Nonfiction Market: HCI Books

Just got wind of a new market you might be interested in:

HCI Books, the Life Issues Publisher, published the first of many New York Times bestsellers in 1983 and is the original publisher of the phenomenal Chicken Soup for the Soul® series.

Named the #1 Self-Help Publisher by Publishers Weekly, we are guided by the philosophy that we "publish people, not books" and we consider anthologies a core pillar of our publishing program.

Each title in the ULTIMATE series features

• talented writers who express the texture and nuances of everyday life
• full-color photography that tells a story without words
• the insight and knowledge of top experts and mentors in specific topics of interest to readers

We're looking for "slice-of-life" stories and photos that are inspirational, motivational, humorous or thought-provoking. Here's what's looming, please don't procrastinate - we're already evaluating stories (thank you if you've already sent one!):

submission deadline June 30, 2008(*) The Ultimate Christmas (pub date Nov 2008)
submission deadline July 31, 2008 The Ultimate Teacher (pub date Feb 2009)
submission deadline August 31, 2008 The Ultimate Mom (pub date March 2009)
submission deadline September 30, 2008 The Ultimate Dad (pub date April 2009)

All the details you'll need (e.g. what we pay, our guidelines, book synopses, and a full list of titles in development) can be found at www.ultimatehcibooks.com.

Visit the link above for all the details....and happy writing!

Beth

the best laid plans

I started this week with very high hopes for my creative (fiction) writing.

When the SeriousWriters met on June 1, I had the grand idea of challenging my friend Katy to a little writing competition. She's starting a new story, I'm starting a new story, and figured we could both use a kick in the pants. I proposed a challenge, and we refined it to be a race to 5K. The first one there wins (we never did choose a reward and punishment..hmmm). We were to start Monday and write with wild abandon until one of us crossed that threshold.

I was mentally prepped to go. I'd spent most of last week brainstorming and outlining the first two scenes of chapter one, nailed down all types of details I need to know before starting (especially names, which have changed), and was practically salivating on Sunday afternoon, forcing myself to not touch my Alphasmart under threat of death. True, I had to attend an out-of-town funeral on Monday, but it was an hour away, and that'd give me ample time to light up the keys with the bar scene.

Alas, it wasn't meant to happen. Insomnia struck Sunday night for some reason (probably thinking I had school Monday...), and I woke up in time to walk the dog and get dressed. Took the alphasmart, but car rides always put me to sleep if I'm the least bit drowsy, so I woke up just in time for the church.

I did do a little more brainstorming on the way home, but not much.

Tuesday, I had a morning appointment then nothing...writing until early afternoon when we were to head south for a baseball game. I did manage to type the first few paragraphs, but nothing as I'd hoped.

Today was a vet's appointment, more cleaning...only to have the hub&son invite friends over to swim, which required a house cleaning. Cleaned the house, friends didn't show. I'm here....no creative writing done. I did manage to sit down and fully brainstorm two nonfiction articles due on the same day next week, however.

Tomorrow I have zero plans. Nothing, except for getting up to walk the dog around six am. Oh, and I'm meeting the SeriousWriters for coffee. Yikes. I just hope Katy's had some busy days at work so I don't look like a total timewaster...maybe I can crank out something in the morning....

I still have high hopes for the story and the challenge. Just might take more time than I'd planned (isn't that the way with writing?!)

Great ideas from another Beth!

Beth Morrissey is a fellow freelance author with a great, insightful post today on her blog listing ideas for making more money--go check it out!

Money Matters: Making More at Beth Morrissey's Hell or High Water blog.

If nothing there gets you excited...well, we can't help. I'm guessing you'll have a ton of ideas after reading her list!

Why I love writing freelance articles

I think my brain is being a little bit contrary lately. After my post last night, I went to bed, full of the questions, thoughts and tidbits of story for my fiction-in-progress. I fell asleep thinking about the hero/heroine bar scene and it really came to life for me in my mind. I went to sleep with the intention of waking early (fiction always compels me to get up early and write--like 5am or earlier early) and writing myself into the story.

