January Check-in

Well, here’s the end of January 2010 and it finds me very busy with my day job, son and writing. I’m happy to report that I’ve been blogging and writing articles/interviews this month. I’m so excited about the progress I’ve made in my goals and know that all the writing I’m doing now is preparing me for this year’s goal of breaking into a regional or national parenting magazine.

So, here’s my tally for the month:

1. Posted at The Freshman Writer 11 times.

2. Posted here five times.

3. Posted at my parenting site three times.

4. Posted two interviews and two articles at Momslikeme.com.

5. Reading up on magazine and essay writing.

I have come up with article ideas left and right since I started reading up on my craft. I’m reading about three or four books on writing as well as Writer’s Digest. Between all of that, working full-time and taking care of kiddo it’s been a busy few weeks for me. But, I’m still going to move ahead and put myself that much closer to my goal.

I even came up with an idea for an article while writing an email. So, I know that I have something inside of me to share with the world and that I can shape that into different things.

One thing I have noticed is that my confidence is growing that much more everyday. I can see my name printed in block letters with an article title nearby. And if I can see my name in print, I can see myself getting it done this year. So, the next step is to work on my query letters and send those out. I’ll keep you posted.

Being focused

I received my newsletter, The Prosperous Writer, from Christina Katz and in it, she asked her readers to write about focus. What does it feel like when I’m focused? And how does being focused create different results that in a time in my life when I was unfocused?

I’m more motivated, excited and upbeat when I’m focused. When it comes to writing, I share my accomplishments with my fellow writers. And the longer my list, the happier I am and then the more focused I am. I use this methods in all aspects of my life. I list all of my achievements throughout the day and am amazed by all that I get done.

For me,  being focused means that I’m determined to complete a task (or goal) I set for myself. Even if it’s a small task such as writing a blogpost or reading up on query letters. Focus is about going after what I want. I’m focused on living a great life with my son, enjoying my career and writing.

My staycation helped my writing

Well,  I know I just checked in about my writing a couple of days ago, but I have to report some good things that have happened since then.

I’ve been reading up on query letters and went back to a curriculum for a class that I took in 2006. I It was Christina Katz’s class : Writing and Publishing Non-fiction Articles.I highly recommend this class to all Freshman Writers looking to write and publish non-fiction.

It was (and is) a six-week email class with weekly check-ins and support. Each week I received one assignment and one check-in. In the process, I learned about various forms of non-fiction writing as well as developed one article and query letter to send in. My article was published in a limited distribution newsletter for a non-profit serving mothers in New Jersey. I didn’t get paid for that piece, but the letter and article got me a credit.

I edited my interview with a working supermom and finished my query letter. I also came up with several ideas after spending a couple of hours reading today. Now I just have to work on all of them and send out queries. I’ll see how that goes. I’m just so excited that I spent my week focusing on my writing.

My hope when I go back to the day job next week is that I can continue working on my writing consistently so that I can reach my goal of breaking into a regional and/or national parenting magazine. Small steps will get me there.

So there it is. See you later!

Mid-week Check In

Well, I’ve had a lot of things happen writing-wise this past week.My day job had taken over all of my attention the last couple of months. So much that I only wrote only one or two articles a week. And that’s with the examiner site as well as The Freshman Writer.

Then this past weekend I found out about a deduction in pay for one job and a raise in pay at another. Where one door closes, a window opens. So, it’s not all bad, just unexpected.

Last Saturday, I went to a local history museum to see a kid’s science show with kiddo along for the ride. That’ll be an article for the examiner site. I also posted about National Organization Month (January) earlier this week at the examiner site.

At The Freshman Writer, I posted the editorial for the week along with the Notable Quotable. And I scheduled a new post for Friday for a new feature I’ll have there as well. I’m excited about it and glad to add to my writing rather than moving backward. It’s nice to see my progress as it happens, which is why I love posted my accomplishments rather than my goals.

Besides that, I’ve dug out some old ebooks that I had printed out so that I can study up on query letters and magazine articles.

One booklet I have is from a class I took with Christina Katz, “Writing and Publishing Non-fiction Articles.” When I first took the class in 2006, I did the work on separate pages so that I can use it again. Katz told us that we should so that we can use the booklet to write articles in the future. Thank you Christina for offering such a great class with resources to help me along my path to being a successful writer.

I hope to do much more this week. At least another article for the examiner site and maybe applying for another online writing job. I’m limiting my job search because I want to focus on my magazine writing. 2010 is my year and with the way I’m going, I’ll do it!

So, that’s what I’m doing – writing, posting and studying. And tweeting along the way. lol Come back soon for more updates on my writing journey.

2009 Accomplishment List

Well, my pal Annette Fix just issued a challenge to her writer pals and readers. What did I do in 2009? I met and surpassed my expectations for the year and had a great time doing it. I also learned alot about myself as a writer. Learning about what makes me tick as a writer and how I can meet challenges that come along the way.

So here’s my list for 2009:

Wrote 63 articles as the NY Parenting Examiner on Examiner.com

Wrote 64 posts at The Freshman Writer (including a two month stint without writing).

Wrote 50 posts here at my portfolio (again including a two-month period without writing).

Landed a blogging job at Flaimahmy.com (pronounced Flymommy.com).

Maintained my discussion leader position at Momslikeme.com.

Jumped into Nano for the first time ever.

Earned triple the amount of money in 2009 than I did in 2008.

Met Annette Fix in person. lol Love you Annette.

