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Post by Phalon on Jan 23, 2012 8:16:38 GMT -6
Let's see...what was the last actual thing I've done aside from a few blogs and writers' group stories...
That was mid-September, and obviously the contest judges felt the same way about the piece as I did. I'm not surprised; it was a long-shot, anyway.
October, I came down with a bad case of writer's block, and I'm not quite fully recovered yet. I missed the deadline to get any queries in to the magazine I currently write for; they set their editorial calendar for the upcoming year in November - any ideas I come up with now will have to be on spec until next year.
I really want to branch out anyway - not that I don't want to continue writing for them; I love the magazine, the editors are peaches, and I know what they're looking for in an article. But it's like that quote Siren posted from Kathy Lee Gifford: "If you can do something with your eyes closed, it's time to find something new." Not that it's overly simple to write a 1,500 word article in the style they'll print, but I've maybe grown too comfortable....complacent, maybe.
And so, the quest is on. I got three queries out last week - one it-seems-like-a-perfect-fit, one semi-long-shot, and one possibly outta-the-ballpark. But hey, ya never know 'til you give it a shot, right?
I've got eight more queries I'd love to get out in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully, I'll get them sent. Hopefully, I'll get some favorable response. We'll see.
As my Dad would have said: It's time to get crackin'!
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Post by Phalon on Feb 2, 2012 23:56:15 GMT -6
Got 3 more queries out. Added 3 additional ideas to my list.
The thing about queries....the magazine guidelines all say they'll respond to queries in a "reasonable time." What is reasonable? A month? A few months? Six months? Depends. A week would be reasonable to me; a day even better. For someone who procrastinates as much as I do, I hate waiting.
I thought the big news in the procrastination department this week was that I finally got all the hard copies of stuff I've written (that for years has been thrown in a box, stuffed into drawers, and strewn across both my desks) put into binders. Not in any kind of chronological order as to when I wrote them, but at least they're all in one place. And...I borrowed an external disk drive thingy from my neighbor, and transferred all the stuff I still had on floppy disk to a flash drive, (and then discovered this computer actually has a floppy disk port). But it's done! Everything is backed up. How many years has it been, Joxie, that you've been telling me to do this?
So yes, that's pretty big news; for me it is, anyway. But that's not all...
I heard back on two of the queries this afternoon, (these two went to the same magazine). One, they are definitely interested in, and want to see the article and photos, (yay!). They're not sure if the other is something they could use, but if I want to go ahead and write it, they'd "be happy to take a look". I'll write it; if they can't use it, maybe I can send it elsewhere, or even use it for a blog post. It's nice to have completed stuff hanging around for "just in case" purposes.
First though, I've got to write an article for the Master Gardener newsletter that's due next Friday.....that I've known was due next Friday since the first of December.
Procrastination.....it never ends.
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 3, 2012 2:38:37 GMT -6
Way back on the old Whoosh board, I believe. I'm sure it's still there somewhere. Here's a site to backup works to too:
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Post by Phalon on Feb 18, 2012 9:00:57 GMT -6
Recycling: a procrastinating writer's best friend. Or, in my case, it should probably be a "writing procrastinator" - I'm an all-around equal opportunity procrastinator, not just when writing.
Anyway, recycling can be a good thing. I got the newsletter article done in time. Actually, I had five extra days because the editor was on vacation - another good thing because it took me four of those five days to come up with a topic! Then I decided 'waste not, want not', changed the first couple, and last paragraphs which kind of changed the all-around topic of the article, recycling it into a blog post. Probably not the best I could have done - cutting half of it out might have been better.
Sometimes recycling works; sometimes it doesn't.
Sent in the article and photos to the magazine that was interested. The article was another I wrote for the newsletter a couple of years ago. I expanded it, broadening the scope to a wider geographical audience instead of just this locale, and used a modified plant list from another article I had published early on when I first started writing for magazines. With about a little over an hour's work, I had an entirely new article and a sidebar. This time recycling worked - they purchased the article; I signed the contract yesterday.
I've been busy this week gathering thoughts and information for the other article they might be interested in. Another kind of recycling - all the writing on this one is from scratch, but the idea came from something I wrote previously.
Haven't progressed much on the queries. I've got one about half-way done, and another started.
A third I think I'm going to scrap entirely. They want too much "ish" as LX would say - an outline of the proposed article, a bibliography, first paragraph draft, two writing samples of published work, and a writer's resume. What the heck is a writer's resume?! I had to look up examples. I don't have enough time for all that; this one has a deadline attached to it which is just a couple of weeks away....
....which of course, true to form, I knew about way back in November.
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 22, 2012 2:01:57 GMT -6
Thought you might be interested in this:
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Post by Phalon on Feb 27, 2012 8:32:10 GMT -6
Thanks for the link, Joxie. I do kind of a similar thing: I keep a day planner next to my keyboard, and make sure it's on top of the stack of cr@p I also have next to my keyboard. Each day I write on the planner what I want to work on while I'm sitting at my desk. Not that I get to each thing on the list; sometimes it just gets moved from one day to the next.
