Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!

I know, I know--I've been woefully absent from the blogosphere again. My apologies. These last few weeks have been very eye-opening and a little scary, but luckily, I think my worst days are behind me.

I am happy to report that I've gotten a bit of my writing mojo back. I've landed a few more assignments and am reaching out to editors (both those I've worked with in the past and a few new markets) with gusto. See what happens when you finally get out of your own way and just decide to push forward?

I've also been scarce because it's simply been too hot to sit in front of the PC longer than necessary! (And no, I'm probably one of the few people on this planet who does not have a laptop. Yet.) Like most of the country, we here in the Northeast have been at the mercy of temps that have pushed 100 degrees for the past few days. (Last Wednesday and Thursday it was over 100 here, which is highly unusual). On Friday I wrapped up a short little project, sent it off, and skedaddled for the comforting chill of the A/C in various places (had a lot of errands to run). Let me tell you, being able to take the afternoon for myself really does not suck! However, it left a nice long "to do" list for me to tackle this week. Luckily, the temps are supposed to be a little more tolerable this week, so I have no doubt that I'll get my various items crossed off in no time.

How about you? Have the steamy temperatures affected your productivity at all lately?

This 'n That...

I hope everyone had a great long weekend, and I pologize for the sporadic posts over the past week!

I had deadlines for 2 articles (both new-to-me publications, so I wanted to make them as shipshape as possible), I'm working hard at making some changes to my writers' group (there may be a post about that in the not-too-distant future), I had a few gatherings with friends, and, you know...life stuff has sort of taken over.

It's been really nice to have some breathing room. I'm feeling much less stifled by my current schedule, but I know that by the fall 'll be itching to get back to my classes and the new challenges they'll bring. I've been using my time wisely--doing a lot of querying, and I'll be reading some of my materials for my lit class so I'm going in prepared. I'll also be starting my syllabus over the next few weeks.

I have 3 articles due in August, 1 for September (thus far), and I'm hoping a few other queries pan out.

What about you? What's keeping you busy lately?

Spring Break!

My class is on spring break this week (sheesh--already!), so I'm using that as a reason to slow down a bit in some areas and take some real time off in others, so this might be my only post for this week. You know, I think that sometimes we don't realize how much we need a break until it actually arrives--then it can't seem to get here fast enough! So although I'll still be at the day job this week, it'll be nice to regroup and recharge where my class is concerned--I'm getting caught up on my grading and prepping my next few classes, that's for sure!

I have plenty of other stuff to keep me occupied, too, not least of which is my writers' group's first-ever conference that will be held in April. It's very exciting to hear the buzz that's been going around about our event. Last I checked, we had almost 30 people signed up! I'm incredibly proud of that, especially for our first time out. I'm also wrapping up some lingering work and moving forward on new things, which is always great.

Is the spring more or less busy for you?

What Are You Working On?

Whew!

How's 2010 treating you so far? I have to admit, January's been a bit of a whirlwind for me, so I'm trying to hunker down and get back into several routines--not always easy!

Just wondering what kind of projects everyone is working on. Personally, I'm working on about 4 articles that are in various stages of completion. Most of them require interviews, so it's been a challenge to work around day jobs and schedules and whatnot. 2 of the most time-consuming pieces are due on the same day! Gulp. I also sent out 2 more queries this week and have a third one in mind that will need some real time devoted to it.

Besides the articles, I have some ongoing work, which is nice. I have my workplace column and the online content pieces I take each week (typically 2-3 articles, though this week I have 4 since some of their other writers are busy with various other commitments.) Last week I was also offered a gig as a blogger for a local company, so I'm anxiously waiting for more information on that opportunity. So, lots of exciting things happening!

What's keeping you busy these days?

When Did You Start Taking Yourself Seriously as a Writer?

The first step to being a serious writer is to take yourself seriously as a writer. How can you ever expect publishers, agents, or editors to believe in you if you don't believe in yourself? Taking the craft seriously and thinking of myself as "a writer" above all else is something I've only recently allowed myself to do. Until very recently--as in, within the last year or so--writing just didn't seem practical, even though I'd slowly built up a freelancing career and had been learning all I could about the craft.

I've always written, and, as most writers probably do, I always had it in the back of my mind that I "would write a book someday". But it never occurred to me that writing could be a serious career choice, or that I could make actual money from something I just chipped away at "for fun".

I didn't start taking myself seriously until a few years ago, when I started a writer's group in the area with my friend Kathy. Our first meetings drew writers from all genres, and it really started to sound like something I could do, and maybe make some money in the process. I started asking some questions, and thanks to encouragement and the patience of another writer friend (who'd been in the game for years), I finally felt comfortable enough to send out my first query.

I've had my share of rejections, of course, but there have been quite a few successes, too. Now I can't imagine how my life would be had I not gotten involved with the writer's group, and was brave enough to send out those first few queries. Now, I think of myself as a writer above everything else. Now, about a dozen or so clips later, I absolutely feel that I'm on the right path.

What about you? When did you start taking yourself seriously as a writer?

5 Tips to Stay Productive

This week's posts will focus on staying productive during slower times--namely, the summer months and the holidays. Wednesday's guest blogger, Jodi Webb, will offer some great tips on keeping that output strong even when you feel like spending the last few weeks of summer lounging poolside.

However, to get you ready for Wednesday's post, here are a few of my own tips for staying productive:

1.) Do a little at a time. If you're working on a lengthy or complicated piece, do as much as you can handle at one sitting. Set up a timeline so you can keep yourself on track, but don't feel as though you need to tackle the whole thing in one day.

2.) Work on a variety of projects. I'm lucky to be working on a few different projects, between my own assignments and things I've taken on through my involvement in my writer's group. If I get bored with one of my columns, I can go back to the children's book I'm helping to write for the group, or develop a query or two. If you have a few different things to work on, you'll get bored less quickly.

3.) Get caught up. Do you have some half-finished essays sitting around that you've been meaning to tackle "when I have time", or a query that's been percolating in the back of your mind for months? If the rest of your workload is dwindling, create some assignments of your own and get back to those long-forgotten projects.

4.) Re-visit old story ideas. Perhaps you hit a stride with some of the ideas you pitched, and were busy developing the articles. Now they're wrapped up, so it's time to send out a few more queries. Check out your old notebooks, emails, lists, or wherever you jotted down your next money-making idea and see if there's any interest with editors.

5.) Follow up with editors. Don't be too quick to write off the summer as non-productive! You may still have some work waiting out there if you follow up with the editors you've queried. If you had no response to your initial query, send a follow-up and ask them what the status might be for your article. Editors have a long list of demands on their time, and it's possible that they haven't had a chance to reply to you. Help them out. I'll usually cut and paste my original query into my follow up email so they're not scrambling to find it in their inbox.