February 2009 Just Hit Send

JenNipps · Feb 1, 2009

I haven't seen a thread for February yet, so I decided I'd be the lucky one to get to start it.

Can you believe it's February already?

I'll be back to post my goals after I do a summary post for January.

JenNipps · Feb 1, 2009

And now here are my February goals:

Query $80/day with NO carry-overs.
Send 3 book-related submissions t agents/publishers.
Update all blogs at least 3x a week.
2 Bukisa articles a week
2 eHow articles a week
Daily entries on Refilling the Well
Start work on article for Writers' Journal (haven't received go-ahead yet, but thought I'd go ahead & start)
Submit website review to the OWFI Report by the 15th.
Expand submissions to include national magazines since I want to get into at least one this year
Enter the Amazon.com First Novel contest by the 8th (plan to enter tomorrow since that's when it opens)
Update my websites.

I think that's probably plenty for the month. lol

Skyraven · Feb 1, 2009

HI Jen! Glad you started this! Here are my goals!

1) Blog twice a week at FW/HZ and Sky's blog.
2) Review two CD's and one DVD for a kids music band.
3) Write my non-fiction article for my writing course.
4) Edit my essay for Chicken Soup (June)
5) Draft and submit my essay for Latina Magazine (May edition)
6) Finish reading chapters 9 - 12 of On Writing Well for my writing course.
7) Journal five minutes daily to get the junk out.

That's all from me for now.

JenNipps · Feb 1, 2009

Lookin' good, Heiddi.

I should probably journal more. I start, then I quit, then I start, then I quit... lol

inkkognito · Feb 1, 2009

Hi everyone! Whew, Jen and Sky, those are ambitious lists. Let's see what I can come up with:

-Finish three article assignments that are due this month.
-Continue to update Examiner site 1-2 times a day.
-Claim as many Demand Studios $15 articles as possible.
-Work on two book proposals.
-Query, query, query for magazine stuff.
-Be more regular about updating my Celebration blog.

There should be more, but I'll add later as I'm feeling kind of lazy today.

JenNipps · Feb 1, 2009

Lazy is a good thing.

For the past almost hour I've been working on an Examiner.com application for Oklahoma travel or state parks.

Whew. OK. Now I need to do the birthday party invitations for my niece like I promised my sister on the phone this afternoon. Maybe they'll turn out cute & I can add them to my portfolio as a sample.

jeffo · Feb 1, 2009

After lurking for a couple months, I'm quite impressed by the "JHS" threads. And I finally understand them, after laboring over an article that I didn't want to send until it was perfect.

However, being new at this whole freelance writing thing (but going full-time and damn the consequences), I'm still working on weekly goals, and I'm not ready for monthly goals quite yet! Keep up the good work, folks, and hopefully I'll get to the point where I can join you (and pay my bills with writing)! Right now, I'm working on weekly goals (which I'm not quite reaching each week yet).

inkkognito · Feb 1, 2009

Welcome Jeffo!

And Jen, good luck with the application. Just let me know if you want me to give you a recommend. The two recruiters I've dealt with there are really great to work with. I'm having a blast with Examiner because it's writing about what I love...sorta how I started my Disney Cruise Line website that I finally handed over to hubby.

JenNipps · Feb 1, 2009

Jeffo, welcome to JHS.

There are some who participated before (but have since followed but not posted) who posted weekly goals. There's nothing at all wrong with that. You're more than welcome to do that if you want to also.

Ink, if you could/would, that would be great!!

In other news, I'm almost done with my niece's birthday party invitations. After that, I'm calling it a day. *whew*

Oh, yeah....I posted a new entry at Refilling the Well - Taking It In.

Skyraven · Feb 2, 2009

Jen - good luck with the application! Yay! I didn't even know you were interested.

Good luck.

AmyDoodle · Feb 2, 2009

Welcome Jeffo. Glad to have you on board. Feel free to list any goal, especially if it's one where you're having trouble hitting that troublemaking Send button. We'll stick with you all the way!

I've got behind in blog posting, so this month I'm trying to be more responsible with at least twice weekly posts. I put a new one up last night, and while it wasn't a Super Bowl post, it has Super in the title. Super Powers, I haz 'em!

Still Seaking · Feb 2, 2009

I haven’t been on in a while, probably not since the first of last month. Here are my goals for February:

• Post at Absolute Write more often & participate/read more to stay in touch with my career family
• Submit two queries
• Write two articles queries are being submitted for (that way WHEN they are accepted, the articles are already written and only have to be tweaked for that particular publication)
• Participate in at least one writing contest
• Get my movie blog updated
• Read the third chapter of my book and make editorial notes and honestly try to get back into it
• Contact state/national newspapers about stringer positions
• Spend at least 30 minutes a day “free” writing – if I want to work on a new story/the book/an article/ a query – fine but for 30 minutes I will write whatever I feel like without “having” to work on anything
• Spend five hours a day writing – I’m a writer, that’s my job shouldn’t have to hard a time working

SS

Skyraven · Feb 2, 2009

Still Seaking - Great to have you back!