On a suggestion from a friend who writes daily lists of what he wants to accomplish during that particular day, some of the items on my list are "gimme"s - stuff that doesn't take a whole lot of time, and therefore, might be put off for another day or so.
The idea behind this is, like the woman writing the blog wrote, crossing something off the list gives a sense of accomplishment. It's kind of like psyching myself out, I know, but to a procrastinator, actually finishing something can be a big deal.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 6, 2012 8:15:53 GMT -6
Two more queries sent last week.
This morning, I sent the article and photos to the editor that "might" be interested in publishing it.
Heard back yesterday from an editor who liked my idea; he will be presenting it to his editorial staff and get back to me "in the upcoming days".
Tally so far since mid-January:
Queries sent: 8
Articles sold: 1
Maybes: 2
Not heard from yet: 5
Ideas scrapped entirely: 1
Queries still left to write: 4
The four left are not quite as difficult as the one I scrapped because I didn't have time to do all they wanted, but require more work than the queries I already sent. One thing I've discovered since admitting I'm a procrastinator is that procrastinators (most likely just me specifically) always leave the stuff that requires more work for last.
I'd better get moving. I wanted all this preliminary cr@p done before I went back to work. The clock is ticking loudly.
I wish it had a mute button.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 6, 2012 18:03:02 GMT -6
What I've been working on:
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Post by Phalon on Mar 8, 2012 5:22:41 GMT -6
Cool, Joxie. And good luck!
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 8, 2012 16:57:20 GMT -6
I sold a cat calendar this past December. Finally.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 9, 2012 10:15:57 GMT -6
Good deal, Joxie. Every sale is another feather in your hat, money in your pocket, and a potential repeat customer for the future.
I heard from the editor who liked my article....or rather, I heard from one of his editorial staff he presented it to, who obviously didn't like the idea as much as he did.
"Thank you for your interest, blah, blah, blah, perhaps in the future, blah, blah, blah."
Ah, well...the query is written, and I've got in mind 3 more magazines that I think would be a good fit for the article. All I've got to do is change the name and address to get it off to the next on the list.
And then wait....and wait...and wait some more.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 9, 2012 22:48:33 GMT -6
I made $2, but they don't send you any money until you've made $25 or more. So, I doubt I'm ever going to get it. I've had that calendar up on CafePress since 03, I believe. Maybe a bumper sticker will sell sooner than the calendar did.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 12, 2012 6:34:04 GMT -6
Dang, Joxie - at $2 are you even covering the cost of the paper it's printed on and shipping costs? You might make a better profit by printing some and selling them at your local animal shelter or veterinary offices, donating a portion of the proceeds to the shelter in exchange for the offices having them available for sale.
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 12, 2012 16:09:08 GMT -6
The $2 is what I added to CafePress's cost. I can add as much as I want to their list price. That is what I make from the deal. They already have the price they want that will net them a profit. I thought $2 per calendar was fairly good income. Of course, I thought they were going to sell like hotcakes.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 14, 2012 6:46:28 GMT -6
Of course you did. Just like I thought the article idea that was rejected last week was a shoe-in; it seemed like such a perfect fit for the magazine I queried. We wouldn't do this kind of stuff without visions of success in our minds.
Occasionally anyway. I got another rejection yesterday....but wasn't surprised or disappointed at all. It was from that "outta the ballpark" thing I sent in mid-January. It was an already-written piece - part fiction/kinda nonfiction - that involved weaving together a story involving plant variety names. The response from the editor made me laugh...
"Great story - I really enjoyed it. Then again, as a story it might be too X-rated for our magazine. I see the potential of the concept, but don't see how to make it a workable piece without it being too racy."
I had a good idea it'd be rejected for being too racey. X-rated, though?! Moi? But with plant names like "Centerfold", "Striptease", "Hanky Panky", "Get Nekked", "Hot Lips", "Voluptuous", and "Sexy Rexy" - just to name a few, (and yes, these are actual variety names of plants) - how could I possibly resist?
I really don't see a market for the piece, but dang it was fun to write!
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Post by Mini Mia on Mar 14, 2012 15:07:15 GMT -6
You should indie publish pieces like that. Small articles could be .50 to .99 cents. You could sell them at one place at first, then work up to as many eBook sites as possible. I'm still working on stuff to indie publish. Summer is the idea, but it isn't set in stone. I'll post a potential date once I've got things ready. I'm still learning.
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Post by Phalon on Mar 17, 2012 7:32:53 GMT -6
HA! You go first, Joxie!
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Post by Phalon on Mar 31, 2012 21:15:44 GMT -6
I heard back from the editor who might/might not be interested in my article idea. I wrote the article; it turned out to be a good fit for the magazine; I signed the contract yesterday.
