November JHS-the end of the year is coming, have you submitted?

ritinrider · Nov 1, 2008

Ok, I'm going to stick my foot in my mouth and start the thread this time. Everybody else is busy submitting stuff. So, I guess that leaves me.

And, last month I actually submitted 2X, well, 1 1/2 actually. I sent a query to a regional parenting market, and got a go-ahead to write it on-spec. I wrote the darn thing, but then was so freaked out I couldn't send it. I was shaking, literally. JenNipps and I were together, planning to attend a writing class, so I talked her into sending it for me. In truth, I think I said, "Jen, I can't do this." and she sat down and sent it for me. Cool friend, huh?

Then, last week I sent a query to a new magazine in the state. I'm now on their list of authors, but probably won't write much for them because "I live to far away". Whatever, I told the editor repeatedly I didn't mind driving 2 hours to do a story. But, I sent it, aren't ya'll proud?

For this month, some more (maybe 10?) of my high school presentations, my column for our newsletter, and 4 more queries.

I don't know what I'll do if they say yes on the queries. I guess write the thing and send it to Jen so she can send it in for me. Am I pathetic or what?

Anyway, that's my goals, what are yours?

inkkognito · Nov 1, 2008

A new thread...woo hoo! I didn't do too bad last month. Sent some stuff out and got a couple of assignments, although I was below my goal. Oh well, I will forgive myself because we went on a birthday cruise plus we go to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal FL almost every off-peak night during the season. Tonight is the last night of HHN, so it's back to business as usual.

Submissions by proxy count...whether it's you or Jen it still gets out there so that's what counts! This month I still want to do five queries a week, plus I'm gonna try NaNoWriMo but with a non-fiction topic. That should be plenty to keep me busy.

AmyDoodle · Nov 1, 2008

First of all, I have to say this Nita or I'll blow up; you know it's true. Having the courage to do the queries and write the things and then having Jen (who is an extraordinary person) send them would make a beautiful essay. You could slant it toward writing or toward friendship or toward overcoming fears. It would be smashing.

But congratulations to you and thanks to Jen on the accomplishments.

Ink, I think I'm envious of your life. You wanna adopt me?

I got a blog post up today. I'm a Nano widow!

inkkognito · Nov 1, 2008

AmyDoodle said:
Ink, I think I'm envious of your life. You wanna adopt me?

LOL, I'll be happy to but you'll be at the end of quite a long line!

I got a blog post up about Halloween Horror Nights: http://celebrationfl.blogspot.com

Got a rejection for a book proposal in the mail today, but it was a really good one with some very solid advice from the publisher. I love it when a rejection contains something useful.

Okay, I'm gonna get off the forum now and force myself to send a query before we head out.

JenNipps · Nov 1, 2008

ritinrider said:
Ok, I'm going to stick my foot in my mouth and start the thread this time. Everybody else is busy submitting stuff. So, I guess that leaves me.

I was NaNo'ing and shopping.

Am I pathetic or what?

Absotively posilutely not!

inkkognito said:
plus I'm gonna try NaNoWriMo but with a non-fiction topic.

You know, I actually know of quite a few people who are doing a nonfiction NaNo. I thought about it, but I was itching to get back to central Ireland.

AmyDoodle said:
....Jen (who is an extraordinary person)....

Sorry. I just never quite know what to say/think. lol. Sometimes my first thought is either "They don't know me very well" or "I must have them fooled."

I know I focused on the totally wrong thing in your post, Amy, but .... thank you.

inkkognito said:
Got a rejection for a book proposal in the mail today, but it was a really good one with some very solid advice from the publisher. I love it when a rejection contains something useful.

At risk of sounding dumb, I love rejections like that. lol

OK, my goals:

-Meet the 50k-word goal on my NaNoWriMo project.

-Judge nonfiction article entries for a local-ish contest (should be getting those by the end of this week).
-$80/day queries.
-Blog 2-3x a week on each blog.

Train done gone. It's late and I can't think of anything else at the moment. I'm sure there's something, but I'm drawing a blank.

AmyDoodle · Nov 2, 2008

See, Jen, we don't always see ourselves as others see us. I see your determination, your work ethic, and the way you stick by your friends, and well, I can't help but wish I lived closer.

Okay, enough embarrassing Jen with the infomercial. Back to your regularly scheduled accomplishments.

I don't usually do well in contests, but I entered one last month and I've decided to go for another one this month. I'm announcing so I don't chicken out.

Skyraven · Nov 2, 2008

Hi all. I have to go to my portfolio to see if I met my goals. Then I'll have to think of new ones.

later.