Amy - I'll check out your post right now. Missed you doll!
Jen - Thanks for the support. I'm trying to hit all of my goals this month. I tend to have carryovers when the deadlines are so far.
Jeffo - Welcome to the group! We're happy to celebrate your successes and get pissed right along with you.

P
Ink - Congrats on all of the new goals. I'm hoping to get things done this month.
Today I printed out the editorial calender for the Examiner site and highlighted all of the interesting topics that I can work on this month. When I get home tonight I'll check my weird & unusual events calendar and get more article ideas. We'll see how it goes. I drafted a list article on Bedtime Tips for parents last night. I still have to work on my hw for the writing course. I'm doing an article about social networking. Other than that, I need to plan out my posts for FW and my portfolio this week. I also sent out an email to my friends and family with my new music interview. I'm hoping to increase page views of my content and have more parents check me out.

I'm going to keep it to a minimum. I don't want to be a spammer. With my websites in my sig line, I should be good.

jeffo · Feb 2, 2009

Okay, I'll jump in with a few of my goals for the first week of February:

1. Find and write two $15 Demand Studios articles
2. Find and write two upfront payment articles for Associated Content
3. Finish Computer Unit Study article for Magazine
4. Finish Kid's story for Pockets magazine
5. Write 300-word segment for application for writer
6. Send invoice for 5 articles written last week
7. Queries -- Hey, Jen, I noticed you expressed your queries in the form of a dollar amount and not a quantity. That's interesting. I have always been setting my goals in terms of sending out a certain number of queries for articles, without really considering the dollar amount. I might have to think about that one some more...

ravenlea · Feb 2, 2009

February hasn't started all that well for me. I received four rejections today and one was so demeaning and rude it makes me wonder first, why I even bothered with the mag, and second if I should even bother with this whole freelance thing. Normally rejections don't affect me at all, but this one just made me sick to my stomach. I'm afraid my self-esteem took a bad punch.

anyways, here are my Feb goals:

Query three times a week
Send out five essays this month
Send out five short stories this month
Blog three times a week
Break into a hunting magazine
Break into a cooking magazine
Enter at least two more recipe contests

inkkognito · Feb 2, 2009

ravenlea said:
February hasn't started all that well for me. I received four rejections today and one was so demeaning and rude it makes me wonder first, why I even bothered with the mag, and second if I should even bother with this whole freelance thing. Normally rejections don't affect me at all, but this one just made me sick to my stomach. I'm afraid my self-esteem took a bad punch.

I hope you don't mind if the therapist side of me jumps in on this one. I just hate to see anyone discouraged by something that may have been more about the editor's own bad day or personal frustrations than the quality of the writing.

Remember, no one can "make" you feel a certain way, and no one can damage your esteem unless you allow them to. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but you don't have to take it on board or honor it yourself. Yes, you have to accept the rejection and market the piece somewhere else, but that is where the effect should end. If you allow it to make you question yourself or feel bad or discouraged, you're giving it an awful lot of power. No reason to do so! All it does is drain your energy for no good reason.

Okay, /dr barb mode

CatMuse33 · Feb 2, 2009

Raven,
That's awful... I wonder what that editors about that she (or he?) has to build herself up by making other people feel bad. This is a blessing that she said no to the article--who wants to work with someone like that?

And absolutely to what Barb said.

Sky--Isn't On Writing Well AMAZING? I love that book and always recommend it to new writers.

Everyone else-welcomes and hugs and high fives all around where appropriate. I've missed you all.

Wow... January, usually the longest month for me, just completely flew by in a blink. It is sooo true what parents say about kids.

LOL

I'm going into Feb w/ many, many assignments. Goals/Deadlines:

- Blog at least 3 X a week at BOL... I did well in January with this, putting up 16 posts in total, for 4 X a week!!

- Blog at least 2 X a week for my other gig.

- Blog at least 2 X a week for www.allcotmedia.com (My ANything that Pays blog).

Assignments:
- 3 Church features all due mid-month
- Get headstart on fourth feature, due beginning of March
- 3 Church personality profiles, due end of month
- At least 2 Feng Shui articles (goal is to get to 4 X a month for this client)
- Harass my newest Audiovisual client to give me work!! LOL He promised two assignments a month and I've had one since Nov... gotta find out what's going on.
- Get ahead and write column for Paintball Sports for next issue
- One fitness article, due mid-month
- Personal essay on Ashley Lyn's birth story for You&Memagazine (he wants to see it on spec)

AND...
- 2 queries to major national publications (yup, time to get started on this).

