I have several ideas for interviews and the magazines they would be great for. However, I don’t know the potential interviewees personally, so should I ask for an interview before I have an actual assignment, and take the chance that I won’t get the job? Or should I query the magazines first, and take a chance that I won’t get the interview?
Five years ago, I faced a heart-wrenching dilemma. My daughter Rachel, who is severely disabled, was going downhill in a hurry. I was working as an in-house editor, and our days were long, grueling, and stress-filled. I’m a single mom, and although I have a nurse who works with Rachel at night, my deadlines and my concerns about my daughter were pushing me to a breaking point.
On Monday, a toddler, tall for his age, was walking down the road toward the bay here (we’re on Navarre Beach in Florida). A van drove right past him, steering around him, but didn’t bother to stop. He kept walking and was obviously alone. Ali hollered to me and then went to the toddler, who was almost to the water by then. He walked right past several people on the beach and nobody noticed. He was almost to the water…and still, nobody noticed.
A few weeks ago, I posted an article that contains a sample, no-nonsense letter for writers to send to deadbeat editors. I’m happy to say that, for those who have reported using the letter, almost 100% have subsequently reported being paid (and paid quickly!) as a direct result of using that letter.
This Week:
Whenever the ‘P’ word — PAYMENT — gets a mention, writers are frequently up in arms. There appear to be two camps of thought: those that think we should all write for free, ‘because it is our art’, and those who want to get paid what they are worth as a writer. Of course, you yourself, might fall somewhere in between where you prefer to get paid, but will write for free for good causes or if it is to promote yourself.
I’ve tried to register for the WritersWeekly forum many times but I never receive a response. What’s going on?
Last week was a bummer – mistakes in my newsletter, a complaining subscriber, and a missed opportunity with a public relations person who might have helped my career. Rejections seemed to have built up behind a dam and flowed into my email all at once. I found it hard to practice my own preaching about positive attitude and always moving forward. One day I literally left the house and went for a walk to reorganize my thoughts and ponder personal goals.
We are in Texas and were able to participate, for the first time, in my family’s annual Adult Easter Egg Hunt (AEEH). There is one huge blue egg that lands the lucky hunter a very nice prize. The smaller plastic eggs are filled with candy, gifts, lottery tickets and even cash. There are prizes for finding the most eggs and the least eggs as well.
This Week:
