December Just Hit Send

Hi, *waves* back in the JHS swing. I've been working but not participating, glad to be back.

1. Concentrate solely on freelance, not teaching or pipe-dreams about novels or screenplays.
2. Minimum ten queries, counting each one of a blitz as one.
3. Complete article for Curve early. (due January 1.)
4. Get at least one query accepted.
5. Look ahead at 2010 editorial calendars, holidays and stuff to make a query calendar plan for timely submissions for 2010, and some kind of tickler system to put it in.*
6. Make or get a new query/submission system, or at least start fresh for 2010.

*Does anyone else do this? What do you use, Outlook or something else?

Hi!

I don't have any goals except to be productive. Really what I want is to write as many articles as possible and get them making the rounds. I think that will get 2010 off to a good start. Well, I'm hoping anyway. Since I was very lazy this year I do not have a ton of articles out there, but last month I started up again and had good results.

Hi everyone. No goals for me, just checking in. Well, so far this month, I've posted two parenting articles (both yesterday) and I'm about to post the Notable Quotable over at The Freshman Writer. I'm waiting for the pitch for Flaimahmy.com so I can get cracking on it and send it out before next Tuesday. I still haven't attempted the itinerary stuff because I'm always intimidated when starting something new. It's scary! Anyway, what I have also been doing is setting some goals for myself for next year. I would like to break into a regional and then a national parenting magazine using an idea that my sister suggested. I then worked it into a total of three ideas and need to do the preliminary research. And I'd like to do the mag work while maintaining my current responsibilities ie - the blogs, Momslikeme, Flaimahmy.com and examiner. So, I wanted to challenge myself. No goals for December, but to report everything that I accomplish. Love listing everything that I complete, it encourages and motivates me to do more! Happy December!

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted to this thread yet!


Progress notes so far:

• Blog: I'm Not Getting a Cold, Rinse, Repeat Denial....
• Blog: Parent and Teacher Conferences
• Blog: 37 Tips for Successful Homeschooling

The majority of the month is going to be taken up by Christmas planning, birthday planning, promoting my cookbook, finishing my novel, starting edits on my novel, and working on my "no" book . . . I think.

Skyraven said:

Hi everyone. No goals for me, just checking in. Well, so far this month, I've posted two parenting articles (both yesterday) and I'm about to post the Notable Quotable over at The Freshman Writer. I'm waiting for the pitch for Flaimahmy.com so I can get cracking on it and send it out before next Tuesday. I still haven't attempted the itinerary stuff because I'm always intimidated when starting something new. It's scary! Anyway, what I have also been doing is setting some goals for myself for next year. I would like to break into a regional and then a national parenting magazine using an idea that my sister suggested. I then worked it into a total of three ideas and need to do the preliminary research. And I'd like to do the mag work while maintaining my current responsibilities ie - the blogs, Momslikeme, Flaimahmy.com and examiner. So, I wanted to challenge myself. No goals for December, but to report everything that I accomplish. Love listing everything that I complete, it encourages and motivates me to do more! Happy December!

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Hi sky. I'm looking at 2010 too. It will be my third year freelancing, and so far I've accomplished my annual goals for the first two. I'm finding that a very good way to progress.

I broke in with the parenting mags. One thing I can suggest is that if you come up with a query that isn't really local, you can pretty much blitz it to the parenting mags around the country with very minor tweaks. e.g. if it was say horseback riding or something, you just Google a bit and plug in the name of the local trail or stables or whatever fits in that blank and send it out. If you need it, I have a list of them, although I haven't updated it in 6 months or so, it's still a good way to start.

inkkognito said:

Hey Auto, good to see you! I think Google Calendar would do what you're looking for. Open a gmail account if you don't have one already and you can integrate it with that.

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Thanks. I do use Google calendar, and gmail is my professional email account, so I'll look at it for a tickler and report back. btw, love Google docs and use it a lot.

