Living in the State of Inertia

Thank god for best friends. My best friend and I serve many purposes in each other's lives. Lately it's occurred to me that we're also each other's managers.

She got downsized out of her job last month and so, despite the fact that I haven't worked full-time for 6 years, I've been her consultant, marketer, and, hopefully, her idea person, though she's pretty darn good at it herself.

And here's what she did for me yesterday when we had lunch. She was checking up with me on the status of my various article proposals when I had to admit that I have a lot of ideas but no sent queries lately. I tend to have too much knocking around in my head all the time and then when it comes to execution I'm flying here and there and never get anything done. Should I edit my book? Should I send a query to Brain Child, More Magazine, Lilith, should I be local or national? What's the best for the writing career, for the book? And then what happens? I get so wrought up with everything I should be doing, I get the exactly opposite. A feeling of inertia comes over me and I do nothing.

Well, best friend got me pinned down. I was going to ship off a proposal to a certain magazine to be their blog editor, mainly because I've been the blog editor for Poetica for a year and it doesn't take much work and I'd like to increase my name recognition with a bigger market. So she started talking about compensation and I realized that, because of my life situation, the money's not the thing, the question is the time. Can I handle a very demanding editor job? And what exactly is going to have to give to fit that in because right now I can barely find time to breathe.

So, right now it's no on the editor query. But because of her I sent a query to Brain Child today for the Debate section, and a query to More Magazine for either an essay or the Front of Book. Also, I got my Holocaust Anthology from Poetica yesterday with my work in it and it's really lovely - gave my mom a copy with the dedication to her and she was thrilled. And Sandra Hurtes, who is hosting my work this month, has decided to have the pages with her writers be permanent so that my work will stay on there and she's going to invite agents to view the work of her friends.

Now I just have to remember what I'm supposed to do tomorrow. Um. How about this: Other More Magazine query (on 50 in longterm marriage) and Lilith Church piece? Also respond to editor at Jewish News asking for info on the special sections.

I can't believe I finally moved on something. I feel like a mountain that just had its facade crack a little. The good thing is that my inertia didn't last that long. Hopefully if I get in another immobile state, it will go by even more quickly.

Do you have a friend who can organize you and pull you together? Do you tend towards states of inertia?

How's My Writing Going?

I had a party tonight and someone asked me what's going on with my writing. I don't know how eloquent I was with her ("duh" comes to mind as my great answer) but this does give me a chance to review and reflect here.

I last had a piece in the Jewish News of Greater Phoenix in January; it was my fourth piece. I've submitted two more, one which I know they're not going to use since it was about football season, and the other which the editor said she'd send on to the editor for the family supplement. Family supplement came out, no article. I think I need to move on with that essay since it's pretty good.

My essay in the winter edition is in Brain Child right now but they didn't link to it online so it has limited visibility, still it is there. Just only print.

My editor position at Poetica is goin well. Poetica's membership has grown about 50-60 people in the last 6 weeks, hopefully partially due to the blog. The guest blogger spots are booked through the end of March and the artwork is working out nicely.

I submitted a query to Brain Child about a hippie in high school raising a jock, so I'm waiting on that.

I need to get two more queries out for the month so I think they'll be More Magazine and the Lilith Church piece. Also, I have to get that gaming piece back from the Jewish News and perhaps send it to Raising Arizona Kids or a bigger venue like Parenting or Parents Magazine. I have to remember to think big.

To Do list: Email editor at Jewish News and advise that I'll be submitting gaming article elsewhere.
                 Submit article elsewhere after researching (quickly!) parents and parenting magazines.
                 Finish Church Piece since Lilith requires a hard copy query and then send out Lilith Query.
                 Send out More Magazine Query about married 50-year-olds.