Sometime during the night, maybe during one of the massive thunderstorms that rolled through town, my brain changed gears. Instead of waking to thoughts of Christopher, I woke up with the complete outline and most of the text of a freelance article I'd just barely brainstormed a few weeks ago with one of the Serious Writing girls. Every bit of the article is there, on the tip of the brain, screaming at me to write it down. Of course I'll comply--it's a cool article idea that I hope will help many writers during the summer months get more done with the kids at home. Never, ever overlook writing when it comes unprompted to the brain. (Beth's first law of writing).

I love that nonfiction writing forms itself in my brain with very little anguish to me. Unlike fiction, I don't usually have to write out, longhand, my freelance articles--it's straight to the computer, type that sucker up, and let it simmer a few days before editing & proofing. There are few wrong turns, unless an editor wants a rewrite or additional source. Nonfiction always flows. Fiction does too, but not as often.

Man, do I love freelancing...

Why I love writing romance fiction

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you've probably noticed that I have a love/like (never hate) relationship with writing fiction vs. freelancing. My fiction doesn't sell, my freelancing does. If you're a writer, a little gratification now & then (in terms of a paycheck and/or credit) is nice, hence why I've been doing more freelance lately.

Last week, in cleaning up some old files, I found the beginning of a story I started last year and realized that it's really not that bad. I love the premise (if you've read Mandi's Lucky Day, it's a little twisty like that) and the hero is just a flat-out hunk with a tortured soul. I've been reading over the old notes and finished pages (about 12), and have found the story creeping back into my mind at odd times of the day.

Last night, I took the fiction writing notebook (yes, I have a fiction and a freelance one...they look and feel different) to bed and instead of getting sleep, brainstormed on the first three chapters, intent on answering one major question:

Who falls first?

Romance writers know what I mean. In a romance, either the hero or heroine has to give in first and show their hand in the attraction game. Otherwise, you lose readers. (In case you didn't know, Mandi is the one--and only--since the story is from her pov). There has to be some type of awareness on the part of one character for the other or we just run around in circles waiting for someone to make a move.

However--this is one of my weaknesses. For the most part, I'm a pantser. I do a bit of broad, overarching plotting (I know the beginning, ending and first kiss scene), but I generally write the rest by the seat of my pants. In the case of showing their hand, I rarely know who goes first, and when writing as a pantser, find that it's difficult to nail down.

So when I sat last night with the notebook and freshly-loaded fountain pen, I was trying to save myself a little grief and know the attraction focus from the start. I'll be honest: I didn't have much faith that I'd figure it out. I was tempted to just start writing and see how far I got, but instead I asked a lot of questions of my characters. I actually learned that my heroine's ex didn't get caught with the secretary, he had some type of secret life (hence the "ex"). I discovered that the story takes place in mid-spring Chicago, not Louisiana. I realized that my heroine's original name of Lily is entirely too light and simple for such a complex girl (I can't write far into a story without the perfect name. Once I name a character, they almost NEVER change). I also found that Christopher (that hunky hero I mentioned above) likes drinking scotch (ick) in quiet, dark bars. I found that I didn't need the setup scene in chapter one: if I dive into the story, it makes much more of an impact to the plot and reader.

Oh, and I discovered that Chris falls for [Lily] first. She's the exact opposite of the type of woman he thought she'd be (a setup date for a friend), and he is totally enamoured with her when she sits beside him at the bar and chats up the bartender about the loser professor she's gotta date for her sister in law...which happens to be him.

That's why I love fiction writing. Unlike freelancing, which I can almost completely complete in my head, I have to write out the problems of fiction to discover the solutions. Must be the mystery that has me hooked. Or that hunky hero...

What the heck am I doing here telling you about it? Where's that fiction notebook?!

Shameless Self-Promo

A writing colleague sent along this blog link today, which mentions the very fabulous writer2writer.com ezine that I write for monthly (you ARE subscribed, aren't you? It's f...r...e...e.....) in general and my recent article in specific (along with the talented Judy Bagshaw):

http://lesbillgates.blogspot.com/2008/05/is-this-best-site-for-writers.html

I think it's one of the better articles I've put together in a while, and even better...it's only part 1 of 2. Check it out here:

4 Ways to Get Freelance Writing Jobs: Part 1: Online Jobs at writer2writer.com

hint: part 2 will focus on real-life jobs...coming in June!