Another sale!
I'm trying to decide if I was successful in this push to get 11 queries out in a couple of weeks, (which turned into a dozen or more in 2 months - my finely tuned procrastination skills were hard at work there).
My goal ended up being to get all the queries done before I went back to work; there are still 3 more I absolutely want to get out within the next couple of weeks (couple of months?). I got 9 completed in the last two months, with 2 firm rejections, and 2 articles sold. The rest I haven't heard anything from yet one way or the other.
You know how it goes - you have (what you think) is a great idea, and can't believe people aren't beating down your door, telling you how great it is. That's the thing I hate about queries: you have to convince an editor who's never worked with you, who doesn't know your writing style, who hasn't read any of your other work, to print an article in their magazine...and you only have a couple of paragraphs to detail the article, explain why it would fit into their magazine, and convince them that their readers would benefit from having read such an article when you haven't even written such an article yet!
That's why I drag my heels so much writing queries. Bluck. It's so much easier to wait until an editor from the magazine I write for e-mails me and says, 'hey, we have an idea...do you want to write the article?' Unfortunately for me, they changed their editorial staff recently, and I don't have the "in" I used to.
So, in a way this recent flurry (if it can be considered a flurry...maybe just a fluttering) was successful. I got out 3 times the queries in two months that I usually send out in an entire year. I broke into a magazine I haven't previously been published in yet...not just with one article, but two. And I have a slew of queries written that if get rejected or go unanswered in six months, I can send out to different magazines...
...if I can push myself to actually send them out a second time six months from now. Procrastination experience tells me it'll probably be this same time next year.
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Post by Mini Mia on Jul 11, 2012 15:27:09 GMT -6
12 pages typed up, but not printed out. Waiting on the two pages I haven't added to yet.
One page handwritten and typed up, and 7 pages printed out. One last page to write/type up and then I can print out the last of the pages in that MS. The two MSs are alphabet humor.
To get a taste, check out this blog:
Hubert Newsome's Word of the Day Daily Blog
About
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Post by Mini Mia on Jul 12, 2012 1:37:43 GMT -6
One page handwritten and typed up, and 7 pages printed out. Done with this edit. Now just need some readers to give me feedback before I can even begin to get it ready for eBook publication.
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Post by Spock on Jul 12, 2012 10:38:29 GMT -6
... Now just need some readers ... I would be willing to give it a try ... how long do I have to procrastinate?
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Post by Mini Mia on Jul 12, 2012 15:28:20 GMT -6
I was trying to decide if I want to post it to the 'Sacred Nine' board, or create a password protected board and give out the password to those who want to help. I have my own board/s where I could post it to, but I know some don't want to have to create yet another account. And I don't blame them. I too feel that way.
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Post by Spock on Jul 12, 2012 19:59:11 GMT -6
I would prefer to help in here if at all possible. I already have more accounts on the web than are good to have.
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Post by Mini Mia on Jul 12, 2012 23:13:42 GMT -6
I'm sure most everyone here feels the same way. Just need to find out how many might want to help out, so I can get it all set up.
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Post by Phalon on Jun 18, 2013 4:29:51 GMT -6
Wow, that was over a year ago....shortly after we learned my brother had cancer, and shortly before he died.
And I have done nothing since.
Had a nice surprise yesterday though, when I got home from work - two copies of the magazine with the above mentioned article. They published the first article shortly after I wrote it, but I never heard anything back about this one after I signed the contract; after a while I forgot about it.
There was no check with this one, though.
Hopefully, it won't take another year to get here. Talk about procrastination.
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Post by Phalon on Feb 15, 2015 9:43:51 GMT -6
This made me chuckle...uhm...because it's so true.
LX has until Friday at 6pm to post homework assignments to the on-line blackboard for some of her courses. At 5:50 this past Friday, I received a text from her...
LX: "I have artfully and successfully mastered writing an 800 word essay in less than an hour. A skill I learned from my momma." Me: "It sounds more like you've successfully mastered the artful skill of waiting until the absolute last minute to do anything."
LX: "Yes. I learned that from my momma too."
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 15, 2015 23:30:55 GMT -6
Too funny.
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Post by Mini Mia on Oct 19, 2016 2:01:27 GMT -6
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Post by Mini Mia on Jul 27, 2018 21:12:16 GMT -6
I post on Mystical Adventures sometimes.
I wrote 12 notebook pages on the 24th, 9 on the 26th, and 8 today. Firle, the board owner, is in Germany, so the time on the posts reflect that.
There is a member there with this in their siggy:
"I'd procrastinate now, but it would be easier tomorrow."
http://bmysticaladventures.runboard.com/t66,offset=1770#post239739
bmysticaladventures.runboard.com/
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 2, 2019 1:04:19 GMT -6
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