What's your goal?

I've set various goals and challenges for myself over the years, and it always motivates me to get work done. I am goal oriented, so it really helps me to have something to work toward! On Michy's forum, LaurieM started the August Challenge, but we all set our own goals. I set a goal for myself of 100 articles and 20 queries for the month of August.

The first goal should not be hard--I already have 21 for the month. The second is a little harder, because I am usually so busy trying to earn money, I don't stop to write queries. However, I must! This is the way to break into higher paying markets and get higher paying projects. So, I only have 2 in for the month, but I have about 24 days left to get the other 18 in.

Do you set goals for your work? What are they? If you don't, consider trying it!

Today's epiphany

Today I figured out something very cool and exciting. I am writing a long article for a magazine that requested it. I realized that the same topic can easily be reworked for a different magazine with a different subject matter but the same idea...and then I thought of several more places where I can do the same thing! I could even break it up into a series. I'm starting to figure out the system!!!

I'm FREE!!!!

Today was my last day at the day job I've worked for over eleven years (most of my adult life). It was at once sad and exhilarating! It's such a big change that I'm kind of in shock. I'll miss the routine and my co-workers immensely, but I won't miss a lot of the work and BS that went with it. I am very happy to be leaving on my own terms to do what I want to do! It is the end of an era and the beginning of a new one, and changes of this magnitude are always hard and scary...even if the change is for the better and you know that. I know I am going to be successful--I'm determined!

Helium Marketplace article purchased

I finally sold an article on Helium Marketplace: How the stature of the horse creates opportunity and obstacles: Movement. The money for this was quite good, almost enough to make up for the several articles that were not purchased. I hope to try again with this publisher, and maybe they'll like my work enough to ask me specifically to write more for them. Maybe not, but there's always hope! I don't know how much more I'll do for MP unless the titles are really intriguing, easy or well paying. It's a lot of work to just earn pennies if they aren't purchased.

Helium.com

Helium is another article warehouse of sorts. The way it works is, there are hundreds of article titles on the site, and you write an article that falls under one of those titles (you can also suggest your own, but you don't earn the page view bonus unless there are more than three articles in the title). You and other writers at Helium rate the articles, so the best ones rise to the top. You earn a few pennies for page views, and every once in a while someone will come along and buy your article. There are also contests you can participate in for cash prizes and debates that help to stimulate your creativity.

The best part of Helium is the Marketplace. Publishers contract with Helium to purchase articles written by Helium authors. The publisher posts the articles they want, along with guidelines and the price. Helium writers write the articles and rate them, and the publisher reads the top few and chooses one. Those that aren't chosen are transitioned to the Helium website to earn pennies. The great part about this is that the article prices range from $16 to $200 (that I've seen). The drawback is that you might be writing the article for nothing. I've done a couple that really didn't translate well to the regular site, so they were a waste of time. I haven't sold any there yet, although I have four submitted to a new online horse magazine, so I hope at least one sells!

Where are you saving?

I learned a harsh lesson tonight. Well, it's one I already taught myself, but managed to forget and apparently needed a reminder. I sent an article to the editor at a magazine I write monthly features for last night, and today she wrote back and asked if a page was missing, because it only had 288 words! I had somehow sent an old version. After over an hour of searching every possible spot on my computer, the correct version is GONE. I had to rewrite it...thankfully, 288 words of it were there and I remembered everything I'd written so it didn't take as long the second time. Still, it sucked. I could have written another article during that time.

lessons:

1. Double check where you are saving your file, especially if you downloaded it from an email (I'd worked on it at work, then saved it in a draft in my gmail so I could access it at home). These often go to a temp folder that is hard to find. I have done this before and found the files, but not this time.

2. Double check your attachments and make sure you are sending the right version of the right file!

The joys of monster.com

I generally keep my resume upated on monster.com. Recently, I updated it to show that I am available for freelance writing work, so I guess it sort of revived it, because a lot of people are looking at it. At least twice per week, I get an email that says something to the effect of "I have reviewed your resume and feel you have some of the experience or qualities we are looking for." The email then goes on to say they are hiring sales representatives, either for a mortgage company, a financial advisor firm, real estate or insurance.

Apparently it wasn't clear by the objectives listed on my resume what I was looking for, so I added a line that said "I am not interested in any sort of sales position." Yet, I still get these emails. Obviously, you did NOT review my resume, because you would have seen that I am not interested in your sales position. It's really nice of you to make the offer, but I am not leaving my well-paying day job to take an entry-level sales position--I'm leaving it to be a freelance writer. Very different objective. Sending these emails is a waste of your time and mine, so why do you do it? Take the few seconds to actually read the email to see if it's even a match before you send the email.

/rant