Want to learn the basics of freelancing? Sign up now!

Beth's Freelance Writing Course, June 2-30, with the Carolina Romance Writers

I don't know why I kept forgetting to mention this, but if you're interested in learning the nuts & bolts (and all kinds of other good stuff) about freelancing, come sign up for my class with the Carolina Romance Writers.

The online class will be from June 2-30, and I guarantee you'll get more for your $20 than you imagined. The secret idea generator is worth that alone (I'm being serious). What we'll study over the 4 weeks:

--finding markets for your work
--coming up with myriad ideas on one topic or key word
--working with editors (and the seven universal elements that will help sell your query to every editor)
--creating the perfect query (my favorite thing, as you know...) (with a template...you gotta love that...)
--a submission plan for you to get your ideas out to editors and get you published

Just so you know, this is NOT a workshop for romance writers only. (don't let the title fool you!) It's for anyone interested in learning more about the freelancing world and what it can do for your writing career. I've had many positive comments from folks who've taken the course before, and have had several send me notes that they got published as a result of the course.

Come on, it's better than reading a book...and a lot more fun!

If you have questions, be sure to send me a note (blog@bethmorrow.com)

I'm pretty qualified to answer whatever you wanna know :)


Fiction to Freelance workshop with the Carolina Romance Writers, June 2-30

Friday's 2 Freelance Lessons

A day late but still worth it!

Yesterday I learned a kinda new freelance lesson, but not one I didn't somewhat already know. And the second lesson isn't really a lesson for me, since I've done it before with success, but it never hurts to remind you of yet another great way into an editor's fold.

Old Lesson, revisited:
In visiting with my summer camp director a few weeks ago in her office, I spied a copy of a summer camp trade magazine for program and director people, and browsed through the content. I liked what I saw--and wish I'd have seen it sooner. I figured there were topics covered in past issues that I, as a camp program director for like the last ten years, could have used at some point. Immediately, though, my first thought was, "I have perfect experience for this publication and I want to write for them." I noted the url and visited at home that evening. I sent off a nice note to the editor (fake doesn't work here, only the genuine thing) about how I wished I'd have seen it sooner, and how I'd like to write for them. I didn't pitch any ideas, just mentioned that if she needed writers at some point, I had experience. (If you're a longtime reader, you know that I did this with a diabetes magazine about a year ago. They bought the article but folded before it had its debut)

I got a note back the next day thanking me for my nice note, and with an attachment: the editorial calendar. She said she was filling the Sept/Oct and Nov/Dec. issue slots and invited me to pitch something based on those topics. At that time, I was pressed to finish an overdue piece assigned me the week before, so I told her I'd reply to her by the end of next (last) week, which she was fine with. And that leads me to yesterday's lesson....

New Lesson:
So, I spent about a week staring at this list of topics and scratching my head. These were tough ones--things I knew about but really didn't know enough about to appeal to an audience of over 10K subscribers. I felt the pressure around lunch yesterday (my self-appointed freelance time at work), and thought that if I can't give her an idea to blow her away, I'd twist a topic into something I knew about intimately--a topic we were facing or have recently dealt with in my camping experience. I chose two topics (mini-lesson: always send two ideas. You can send one with a detailed outline and just mention the second, or two detailed outlines, or two general ideas, but always send two. Even if the editor isn't interested in either, it shows that you can think broadly and not just have one great idea for the rest of your life), wrote a paragraph for each on how we were facing those and dealing with them, and sent it off. I truthfully didn't expect them to interest her. I'm not usually at a loss for great topic ideas for articles, but that one tested me.

Got back a note last night from her: she didn't like one of them--she liked BOTH of them! Crazy. She appreciated the thought I put into them (knowing how to deal with them on an intimate kind of basis was a good thing for both of us) and would like them both. Very cool. So now I've got two more assignments to add to the calendar, for a topic I love deeply. Go with what you know, and you can't go wrong.

And don't quit writing this weekend just because it's a holiday!