Went on vacation with kiddo to California and had a blast!

And all of this I did while being a full-time therapist and mom to the kiddo.

I did alot in 2009 and I hope do to much more in 2010. Thanks for the challenge Annette.

Surfing and thinking

Yes, this is what happens when I surf online, I think. I think about what else I could be doing to further my goals of establishing my career as a writer. Keeping in mind that I have a full-time career working with kids as well as raising a child mostly on my own.

I was on AbsoluteWrite where there was a thread about portfolios and clips. One writer wanted to know how to organize her previously published articles. I read the responses and wrote one myself. Then I started thinking “I need to update my porfolio and clips.”

What should I put on there? How should I organize my work? What exactly should I say about myself? Yep, I start thinking and the thinking leads to stressing.

How do I combat this “stressful thinking?” I look at writers that I admire. I check out their websites and blogs to see how they’ve done things. I list what I like and what I don’t like. I also think about how these methods work for them. Evaluating what kind of writer I am along with my current responsibilities (child and work) as well as my writing goals.

I like using the KISS principle for myself because I can easily get overwhelmed. So, I’ll be working on my portfolio and clips here as well as my editorial calendar so that when 2010 starts, my writing goals can become accomplishments.

Later!

Mid-Month Round-up

Well, so far this month I’ve written, but not as much as I expected to. Once again my day job has been bonkers, but I’ve been working on it.

Here’s what I’ve done so far this month:

1. Daily posting at Momslikeme.com

2. Posting my accomplishments/reflections twice a month here.

3. Three articles so far on the parenting site. Not motivated much to write there, but I really like the exposure the site gives me. Which can be far more beneficial than higher-paying gigs.

4. Three posts at The Freshman Writer. Again, not hitting my target there either. I’d like to get out eight posts a month with half of them as the Notable Quotable and the other half an article on a writing-related topic.

5. Got a new 8 1/2×11 planner. I upgraded just today to a bigger planner to start working on my editorial calendar for 2010. I have goals that I want to acheive and I know that planning ahead can help. I’ll be filling it in as time goes on.

Well there are only two weeks left until the end of the year. I may or may not hit all my goals this month. It really depends on how drained I am at the end of each workday to write. As for the weekends, I’ve been invited to a few gatherings besides having other obligations that keep me from writing. I really need to prioritize in order to get my writing done instead of waiting for spontaneous writing to happen. Luckily, it happens often. lol Cheers!

I’m a dropout

Well, today I sent in my final payment for the online writing course I began in July of 2008. I stopped participating altogether by this past Spring. And even though I liked the idea about getting a certificate and earning college credit, the lack of communication with the instructor left a bad taste in my mouth. I love school and enjoy interacting with intructors and my fellow students.

However, my instructor’s monthly email wasn’t enough to keep me interested or engaged in the work. Guess a different writing course is in order. I still wouldn’t mind earning college credit as I go and possibly obtaining a bachelor’s in Writing, but I need something a little more interactive.

Either way, I’ve found out what works for me and what doesn’t. The experience has also inspired me to write here as well as to develop a post for The Freshman Writer. There is a lesson to be learned in all things, good or bad.

November Round-up and a thank you

Hello people. Just checking in after a crazy few weeks at my day job. Even though I was super busy, I managed to write a decent amount this month and added two new writing jobs to my load. So far, so good. Here are my goals below:

1. Five posts here on my portfolio.

2. Six posts at The Freshman Writer.

3. One post at Flaimahmy (pronounced Fly Mommy)

4. Landed a new writing job.

5. Attempted Nano. (While I didn’t succeed, I know why it went on the back burner.)

6. Four articles at my parenting site.

The Round-up

Well, the bottom line is that my day job went haywire and I needed to focus all of my energy on getting the job done. It’s my bread and butter at this point and is what allows me to write without worrying too much about when I’ll get paid. I want to increase my posts at The Freshman Writer to two or three times weekly, here at least once a week (which I have been doing), two or three times a week at my parenting site, once or twice weekly at Fly Mommy. We’ll see how that goes going into next month. And while I may not have hit my goal numbers, I have achieved another informal goal – to earn more money this year through writing than I did last year. I definitely surpassed the amount I made last year, but I don’t know by how much. And it really doesn’t matter anyway because I’m proud of myself for hitting and passing my goal.

And last but not least is my thank you:

I just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported my writing goals this year. From my family and friends to my co-workers and online pals. Thank you for encouraging me when I was down, giving me a kick in the rear to get me in gear and especially, for helping me achieve my writing goals this year. I know that 2010 will be even more spectacular because of your support. Thanks friends!

 

Nano went kurplunk

Well, my Nano journey has come to an end. Now it’s not official yet, because Nano doesn’t end until next week. But, my day job has been so crazy that I haven’t had time to scratch my head, let alone add to my nano project. So, I’ve decided to call it quits. In fact, I stopped writing the second week of Nano.

At first, I thought “I’ll get back to it” and did a few times by adding notes and research that I’ve done for the project. Then, I felt like it was getting farther and farther away from me.

Other than my nano disaster, I’ve been writing here, at the Freshman Writer, my parenting site and the newest site I write for – Flaimahmy.com (Fly mommy). Between writing for the sites and journaling as well as my day job, I’ve been keeping busy. I’ve also been keeping up with Moms Like Me as the discussion leader.

So, no goals other than to come here and report everything I’ve been doing writing-wise.