Auto - Thanks so much! Any help would be fabulous! You make it sound so easy. lol I'm still very scared about mag work since it's completely new to me though I've been wanting to break into mags since I started freelancing in 2005. I just need to implement a system that works with my day job and home schedule. Kiddo is great, but he's a big responsibility. I do alot of juggling as it is and to add mag work to my current writing projects will have me juggling much more. Thanks again.
Check out today's Notable Quotable at the Freshman Writer. Think you might like it folks!

Sky: pm me with an email address and I'll share the Google doc or attach it if I have it in word.

I have a similar situation with fulltime job, kids, filthy house, general life chaos, etc. I love freelancing though so I just do it as much as possible. I wouldn't call it easy, but it is fun.

I guess part of it for me is that in general I don't mind being rejected; I figure it's part of the whole deal. I mean if I have my heart set on something it bothers me, but in general not.

What does bother me is the black hole, which is the most common reaction to a query--hearing back absolutely nothing. Bupkus. I'd rather get a rejection.

Anyway, the parenting mag thing, e.g. I wanted to write about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). I made the best query I could, and plugged in the local CSA and made a couple small changes about what veggies you could expect when. I think I sent it to around 20 parenting markets and got two acceptances, one local and one in Kansas. The only thing is, proof your final query really well, don't accidentally leave "Tampa" in your Oregon query email!

For the Kansas one when I wrote it I really tried to make it like I was writing in Kansas. I found a local person to interview there, local CSA to feature, even mentioned their weird local grocery chain to compare.

This method helped me break in the parenting mags. In fact, it's how I got my first ever story published. I figure editors have their own thing going on. If they happen to be planning an issue about technology (or whatever) and you happen to hit them with a query about a new kid gadget, you hit the jackpot. Obviously, the more of them you query, the more likely you are to get lucky.

ETA if you get an acceptance, make sure you contract the rights so you don't have a problem. What I mean is, sell them their local rights, or First North American rights only, not exclusive North American forever.

Hey ya'll!

The swine flu has broken through the Graham defenses again so I'm finishing up a newsletter, starting edits on the Zombie Dating Guide and holding heads over the toilet. Thank goodness I can multi-task.

finally have a new blog post up. winter time rituals

that's about it for me. I want to get a few DS articles done today, but have to head to Boise to look for a new pickup so I am not sure how much I will get done.

goals for December:
- blog
- five queries
- five short stories

short and simple. I think that is all I can manage right now.

New blog post up. Snow in South Carolina? That's about as likely as getting my Dachshund to go outside in the rain. But bring on the bread and milk.

The radio-web show that aired podcasts of my blogs before, asked for some more because their listeners liked them so much.

Got final acceptance for my essay in The Ultimate Bird Lover, due out in February.

Got two submissions out to anthologies this week.

Thanks, Ink! Now if I can just stay as busy as you've been, I'll have some Christmas money to spend!

Right now I've got two guest posts that I'm working on, which pleases me. For 2010 I plan to get out of some things so I can focus more on expanding my platform. I'll also be reassessing my current platform-building plans and seeing how I can improve them.

Blog post up. I've decided not to go all out decorating this year. Maybe I'll just Deck the Dachshund!

AmyDoodle said:

New blog post up. Snow in South Carolina? That's about as likely as getting my Dachshund to go outside in the rain.

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love this line! as the owner of two doxies myself, I know just what you mean. THey take one look at the snow and/or rain, tuck tail, and run back inside under the covers.

great post! I tried putting antlers on Dexter, but Darcy tore them off and destroyed them. Guess they showed me!

Nothing new for me. I've gotten a bit behind, but hope to catch up by the weekend.

Well just sent off my first query of the month, behind schedule. I took some time with it, though.

Got a bit of a dilemma. An editor at a market I'd like to get into says all new contributors come in on spec. *sigh* I think I'm going to do it. I think I could give them an excellent article, and I [strike]fantasize [/strike] hope it could lead to an ongoing relationship.

Kinda bummer to write on spec two years in though.