Today's Freelance Lesson(s)

Today was a first for me...my first face-to-face interview. I interviewed a wonderful doctor and longtime friend from the summer camp I've worked at for the last 15 years on his thoughts on diabetes pumps. His insight was just what I needed, and conducting my first f2f (I've done phone and email interviews before) with him eliminated a lot of worry on my part. However, I did learn a few lessons:

1) Always call to re-confirm.
I scheduled this interview over a week and a half ago with his secretary and didn't think about re-confirming between then and today. But when I called to make sure his office was in the building I thought it was in, his secretary informed me that he doesn't see patients on Thursday. I reminded her that I'm a camp colleague and interviewing for a magazine article. She was OK with that, but when I sat down with him, he mentioned that she'd forgotten to put it on his calendar, and, as a result, he had limited time with which to interview with me. No prob, as the questions were fairly simple, but I wished I'd have called last week to remind them.

2) Don't always press on your questions (but be sure you get the answers you need)
In the interviews I've conducted, I often find that once I start asking questions, my pre-planned questions aren't half as interesting as some of the stuff my interviewees come up with. I once interviewed an internet marketing guy and had five simple questions to ask. I asked one, and we talked for an hour and a half on some of the most fascinating facts of his work I had no idea existed. I got more than I needed, and even some extra for future fodder. (maybe I should post on that giant corkboard...lol). Plus, it gives a greater connection between the two of you if they can go deeper into their thoughts and responses without you badgering them with another question. I asked the right question from the start, and within that one response, he answered my first five questions. Cool.

3) Scout out your locale prior to the interview.
This is a no-brainer if you're going somewhere unfamiliar. I wasn't--listen, I spent six years as an undergrad at Ohio State, so I feel more than qualified to go anywhere on campus with ease...anywhere but the medical campus. Lucky for me, doc's office was on the corner across from student parking (believe me, they'll never know...) but the garage parking beside the office was staff and docs only. (I'm not a doctor but I play one on the internet...). Good thing I was on the corner. Further back in the med campus, there's only (limited) street parking (limited). Did I say limited? Next time, I'll be sure to make sure of parking in advance.

That's all for now. Had a grand time with Dr. Sam. Such a fun guy, and I learn something every time we talk. He also made me miss camp even more, if that's possible. (is it possible to miss something even more than you miss it when you obsess over it?)

Tomorrow I'm meeting with a non-profit client I volunteer for to discuss work on a project I haven't started. Guess I should get cracking on that...or I might have more lessons to share tomorrow!

and I forgot to mention...

Speaking of brilliant ideas (aren't they all? Well, except for the one that suggested we go to a playoff system in college football. But that's another rant for another post...), I've had one of the most massive ones I've had in a long time. (about three weeks, if you're counting).

I think I've mentioned that I've been working as a creativity coach with clients, and how much fun I'm having. Working with creative folks is such a pleasure and I truly learn so much about my own writing by working with theirs. One issue almost all of them face is writer's block, but I decided a long time ago that I don't believe in it, per se...however, I do believe we get creative challenges thrown our way and need to deal with them in order to create and write.

(that wasn't digression. It's where the idea came from!)

So, anywho, I've been trying to define, for myself and future reference, what I actually consider writing blocks, and I came up with the most amazing thoughts. Great stuff. Amazing stuff. Stuff I can't believe came out of this 8.1 pound folded organ (did I tell you I know all about the brain now after visiting the OSU Cadaver lab on Tuesday? Brains are cool). Stuff that has me so blessed excited, I'm working to figure out how to get it written up and into the hands of writers.

I have all kinds of ideas, and one theory on writer's block, and all of my thoughts have come from working with my clients. If you have a chance, drop me a line or leave me a reply to tell me about the times you couldn't write or have felt blocked (and what you did to alliviate it, if applicable). Especially if you're published, because deadlines have a way of making you find a way to write. I'd love your insight. If you don't want it public, send me an email at: blog@bethmorrow.com. I know writers are a superstitious lot, and we don't like mentioning a block for fear it will manifest, but one thing I've learned is that naming your fear helps in overcoming it.

