How I Became an Undomestic Goddess

How's this for irony? A few years ago, after two years of being a stay-at-home other, I decided to venture into freelance writing. At the time, regional parenting magazine Charlotte Parent ran a guest column each month. Writers were welcome to submit their stories for possible publication, with no pay. One evening, I dashed off an essay about how becoming a mother made me learn how to cook and keep a clean house, and how much I enjoyed making chocolate chip cookies from scratch. I know, kind of sickening, and now that I look back upon it . . . just plain old funny.

A few months later, my mother-in-law called to rave about the essay I had written for a magazine. I didn't know what she was talking about, especially since she lived an hour and a half away. I realized she was talking about my Charlotte Parent submission, which my sister-in-law had heard about from a friend who lived in my town, etc. Imagine my surprise when I picked up a copy of the publication at my local grocery store and saw my essay -- and byline -- in print. It was called "How I Became a Domestic Goddess." The funny thing is that it apparently offended a few working moms who weren't able to be as domestic as I was for lack of time, and one even wrote a huffy letter to the editor the next month.

Fast forward three years and I am now a blogger for CharlotteParent.com. I write about the perils of being a work-at-home mother in the blog "Round the Clock." My house is anything but clean. Dinner is usually a thrown-together affair during the week. It's complete insanity, and completely opposite from when I first became a mother. Things change. Circumstances change. I love what I do. I love that I now have a beautiful home office. I don't love the fact that I have cobwebs in the corners because I rarely find the time to dust.

Read about how a typical day in my working goes in a recent post over at CharlotteParent.com. You'll see how much I've become an "undomestic goddess" in the process.

Want To Break Into a National Magazine? Think Outside The Box

I came across an interesting post over at About Freelance Writing recently. Guest columnist Melissa Walker gives solid advice on how to break into the nationals -- and included several tips that I hadn't heard of before. Among them:

• Pitch to associate editors instead of sending your queries straight to the top with the senior editors. Apparently associate editors are always on look-out for new, reliable writers and are usually more willing to hear fresh pitches. They are also eager to impress their bosses, and talented writers with intriguing ideas can help them do that.

• Flatter the editor with your love for her newly designed section of the magazine or a book she just published. I've never even thought of putting an editor's name into a Google search engine to see what else they've been up to. Where's my list again?

• Don't forget to clip interesting stories you see in your local news. With a little extra legwork, you could take that story and pitch it nationally. An on-staff reporter for a newspaper usually doesn't have time or the energy (or even permission) to carry the story to further media outlets. I recently clipped out an interesting article with the intention of possibly using the story in a novel. Maybe I need to rethink that and use it now.
  

Check out more tips from Melissa Walker over at About.com. And thanks to Allena for finding such a qualified and helpful writer to give tips!

Never Underestimate the Power of Social Networking

So I was venting about not having any sources yet for an article due next week in a recent post. I made a last frantic attempt at posting threads on every online forum I belong to, and guess what? I got some very good leads in the past few days! I may be able to get this article done on time, after all. I have to say a big "thank you" to everyone who forwarded me possible sources and different avenues to explore. This is why I have to stress to any writer starting out (or even those already established) how important the power of social networking is. You never know who you might come across that could be an excellent source or know where to find the best sources. I even broke down recently and signed up on MySpace (which I said I would never do) but it has helped me reconnect with some old friends and even helped me get in touch with some much needed sources. On the flip side, if you happen to see a call for sources in your "travels" that you would be perfect for, get in touch with that writer! It's called karma, and it will only bring good things to you if all is handled in a timely and professional manner.

Just Call Me Valerie Bertinelli

I remember reading something on the Writer Mama blog a few months ago about how being a writer sometimes equals weight gain. I could relate to that post, and I finally decided to do something about it. While I've had a blast working as a freelance writer, I've found myself in way too many coffee shops snacking on muffins and drinking lattes. Or working very late at night and drinking coffee, which is not exactly stellar for the metabolism.

I enlisted some professional help and am working on getting my nutrition and fitness back on track in hopes of losing the fifteen extra pounds I've picked up over the past year. It's the reason I haven't been posting on this blog very often, and one of the reasons I've taken on less work this month.