I am also uploading content at Bukisa.com for some residual income to get me through hard times. I had to dip into my savings to pay January's bills, and I really want to replace that money. Also trying to sell re-prints, etc.

Dawn

JenNipps · Feb 2, 2009

Skyraven said:
Jen - good luck with the application! Yay! I didn't even know you were interested. Good luck.

Thanks, Heiddi. I've been thinking about it for a while & when I went to the site to see your interview, I decided to look & see if there were any topics open that I'd be interested in. There were.

Still Seaking said:
I haven’t been on in a while, probably not since the first of last month. Here are my goals for February:

Hey, SS! Long time no see. Good to see you back here!

Skyraven said:
Jen - Thanks for the support. I'm trying to hit all of my goals this month. I tend to have carryovers when the deadlines are so far.

That's understandable. I think some carry-over from month to month is OK. It's if you're carrying everything over then it might be an issue.

jeffo said:
7. Queries -- Hey, Jen, I noticed you expressed your queries in the form of a dollar amount and not a quantity. That's interesting. I have always been setting my goals in terms of sending out a certain number of queries for articles, without really considering the dollar amount. I might have to think about that one some more...

Looks like some great goals, Jeffo.

About the $-query thing...

It works for me. I don't know if it would work for everyone. It gives me something concrete to work toward with the possibility of making it as a freelance writer. And it also increases the possiblity that I'll get to the point where I could go full-time if I wanted to (I do). It also makes me a bit more accountable than just saying x# queries a week/month.

ravenlea said:
February hasn't started all that well for me. I received four rejections today and one was so demeaning and rude it makes me wonder first, why I even bothered with the mag, and second if I should even bother with this whole freelance thing. Normally rejections don't affect me at all, but this one just made me sick to my stomach. I'm afraid my self-esteem took a bad punch.

I understand questioning about approaching that mag again -- I sure wouldn't -- but don't question (much) if you should bother with freelancing. I haven't read most of your work, but if it's anything like your WFD article, you're definitely on the right track.

CatMuse33 said:
Everyone else-welcomes and hugs and high fives all around where appropriate. I've missed you all.

Dawn's back JHSing with us. (I had to do that.)

OK, now that I think I've answered everyone (??), here's my bit for today:

I posted a new entry at Refilling the Well - "Remember Your Senses."

Two or three weeks ago, I sent a query to WRITER'S Journal about 4 steps to writing how-to articles. I got the on-spec go-ahead in my e-mail this afternoon, so I'll start working on that a bit more in earnest. (I had already started looking for possible experts/interview subjects.)

Today...today I submitted NAVAJO ROSE to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. Someone has to win it. It could be me.

ravenlea · Feb 2, 2009

JenNipps said:
Two or three weeks ago, I sent a query to WRITER'S Journal about 4 steps to writing how-to articles. I got the on-spec go-ahead in my e-mail this afternoon, so I'll start working on that a bit more in earnest. (I had already started looking for possible experts/interview subjects.)

woo-hoo! Congrats Jen! i still haven't heard anything on mine.

OK, so since I'm kind of a witch as it is, and I was kind of in a cranky mood, I emailed the guy back and asked point blank what was so "full of typos it looks like a six-year-old wrote it. Has no premise, no follow-though, not a wit of common sense ...." (I'd go on, but you get the drift) I also attached the original query. Lo and behold he emails back. Turns out, he sent the wrong email - or so he says. I'd like to say I got a gig out of the mess, but all he did was apologize and say they are already scheduled to do an article on what I queried about. No big deal, it's not the first time I've been late to the party

He did say to keep querying though.

I'm not even going to bothering counting how many rules I broke, and I'm not sure i'm willing to give this mag another shot - even if he did sent the email to the wrong person. It was enough to turn me off.

Here's to hoping tomorrow is beter!

Laurie Champion · Feb 2, 2009

that is mean-spirited

sorry you had to get that response and even if it wasn't intended for you, apparently some of the people submitting do get that message. And it's mean. No need for it.

I always say when the review (or rejection comment) says more about the reviewer than the text under review, ignore it. And this review certainly says more about the reviewer and less about the author.

Hope the rest of your week goes better. i wouldn't even give that rejection a second thought. Not worth the energy.

ritinrider · Feb 3, 2009

Hi guys, quick stop on my way out the door. Hopefully will comment on everyone else and post my goals later. For now just wanted to let you all know my mother-in-law, who was more friend than mother-in-law, and a better mom to me than mine was, died Sunday night. I was with her. Now to do all the other "stuff". Keep us in your thoughts and prayers, K? Sorry for the off topic, but this is where I hang, and you are my friends.

cress8 · Feb 3, 2009

ritin--my condolences. I'll be thinking of you.

jeffo · Feb 3, 2009

Yesterday I completed the two Demand Studios articles. It almost seems crazy that they'll pay me $15 for 10 minutes of work. But I pick topics I know a lot about, so it's almost effortless for me. I shouldn't complain. I've searched for Associated Content stuff, but they seem rather slim this week so far. I didn't get anything else done. I think my body is fighting a cold, and I hope it wins!