Back to the idea. I'm so excited.....

Wednesday: Where do you get your ideas? Want mine?

I often swear the universe works in synergistic ways. The less-fancy*schmansy way to say that is that more and more frequently, I find that things I'm thinking of or dealing with are issues in the lives of others.

I won't give elaborate descriptions (not yet anyway...lol) but here's a simple one: I've spent the last several days, actually--most of the last week--thinking about the quandry I have with excessive ideas for articles, stories and novels. I hate wasting things. Maybe it comes from the creative thought that something I don't want can be used by someone else (I'm trying desperately to avoid the "one chick's trash is another chick's treasure" thing), or because, growing up, mom always lectured us on not wasting things. (She's a wise one, that mom of mine).

My problem is, and I suspect is the case with many other writers of all genres, once our brains are trained to think about our every day lives in terms of "how can I use this in an article?", we get ideas in spurts. Over the last month or so, I have literally filled my (newly wallpapered) walls with clips, thoughts, quotes, interviews, op-eds and insights that I know have article potential somewhere, but the real fact is that I won't get to 98% of these. And it's sad. I hate waste, when another author somewhere needs ideas and I'm hording them like my sister horded her Halloween candy (yes, Mush, I know--top left dresser drawer. You had to know I snitched it!)

Anyway, I digress.

I've been worried about wanting to share ideas with other writers, so when I read Beth's post (gotta love that name) today at her Hell or High Water blog, Inspiration is Perspiration, I couldn't help but remember my nagging problem. (Back to the synergy point I tried to make too many paragraphs ago).

What do you writers think about this topic of ideas? See, in my creative, no-limits brain, I see a giant online corkboard where folks can stop by and thumbtack those ideas they just know they won't use for others to stop by and swipe. And despite what the conspiracy-theorist writers say, even if two people pick the same topic, there'll write two different articles (the "p" word, plagiarism, excluded).

What do you think about a corkboard? Would you use it? Would it be helpful? I just hate all these great ideas going to waste. I know somewhere, someplace, there's a writer who has a need for an idea I don't have time for. Maybe it's you?!

Monday: Goals for a New Week

Last week was just a bang-up seven days. I managed to get one assignment (already turned in) with the promise of several more, another editor who sent me an editorial calendar and wants me to choose a topic for later in the year (yeah!), a copy writing job from my favorite charity (one of my select few free gigs), and just the general mojo of writing in the air.

This week's goals:
*follow up with editor #1 on the additional research articles he's interested in
*follow up with editor #2 on article ideas for her magazine later in the year (some tough topics. Might have to do a little homework on this one)
*write the rough draft of a brilliant new e-course I just outlined today
*send at least two queries or LOIs to new editors

and maybe, just maybe, work on that fiction story that keeps whispering to me ...maybe...

How about you? Gimme your goals. Or, if not, at least write 'em down. Make it a weekly habit to see just how much you get done. You might surprise yourself....

Desperately Seeking Your Advice On....Online Freelance Markets

Are you sensing a theme here? I'm full of questions! (mom says I'm full of something else, but that's another post for another day)

I'm working on my monthly article for Writer2Writer.com (fab site, go visit and read up!) and this one's dedicated to finding lots of freelance job markets online. I have tons of faves, but my question is for you:

Which online freelance markets (guideline databases, job boards or writing ezine/website listings) are your faves? Share the knowledge....

Desperately Seeking...Your Advice

Here's my problem: I hate taking phone calls from editors on my personal cellphone. Wait, let me clarify: I hate not answering professionally when editors call me. If I don't recognize the number and assume it's an editor, I answer with "Hello, this is Beth...". It works, they don't seem to mind, but I do.

I want a separate line to ring to my cellphone distinctively so I know it's from a business number, not my personal one (make sense?).

I've been researching this and have narrowed it down to what I need to do: sign up for a service where I get another phone number ("virtual" number) and it gets forwarded to my cell.

My question is this: do you have experience doing this? If so, what would you advise? Which service do you use, and are you happy with it? Is it worth the money, or should I just start answering every call professionally? (I can just hear my mother's sarcasm now...LOL).

