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How once woman went from being a SAHM of four to a published freelance science journalist |
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I'm revising this intro after more than 15 years to better reflect my intention When I started this blog in 2004, I was a stay at home mom to two small children, a college graduate with a degree in English and Astrophysics. By 2007, I had four small children, ages newborn, 2, 4, and 6. For several years, Writing.com was how I kept my sanity. This blog began, first as a way of staying connected. Later, when I worked on a novel, I used it to stoke the writing fires as I plotted out short stories and the next step of my novel. Ultimately, I moved my writing preparation to "Invalid Item"  In 2010, I became a single mom who had homeschooled her children for several years. I had a 2, 4, 6 and 8 year old and had never had a "real" full time job, since I was married while in college. Everyone told me that I would have to buckle down and take on a "real" job. Instead, I decided to attempt to live my dream: to make it as a writer. I knew that if I didn't try then, I would never really dive in. I counted my money and set a deadline. If I hadn't began making a decent (defined) amount of money after so many months, I would suck it up and get a J-O-B. After some thought, I decided to play to my strengths. I served an internship at Sky & Telescope magazine while in college and enjoyed writing about space and astronomy. With an astrophysics degree, I thought I would be able to sell myself more easily, and a small niche should be easier to penetrate. It's been about ten years since I was first paid for an article on Space.com. In that time, writing - journalism - has been my primary moneymaker. I've often thought about setting up a blog on my website - www.astrowriter.com - but just haven't gotten around to it. There are a few things I would like to share for those who are interested in scientific journalism in general. Now that I'm back on WDC, there's no reason not to combine the two and use the site blog for that sort of interaction. There are certainly plenty of folks on this site interested in the publication process. So while I'll probably meander around some, that's the intention of of this blog: to share some of my struggles as a published journalist and to help answer oft-asked questions. |
| What is this, my third entry today? What can I say, I am excited. I just finished researching and preparing a query for a smaller magazine, Let's Live. I don't have a sample of its paper magazine, but I spent some time tonight studying through its pieces. They mention flax seed at several points, but don't have a comprehensive study done, a fact which I touched on in my query letter (and so might make them say, hmmm, that's true, rather than we've done this). So we'll see. But I'm excited. That, incidentally, makes two markets to submit my query to tomorrow morning. Or as soon as I hear back from Sherras. I might have to just go ahead, but I'd prefer to wait and hear from her, at least. Feedback, you know, is essential. Anyway, I now have a large and small market, and plan to hit at least one major book store (Barnes & Noble, over at the Forum) tomorrow. I am taking my son (not the baby) to get his hair cut, courtesy of his grandmother, and there is a book store right there, so I will try to check things out. We'll see how everything goes, eh? If I can really squeeze it, I'd like to get over to the Dunwoody library, but we'll see. I may do that on Friday. I am hoping to find several of my smaller markets at B&N, though I may have limited success with that. Still, it's a fairly large store, so we'll see. And there are a few other bookstores in the area to swing into - a Borders also by my inlaws. I need to see who has what. I wonder if I can tell by the web site? I don't have time to check tonight. Maybe quick. So tomorrow's itenerary: query Health & Let's Live (both via email), send for a copy of LL's writer's guidelines (shh, don't tell), - mail the checks (not writing related but needs to be done) - go to B&N at the Forum, and - get Mookie's hair cut - . Maybe I should go to sleep now. It's only 8:45, but tomorrow will be busy, LOL. Also, I have to ponder the great couponing fiasco - do I continue to coupon now that I am getting free food, or should I continue to do so? The only reason I wouldn't is that I am trying to write more. How much work can a girl do? Who knows? I didn't dive tonight, but I should've. Blech. |
Well, I almost did it.  I wrote my dietary clip. I actually wrote a short one - about 800 words - which is 400 words shorter than their article requirements. I wonder if I should try to make it another 400 words? That way it is more in keeping with their demands. On the other hand, I think it is well balanced and polished. I sent it to SherrasQ   for review. She's done some great R&Rs in the past on my fictional stories, so I hope she will be able to give me some good feedback. Even from a technical PoV. So, this is where I am today. I think I am fairly close on all my goals that I set out on Sunday, but some are a little unrealistic. I went to the Dekalb library (abt 30 mts away) on Monday and looked at - whatever it was - to clear up any flax issues. Then Tuesday, I went to the local library and checked out something like 20-30 magazines. I got Health, Family Circle, Parents, Good Housekeeping, and Shape. All are national magazines, but our library just doesn't have any of the smaller ones. I spent yesterday reading through Health magazine, finding what column/section I thought my article would best work in (Food section, Foodwise column), and trying to get a feel for the tone of the magazine. I should probably re-review before I send off my clip, because I'm not fully certain I fit. And I need to. I will review a few of the shorter articles. Maybe it doesn't quite fit in the foodwise section (the clip, not the article). Grr. The problem is, I don't want to do any interviews for the clip, which means that it is of a somewhat different type. Blickety block. Okay, that done, I called the magazine to be certain that I am sending my query to the right editor. Now, Writer's Market says they take queries by fax & mail, but the operator (after taking a brief hiatus) told me to just mail it to her and she would forward it on to the appropriate source. On the one hand, this means I don't have the editor's name. <gulp> On the other, it means that I won't be competing with a ton of other emailed queries, and since it will come from inside the department/emailing system, it is likely to get checked relatively quickly. I'll probably still have to wait a month, but at least I will have the proverbial "foot in the door". I guess I am really