Ravenlea, I know it sounds trite, but look on the good side -- if you got four rejections, that means you did send out those four queries (instead of nothing). And now you've got four queries that are ready to go if you can find another publication that's interested in them! And it should be a good boost to you that the editor didn't really mean all that bad stuff about YOU! So yes, today will be a better day for you (as long as you don't get this cold I'm battling).

CatMuse hiya. You sure look like you have a lot of great plans for February! I hope you meet all your goals -- and knowing how those big queries can go, I think you should do one of those today. Otherwise, you'll be like me, scrambling the last day to get them done!

Jen, good to hear on the on-spec go-ahead. I've gotten a few of those in the past month, I hope some of the articles actually work out. I worry a bit about the on-spec ones that I'm working for nothing, but I guess I've got to start somewhere. I currently have three on-spec articles that I've submitted and haven't heard back on yet. I really liked one of them, as it was an interview with a performer that I really like and I included my own pictures of him as well.

Ritin, sorry to hear that. Indeed, my prayers are with you and your family.

Now back to work for me, perhaps I can work through this sleepiness cold-induced fog!

JenNipps · Feb 3, 2009

ravenlea said:
woo-hoo! Congrats Jen! i still haven't heard anything on mine.

OK, so since I'm kind of a witch as it is, and I was kind of in a cranky mood, I emailed the guy back and asked point blank what was so "full of typos it looks like a six-year-old wrote it. Has no premise, no follow-though, not a wit of common sense ...." (I'd go on, but you get the drift) I also attached the original query. Lo and behold he emails back. Turns out, he sent the wrong email - or so he says. I'd like to say I got a gig out of the mess, but all he did was apologize and say they are already scheduled to do an article on what I queried about. No big deal, it's not the first time I've been late to the party He did say to keep querying though.

I'm not even going to bothering counting how many rules I broke, and I'm not sure i'm willing to give this mag another shot - even if he did sent the email to the wrong person. It was enough to turn me off.

Here's to hoping tomorrow is beter!

Thanks, raven.

I'm going to send a couple PMs here in a little while -- have some transcription to do first.

If he sent the "wrong" e-mail to one writer, he intended to send it to someone else. That's still very unprofessional and -- IMO -- would be the source of more headaches in the long run.

ritinrider said:
Hi guys, quick stop on my way out the door. Hopefully will comment on everyone else and post my goals later. For now just wanted to let you all know my mother-in-law, who was more friend than mother-in-law, and a better mom to me than mine was, died Sunday night. I was with her. Now to do all the other "stuff". Keep us in your thoughts and prayers, K? Sorry for the off topic, but this is where I hang, and you are my friends.

Nita, I meant what I said on the phone. Calling really isn't bugging. At all. Ever.

Take care.

:Hug2:

inkkognito · Feb 3, 2009

Ritin, hugs and condolences for you.

Sky, I printed out the Examiner calendar too. It really spurs some interesting ideas! They are having a conference call tomorrow for the travel examiners, so that should be interesting.

Jen, Jamie replied with a very enthusiastic response when I emailed about you applying at Examiner. They really love getting serious writers from the forum.

Jeffo, isn't DS great? It takes me between 10 and 30 mins. to write a piece, depending on the amount of research required. I miss the old days when we got $15 for suggested topics, but still a reliable income source.

Hope I got everyone! I'm a little discombubulated today because our power has been out since 5 a.m. and it's 12:30 now with no end in sight. Plus my G1 phone battery was just about dead, and all our house phones are cordless (i.e. electric) so I was in a communications blackout. Now I'm at a local coffee shop with free wireless and outlets to run the laptop and charge the G1. I named that stinkin' thing Cracky because it has transformed me from a cell phone hater into a pod person: "I looooove my phone. Must. Have. Phone."

February 2009 Just Hit Send

Have you JHS today?

Have you JHS today?

What happened to my LIFE?!

Have you JHS today?

Onlyifyouwanttowillyoufin daway-Enya

Have you JHS today?

Onlyifyouwanttowillyoufin daway-Enya

Have you JHS today?

What happened to my LIFE?!

I'm a Bajaffe!

Doing what I was born to do.

What happened to my LIFE?!

AW Addict

Onlyifyouwanttowillyoufin daway-Enya

Just hitting send

Have you JHS today?

AW Addict

Have you JHS today?

Onlyifyouwanttowillyoufin daway-Enya