Storyteller5 · Nov 2, 2008

I haven't submitted so my goals are small, but I wanted to cheer on the rest of you.

I am reading Writer Mama (Katz) and Jenna's bible is next. I'm just getting into this so I'm trying to get a grip on how to start. I'm going to finish both books this month and get some research going into markets.

AmyDoodle · Nov 2, 2008

Welcome, Storyteller! Glad to have you.

Mysti · Nov 2, 2008

I'm glad to see everyone getting busy in the JHS thread.

My goal for this month is to survive. No, I haven't blogged about it - I'm looking for an outcome before I do! Simon should be home in two weeks - yes, two weeks. He's been here for 97 days thus far. Can I survive two more weeks? I definitely hope so, but question if last night is the prelude to our going home... For those who missed it - I did post a few pics on Halloween, including Simon in a costume!

Jen - I have to say you are an amazing person, by the way. You definitely don't give yourself enough credit where that's concerned.

Welcome Storyteller (praying I caught the name correctly... or I'll edit again.)

AmyDoodle · Nov 2, 2008

Omigosh, Mysti. Simon made the cutest wizard I ever saw! I even love his double chins.

Survival is the perfect goal for you. You'll make it.

cress8 · Nov 3, 2008

Hi all. It's been so long since I've felt I could commit to any specific goals (underwent house remodel in addition to already busy life). I've really missed this thread. I have submitted several queries and completed some assignments during that time, but it has been sporadic. Now I'm ready to try formal goals again. I'm counting on you all to keep me going!

My goals seem meager, but remember I'm a married mom of 3 working 40 hours a week already. Here they are:
1. Complete article for Pediatrics for Parents
2. Follow up on my last query if no reply by editor's deadline.
3. Submit 1 new query to a print mag.
4. Check freelance job listings online at least 3 times per week.

Good luck with your goals, everyone!

Skyraven · Nov 3, 2008

great goals Cress8. Sounds like you've got great stuff brewing. Still haven't check on my october goals. I know I did a lot in the last couple of months. Got a writing job, developed two new sites and subbed an article for a Christian newsletter.
Here are my tentative November goals:
1. Post 2x weekly at Sky's Blog
2. Post 3x weekly at FW and My Portfolio
3. Post 2x weekly at Examiner (Draft family time article and post)
4. Chat on Momslikeme.com daily
5. More as it develops.
I scored a guest blog from Monica Shaw Thanks Monica!!!). I'm so excited about it. I feel like I'm branching out into a new league of writer sites.

Hopefully I can get that going maybe once a month to have a guest blogger on.

ravenlea · Nov 3, 2008

congrats on all the accomplishment so far. Three days in and everyone is already off and running. Not me. i'm struggling with some things that have forced me to take a real good look at the freelancing aspect of my life. It's not that I'm giving up, I'm just ... I'm not sure. Rethinking some things is the best way I can put it. So no real goals for me this month. i'm going to try and get my blog up and running again. i do want to send a couple ideas out, but might bag that until dec. For this month I'm going to focus on nano and hope everything in my life squares away as neatly as the lifes of my characters at the end of the novel.

I'll pop in now and then to see what everyone else has going on, but you probably won't hear much from me unless my fairy godmother makes it all right once again

raven

Skyraven · Nov 3, 2008

*PING* Raven's Fairy Godmother showed up to make it all right once again!

Hugs! Hang in there Raven. We birdies have to stick together.
Just put up a new post at my porfolio and the guest post at FW. Yay! I'm so excited about that.

Still have to work on the family time article for examiner and a brief article on voting in light of the election tomorrow.
Update - just finished the voting article for examiner. Check it out.

Storyteller5 · Nov 3, 2008

You are all doing so great. Can your focus rub off on me? I'm still feeling a bit overwelmed as far as figuring out what to write about.

Skyraven · Nov 3, 2008

just take it a step at a time Storyteller.

You have to be patient with yourself. Why don't you surf over to the freshman writer and check out some ways to get your writing started.

Hope this helps.

Still Seaking · Nov 3, 2008

My goal

Okay, I’m going to get back to doing what I was born to do and start writing again. I think I’ve got my staff trained enough that I can sit back and open a few veins and actually write for some real money. Maybe even dust off the old manuscript next year and start on it again and finally get it finished and maybe even submitted.

Since I’m out of the loop, I’m going to start slow and set a goal of one query submitted a week for this month. If all goes well, I will increase it to two next month and then three in January and probably leave it there but then we’ll see. One a week might be all I can handle for a while so we’ll have to see.