I'd love your insight. If you don't have experience but know someone who does, by all means invite them. I'm sure more freelancers than just little old me deal with this.

Swiftly Running....Nowhere

Remember those old cartoons where Bugs thinks he's running but he's actually running in place? (or maybe that's Daffy or Wile E. Coyote).

I know the feeling.

One of the editors I spoke with last week liked my idea so much he wants the article ASAP (aka "NOW"). I managed to get the first draft done but am stalled awaiting the return calls of the endocrinologists for interviews. Grrr!! I don't have the interviews with the kids, either, but that's straightforward. I know the kids and the endos well--the kids will return my emailed interview questions, the endos more traditional and less likely to do the email gig, so I've gotta catch them in action with my trusty recorder (I'm buying a new one today and am excited! Getting a digital version....)

Hey, look on the bright side. At least I'm writing and at least someone wants WHAT I'm writing. Not a bad gig....

For you sports lovers in the crowd (...I digress...)

Only here for the writing posts? Be warned this one has nothing to do with writing and everything to do with shameless self-promo...

I'm always up for my 15 minutes of fame, and if you listen to ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike from 6-10am each morning, I got 15 seconds of it there this morning.

If you know me, I'm a sports addict and have an opinion on almost any and everything in the sports world, most notably the best looking athletes in professional sports. No sport is safe from my assessments. (Maybe bowling...). Anyway, the discussion this morning centered on the number of Derek Jeter's past girlfriends who've been named to the Maxim Hot 100 (6 total, if you're interested). Greeny didn't like the question posed by the Gnome--(this one was for guys):if you could trade places with Jeter, Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, or Tom Brady, who would you trade with?

I didn't like it either. It didn't take into account the woman's perspective! I zipped off an email telling Greeny & Golic that from a woman's perspective, the question should instead be ...which athlete would a woman rather be with...and that since I was a Buckeye fan, I wouldn't be with Tom Brady, since I'm an Indians fan, I wouldn't be with Jeter, since I'm a Cavaliers fan, I couldn't be with Kobe, so that meant I'd have to take Tiger...who does handle a driver better than my hubby (very true..lol).

Greeny read it on the air and both of them got quite a laugh out of it. Greeny made the misassumption that I'm from Cleveland, so I had to contradict that with another email.

After they read the letter (and even my name), my son excitedly called me (he and the hub were on the way to school) and laughed his head off about how cool it was (he was listening in the car; I was on my way out the door to work). Just goes to show you that a bit of quick sarcasm can be quite fun!

Ah, well. Back to normalcy...(does that count as a query submission? LOL)

Desperately Seeking...Your Thoughts

I just got an email response to a query that left me scratching my head. As writers, I'd like your input on my evident misinterpretation of the guidelines.

Here's the guidelines:

WRITERS GUIDELINES
Articles accepted 'on spec' and available as reprints.
Queries considered if accompanied by writing samples.
Submissions accepted in Microsoft Word, SimpleText or in body of email.

Here's what I asked the assistant editor when I called:
"To whom do I mail my query letter and samples?"

Here's what she said
"xxxx@sssss.com" (obviously changed to protect the innocent--my point is that I deliberately asked about sending the query and the clips)

Here's what I sent:

A query letter for an article topic covered in the "Types of Articles" section plus two published clips.

Here's what I got:

Beth--
At this time we are in no position to assign articles (and pay 'kill' fees if they are not published.)

We accept article submitted on 'spec' and available as reprints.
For our writers guidelines, visit: ssss.com
thanks for your interest...

And here's me now:

Totally confused. I did exactly what they wanted and seemingly was slapped on the wrist for not knowing what I was doing...even though I explicitly followed their guidelines.

Or am I misinterpreting? (Or misremembering, a la Roger Clemens). I would definitely appreciate your interpretation.

I'm not losing sleep, however. The query is on its way tonight to another publication! 2000 words on spec? Are you crazy?

Oh, wait, I meant....

I meant that I sent two queries today. Not really queries, but responses to ads posted on a freelancer's email loop. You know, the kind where you have to send your writer's resume and clips? Man...that resume was a killer (I hate resume writing) but it's nice to have it in the hip pocket to shoot out there at a moment's notice.

