My constant struggle

When I was slow a few weeks ago, I went out and bought Writer’s Market and signed up for Writer’s Digest magazine, thinking, I have to start pursuing this magazine thing or it will never happen.

I also began reading a book I bought some time ago on breaking into the magazine market. That helped me craft some query letters, which I dutifully sent out (more about that later).

In the meantime, I got a call from one of my long-time clients asking me if I could step in and help out on their newsletter for the next three months; it seems the editor got canned. I jumped at it and am now in the midst of putting together my first issue. Plus, I got a bunch of other jobs. So I’m back at it full time again.

In the meantime, my Writer’s Market sits on my pool table, my WD emails get put into to a folder without having been read, and I haven’t written one rotten, miserable query letter. It’s like I said to Brenna, “After sitting at the computer writing all day, that’s the last thing I want to be doing in my spare time…”

And therein lies my problem: I WANT to break into the magazine market, but I never have time to really pursue it because I’m too busy making a living writing!

I usually end up saying to myself, “Yes, but at least you’ve had a nice career…” And that’s true, but what I REALLY want to do is write for magazines. I guess I have to start looking at it like anyone who starts a business on the side: You just have to make the time to do it and DO it.

Anyway, that’s where I am today, Oct. 5, 2006