at least one good book. But kinda cutting my teeth on these magazines.
I appreciate the support and encouragement I got from you all the last time I was active on this board. I have since (in my absence) sold 6 or 7 maybe 8 devotionals to these two markets. It was to a great degree due to insight and encouragement from this forum. Thanks guys. Maybe y'all can give me the shove I need to get me unstuck from magazines and going for that first book.

accountability

Just made two more submissions this week with a couple more rough
drafts on my Dana processor. Does anybody else subscribe to Writer's
Market? I love that site. Still discovering pages I hadn't seen. This week I
found the page where I can record submissions: date, title (even whole manuscript if I wanted), response date, payment amt and date, etc.
Anyway, wanted to keep myself busy and report. Don't worry. You won't be hearing from me every time I sneeze. It's just I have been inactive so long with the activities of my moving- paint, flooring, furniture, etc that I have fallen into the habit of do nothing when it comes to writing. I must
get geared up again. and making myself accountable, at least to start with,
I think is going to help.

Well, I did it!

Finally submitted a full length article instead of a brief devotional. This submission to Mature Living (Baptist press). The article is one I had been playing with for a long time, not months but years. It is a tribute to a couple of people who contributed to my faith growing up. I wrote the first sloppy, gushy draft on Dana a couple of years ago. Been revamping and revising ever since. I decided today that I can play with this thing from now on and have my sentiments locked on my processor or I can send it out and see what happens. Glad I did (whatever happens).

Deb, you are on target with excel. I just love that program. I have similar sheet set up. I have one column for words written (for submission), words written (personal journal) pages read (pleasure), pages read (craft- writing)
and at the end of month, I have the bottom line total both actual and average for each column. Sort of a motivational tool. Have to confess I haven't used it much while in transition from FL to TN.