September 2007 - Posts
Aiming high is a good thing and I’m glad I did that last week when I
created my goals. Honestly, it gave me something to work towards, and
let’s face it, if I’m going to be any sort of success as a freelance
writer, I’m going to have to learn to deal with deadlines! Having said
that, I’m also learning what goals are realistic in a certain amount of
time, and that, well, life keeps happening no matter what I have on my
proverbial plate.
The short version is this: two out of the three goals I set for myself
were met. If the end result is what you were looking for dear reader,
that should sate your curiosity.
If you are one who relishes details, well then, the longer version awaits you here:
After I set my goals, I had a renewed excitement and began pouring through the pages of Writer’s Market
in search of the three pubs to which I wanted to submit queries. I
found those three pretty quickly and another seven came happily
bouncing along right after. Overachieving already! Now where is that
apple I was going to put on the editor’s desk?
The next goal of actually submitting a query to one of those pubs is
where I fell a little short. Fear not, I will meet this goal this week,
I guarantee! Turns out, I may have skipped a step or two before this
goal can be met but I’ll get there.
Then came finishing The Renegade Writer. This morning I woke up
and was only about halfway through the must read for any upcoming
freelance writer worth her salt. I told myself that I would not leave
the house until I’d read every last word, so imagine my dilemma when
MDH proposes we head to the beach for the afternoon. Having lived here
over three years, I still had not been to the beaches of Lake Powell
and it soon dawned on me: what better place to turn pages than the
beach! Away I went. I had no idea that I lived a stone’s throw from
this:
Inspiration and relaxation soon swept up the sandy shore:
I finished the book in no time flat and also had time to splash around a bit in the waves. Not a bad way to work and play, eh?
So where does this leave me now? Time to set new goals. Here goes:
1) Develop 3 topics for query based on the pubs for which I’d like to write
2) Scan previously published clips to include with query submission
3) Write and send one query
4) Begin (and hopefully finish) Query Letters that Rock (another Formichelli and Burrell masterpiece).
Now
I’m off to enjoy mint chocolate chip Soy Cream with copious amount of
Hershey’s Magic Shell (the best things in life are indeed vegan) and
look forward to another week of chomping on words.
Onward.
I tend to get caught up in all that I'm not doing and rarely take
time to celebrate the accomplishments I've made, or at the very least,
I acknowledge them but move on quickly to what I feel is the next step.
A few weeks ago, the online zine WOW! (Women On Writing) selected me to
be an intern for them and in their recent newsletter introduced me to all
their readers:
"We welcome our brand new interns: Sally Christie,
Debbie Delgado-Hand, Teresa Foutch and Kesha Grant. We look forward to
working with you and becoming friends. WOW! appreciates your dedication
and support. You make our jobs here easier and that means a lot. Thanks
again, and welcome to the WOW! family."
That's
really cool isn't it? Me, an intern for a successful e-zine for women
(WOW! just celebrated their one year anniversary) that is inspiring
women all over the country (and beyond!). It feels good to be a part of that.
So here is to accomplishments. Cheers!
I'm dangerously close to entering the deep, dark, ever frightening
abyss of endless excuses, non-existent self-esteem, and cheeseburgers.
However, I've got pen and notebook in hand and have created SMART
(specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely) goals for
myself to keep from falling in said abyss and having to call Poltergiest's Tangina over to get me out of the damn television set.
Here goes. This week I will do the following:
1. Find three pubs for which I would like to write
2. Write a query to at least one of the three pubs
3. Finish The Renegade Writer
4. Reward myself with vanilla bean Soy Cream drenched in an obscene amount of Hershey's syrup after accomplishing goals 1-3.
As
for tonight, the only abyss I shall see is my bathtub filled with
everything but excuses, followed by white wine and the sweetest tasting
omni-sub burger and saucy shells imaginable. The upswing has begun.