I want to find a way to balance it all -- working out five days a week, writing at least twenty hours a week, spending time with my family, etc. So far I've still got some balls hanging in the air, but hopefully everything will even out soon and these shin splints will go away.

It's been a great experience so far, and I really need to record the process because it would make, of course, a great article idea for one of the fitness or women's magazines! I'm already considering a subscription to Health magazine because the editorial is really in line with the changes I've made to my lifestyle (although the last thing we need around here is more magazines). I'll research the editorial well and let you know what sections are looking for freelance submissions soon. Wish me luck!

Sources, Where Are You?

Have you ever been given an assignment that didn't sound so bad at first, but after you dug in, left you hunting for sources under every rock you could think of?

That's where I'm at right now. The article is due Tuesday and so far I have one expert and no anecdotal sources. I'm trying hard not to go into panic mode yet. I'm not sure if I should go ahead and tell my editor that it seems to be a sensitive subject and I'm still searching high and low for one or two people to interview. Or should I just grit my teeth, forge ahead and get something turned in without complaining?

Because that's my problem. When it comes to writing, I'm a people pleaser. I don't like to tell editors I'm stumbling over road blocks. I don't want anyone to think I can't complete my assignments, tricky as they might turn out to be. Because then they may not want to work with me again. I'm kind of a wimp that way.

So what would you do? I typically start losing sleep when this occurs, which is never a good thing. And I'm so worried about it I'm procrastinating and not completing the work I do have sources for. It's a vicious cycle.

Weekend, Here I Come!

I am so proud of myself at the moment. It's 4:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon, and I am pleased to say all my work has been completed for this week. I had five assignments due this week, but instead of panicking like I usually do, I just lined up some extra childcare and got to work. I even had two articles that were due tomorrow, and I turned them both in a few minutes ago. A day early. That is pretty much unheard of in my world. Of course, I do have over two hundred e-mails in my inbox right now that either need to be filed, deleted or replied to, tax information to compile, and a website to update, but I'm trying not to think about that right now.

To tell you the truth, I didn't have high hopes for this week after getting pulled over by a policeman bright and early Monday morning. There have been a rash of break-ins in town recently, particularly in the neighborhood my babysitter lives in. Apparently the suspects often drive some sort of SUV, which I drive, as does half the town. So a patrol cop eyeballed me as I pulled up in front of the sitter's house. He studied my license tag before driving off. Then he followed me out of the neighborhood and finally pulled me over right past the elementary school. Lovely. My registration on my tag had expired in January and I SWEAR I was just about to renew it but . . . now I have a lovely court date in May. And I swear I've been followed by several different cops since then. Who knew a silver SUV would be so suspicious? I hope they catch these guys soon so I can get some peace.

I am ready to kick back and pour myself a glass of wine. Maybe I should wait until 5 p.m. Isn't that when "happy hour" typically begins?

A Kid in a Candy Store

Yesterday my family trekked into Charlotte to visit the local Apple Store. I swear I'm like a kid in a candy store in that place. I picked up software packages for both my kids (they are four and two, mind you) but they both are already hooked on our MAC. My daughter has been asking us for a software called Kid Pix for awhile so we finally gave in. While browsing the shelves, I finally made the decision to purchase a writer's software package called Writer's Dreamkit. I figured it might finally give me the kick in the pants I needed to get my novel out of my head and onto paper. It's funny though, because several people who saw me holding the box stopped me and asked me if I was a writer. I was happy to report that I was, although not making a ton of money yet, but it has been rewarding so far!

The employee who helped me actually has a manuscript with an agent but she said she was sure it wouldn't get picked up. She wanted me to call her and let her know how the software worked, because it was a lot cheaper than hiring a book coach.

I sat down last night with my new toy and got my entire plot outlined. Next, I start working on character development. It's very exciting to see it finally coming along. I'm getting ready to interview a sleep expert in a few minutes for a parenting article, and then I'll head out to find a place to feature in my dining column this week. Last week was extremely busy but I somehow got through it.

I wrote a parenting article, a newspaper column, two newspaper articles, a blog column, and something else, but I can't remember what that was right now. This week should be a tad slower with only two assignments due, but I'm working on two others for next week.

So, what are you up to this week?