I just finished sending out my first letters of interest. You know what those are, right? Where you basically write a self-sales letter to a publisher mentioned your interest in writing for them, include a resume (aha! it strikes again!) and a clip or two. I actually included a link to my online portfolio instead of attaching stuff. You never know if it'll get through or not...

Have you ever sent LOIs? I haven't. Heck, I hadn't heard of 'em til a few weeks ago, but thought it was worth a shot. My ultimate freelance dream is to have editors call me with article ideas they want me to write (and the other part of that dream is to have them offer me six figs for it LOL), so maybe this is a step in the right direction.

One more last question: I'm working on an article on how to write more descriptively and for all you fiction writers in the crowd, what kinds of questions do you have about writing more descriptively? What problems do you face? I have an idea of how I want to approach the content but it's always nice to have the ideas of others in mind. Post a reply here or zip me an email at: blog@bethmorrow.com and let me know.

Another day, another query

I've been on a roll this week. I think I made myself take myself seriously (if you followed that) and am now on a mission to query as much as possible.

Tuesday I sent out two queries. Nothing back.

Today I sent out one query. Obviously nothing back.

I still have 15 LOIs to send out by the end of this week as my personal challenge.

I did pick up a little something interesting. I volunteer at the local diabetes association and mentioned to the executive director some time back that if they ever wanted writing help to call me. One of the directors emailed yesterday and asked to help on some marketing materials, so I'm going in to talk about that on Friday. Very cool. I know some writers scream bloody murder about doing work for free, but this is my way of using my talent to help something I care passionately about.

Oh, and to make someone (a friend and regular blog reader) happy, I've promised to re-visit a comment from the other day: I am a real writer, no matter how cruddy I feel on any given day about the fact that I don't (yet) rule the writing world. I actually made the comment jokingly (you remember in Shrek--I forget which one--where Gingy turns into a boy and says "I'm a real boy!"--well, that's the tone of voice I typed "I'm a real writer" in, even if you couldn't hear it.) (so are you happy, T?)

Off to work out and do a little meditation, then back at the queries. Maybe I can get those LOIs off tonight....or at least make a dent in the list...

I love Mondays. Honest!

Since the new writing room is 98% done (just general clutter to clear), I've been pretending to be a real writer :)

First and foremost, getting those queries out has been my main objective. I've managed to send two more, another just needs a signature line, and I've got a few more floating in the back of my head. But I digress...

I read a fascinating diabetes-related story today on some research the FDA has been conducting on teenagers and insulin pumps. For those of you who know me, that's a near and dear subject to me...my baby brother (who will be 30 (!!!) in September) has been a Type 1 since the age of 18 months, my best friend has been a Type 1 since age two, and I've spent the last 15 years working at a summer camp with the most amazing diabetic teenagers you've ever met. Anyway--this research was a little fanatical and negative toward teenagers' use of insulin pumps, and frankly--it ticked me off. (also, for those who know me, some of my best writing comes when I'm mad...lol).

I wanted to refute the research and let parents (and others) know that the insulin pump has been nothing short of life-altering for many of the kids I work with, so I scratched out a query on my lunch break to a diabetes magazine I enjoy reading. In looking over submission guidelines, I had a hunch they wanted samples along with my query even though it didn't mention it explicitly (call it writer's intuition), so I called the assistant editor, left a message, and went back to work.

Just before I headed out for the day, the editor returned my call. He confirmed what they wanted, I zipped off my query, and promptly forgot about it on the drive home. After dinner, I happened to glance at my phone and noticed a call I'd missed--the head editor. He left me a great message: not only does he want to discuss my idea further (he really likes the idea), but also wants to discuss the possibility of me doing more writing for them. I can't wait to call him tomorrow. I probably won't even sleep. Just like Christmas! I love writing about diabetes with the intention to inform and help. Very cool!

Maybe it's just me pretending, or this great new striped purple wallpaper that inspires me...but I'm starting to feel like a real writer...lol.

All I can say now is...bring on Tuesday! What are your writing goals for the week?