Jen, can you stretch a little bit more and hit submit for me as well? Thank goodness the actual articles aren’t as nerve rattling as queries! Wish me luck.

SS

Still Seaking · Nov 4, 2008

New query submitted in the share your work folder for feedback, with any luck I’ll have it ready to submit by Friday… Now to just find the magazine to submit it to!

Skyraven · Nov 4, 2008

good luck Still Seaking!

plaidearthworm · Nov 4, 2008

Attention all bajaffes who were supposed to send a submission to Funny Times: have you done it yet? Have ya? Huh? I did, nanner nanner boo boo.

I received the nicest rejection ever from Funny Times yesterday (I sent them a snail mail submission in July). It actually made me feel great! They couldn't use my Bombeck contest essay, but she asked me to send something else, and they left their sticky-noted comments on the essay when they returned it. They said some very nice things, and made me feel like a real, not-for-play-anymore humor writer. Between that and my story coming out in Mental Floss this month, it's a pretty good week for writing.

moth · Nov 4, 2008

Hi -- can I join you guys?

I've lurked in the JHS threads on and off for the last few months, and first can I just say you all are so inspirational! You guys do wonderful work, and you helped give me the guts to jump in. And I did it -- sent off my first query!

Though I can't technically say I JHS, since I did it snail mail last week (it's a pair of craft projects and I wanted to put photos in the body of the e-mail, but it was easier to just snail it), and it's not technically a query because it was the full piece on spec (under 200 words for each project). But I sent it!

Three more in the pipeline so far, plus ideas filling up my notebook. I'm starting small, mostly fillers and FOB pieces. And I'm equal parts nervous and excited! Thanks for having these threads!

Still Seaking · Nov 4, 2008

My first published piece was a letter to Santa Clause. A friend’s family had bought a letter from Santa in a store and told her they mailed her letter and then she received this letter in the mail. We were old enough that we knew the truth but I wanted a letter like she had so I wrote a letter to Santa Clause and mailed it. The post office thought it was cute so they gave it to the local newspaper and they printed it! I never saw the letter in the paper but I heard about it from many, many people. I wish someone had thought to cut a copy out for me or my parents would’ve bought a back copy or something.

My second published piece also appeared in the same paper and again, I never saw it. I wrote to a local columnist about an item that was advertised as only available in Louisiana yet on a trip to Georgia, I found an entire shelf of it at a regular chain supermarket and the price was cheaper. It ran in the column and everybody and their brother told me about it but again, no one saved a copy for me. I didn’t purchase a back copy because nobody could remember exactly when it ran. I latter worked as a stringer for that paper and a few of my editors and I searched through the archives for it but were unsuccessful.

My first published piece as a professional writer was actually published right before I began my freelance career. The company I worked for hired a new director of corporate communications. I knew she was a writer and had won copyeditor of the year in Acadiana more than once so I sent her the first few paragraphs of my first novel (which I am still working on) and she sent me a note back telling me how much she enjoyed it and asked what I was doing working where I worked. I started writing for the company newspaper which she was in charge of and those are my first clips. She encouraged me to follow my dreams and to be who I am, a writer and to freelance. I left that company in March of that year when I accepted a stringer position for a paper in a small college town covering town meetings, school boards and parish counsels. I began business writing and worked a few temp jobs to make ends meet then in December I became a fulltime freelancer. I started working for another paper the following year as a stringer (the one where I was published the first two times). Then I accepted a position as a fulltime reporter and moved cross country. Now I’m back to business writing and occasionally stringing while I work on getting the courage to send queries to magazines and work on that novel.

ravenlea · Nov 4, 2008

Skyraven said:
*PING* Raven's Fairy Godmother showed up to make it all right once again! Hugs! Hang in there Raven. We birdies have to stick together.

thanks sky! I needed that.

I think i'm going to spend part of the month re-reading Jenna's book in between nano. still taking it slow.

raven

AmyDoodle · Nov 4, 2008

plaidearthworm said:
Attention all bajaffes who were supposed to send a submission to Funny Times: have you done it yet? Have ya? Huh? I did, nanner nanner boo boo.

Okay, that does it. I brushed off my Bombeck entry to send, but at the last minute I held on to it thinking I would enter it in another humor contest. Now I can't decide which to do. I have another piece I can send to Funny Times, though, and I'm gonna pack it up and send it on.

Mental Floss!? Dadgummit, do you know how envious I am. That's one of the few magazines we actually subscribe to. It's the Big Dawg's favorite right now. What issue is it in?

Raven, you've had some rough times lately. That means that better times are on their way. You're gonna make it.

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