ready to send everything off right now, but I would like to hear back from Sherras on my clip first. I'm really looking for reassurance (and major spelling errors), or any type of feedback she can give. I want my best work to go forward. Odds are against my first (second, I suppose) publication in a major magazine, but hey, why not. The worst they can do is say 'no', and maybe I'll even get a go-ahead. They pay $1-$1.50, so for a 1200 word article, that's over a thousand bucks. Wouldn't that be nice? <dreams happily> Of course, in real terms, the odds are good that I will only net a .02-.05/word article. Call it a thousand words - that's still $200-500. I can also live with that. Heck, right now, I can live with anything. In the meantime, I need to get my act together and decide where I am shooting for next. I made a list of markets, based on what I can read on-line and what guidelines are on-line and what I need to request. Not including stamps, sample issues right now are going to run me $28. Hopefully I can pick up some more copies at the Dunwoody library and the bookstore. Maybe I will make that trip tomorrow. I also have to go to the Bishop's Storehouse, but that's another story. Random antedote: working out in the gym today, I got an idea for another article, which I promptly wrote down. We'll see what comes out of that. Incidentally, seven magazines require SASEs for writer's guidelines. Which I need to send off for, but Sherra said I can mail that at the same time I send the query, because the same editor won't be getting them. So I can kind of hang back on that. I found two magazines that, from descriptions and online views, seem to be good for my article. One is Let's Live Magazine and the other is Natural Beauty & Health. NB&H only takes completed articles, however. I will probably hold back on that for a similar slant, when I've already done the research. Of course, on the other hand, I could go ahead and write the article for the research and send it to them. That will make for a more detailed query. But then I'd have to cover various slants. I will probably hold onto that one for when I have done some of the research and can just revise it slightly, or at least have the research done. For the article based on Laura Ingalls Wilder, I thought I might submit a query based on music of the times. There are several songs done in the Little House In The Big Woods book. I think I could pick three or four from the series and tell the stories of where they came from (like "Buffalo Gals"). Maybe one from each book or so. That would make for a cute and interesting article. I need to get cracking on that one, as well; I believe that query is due at the end of May, and I have to mail it. I will work on that doubletime next week; this week I want to do a few more market research and try to get out another query letter. If I can do two queries a week - maybe three, since now most of my "heavy" research is finished - then that is eight queries a month. You're right, not enough. Then again, it's twelve the other way. I have to remember that I am doing market research, as well. Of course, if I read a stack of the magazines during the day and then write the query at night, that has potential. That is what I will try to do for the rest of this week. I have several stacks. I may need another clip, however. Then again, maybe not. I can probably slant my clip to reflect varying markets - a bit more emphasis on time and work to the parenting magazines, and so forth. I am remarkably nervous, strange since I'm pretty sure I will get a rejection slip. My first rejection slip! <sigh> At least that will put me in the "real" writer catagory. After all, you're not a writer until you've been rejected, right? <little voice in head> Oh, but I'm a GREAT writer, I will NEVER be rejected...  wouldn't that be nice. Hey, a girl can dream, right?By the way, I enjoyed my clip. I could probably turn that into a paying article. Whaddya think? Maybe that will be my, er, next project. So the plan is to query all week this week, and then start the research for Laura & the songs for next week. Then i'll go back to querying. In the meantime, I need to hit the library and the bookstore, just to see what they have. If they have what I need, I don't need a sample. I'll try to do that tomorrow and maybe? Friday. Depending on how much time it takes. No research, just a "what do you have" trip. Got it. |
| Oh, I'm so nervous now! I am almost all set to submit my first magazine article. I am sending it to Health magazine, which is national, but I figure, you never know until you try! Plus I am too impatient to wait for the smaller samples to get back. I am waiting for them, well, I haven't requested them yet but I will, but I am going to continue to query as well. I don't know how we'll finance the sample magazines, though. The problem is, I need a health article clip. I need to come up with something healthy to write. I was going to brainstorm here, but now Jimmy is crying so I guess I have to go. But if you think of anything, journal, please let me know. I need something healthy I am knowledgable about, interested in, and can do some quick spot research on. Oh, shoot, should I do an interview for my clip to give it some relavence, or just let it go? Aaack! I am so nervous, and I am not a big health nut, so what in the world am I going to write about? |
| I have now officially started. I went to the library today and looked in the, er, whatever I said I was going to look in to see if articles had been published. I checked back to 2003, which means it has been about two years, plus the beginning (until January, I think) of this year. I found three articles on flaxseed - two for rather narrowly glitched magazines (one, I think, was something like Simply Farming, or some other farm-oriented magazine). The most serious competition comes from an April 2004 edition of Martha Stewart Living, which I am going to check out from the library tomorrow to see how close they read. My dad suggested a good magazine, some type of "Mother Earth" thing. I will have to check that market, too. My plan is to submit around ten query letters? Each with a different slant. The problem is, most of the magazines that spring to my mind are bigwig publications - along the lines of Parents and Cosmo - rather than the little ones. My initial slant was toward moms and working moms. There are a couple of big magazines out there that I think would be open and ammenable. Then again, what's the deal with no for breastfeeding & nursing? That might limit that market. Another look is Women's Day. In fact, I should be able to check that out pretty easily. I think they have short nutritional blurbs, but I don't recall for certain. Also need to view some health food magazines, healthy living types. I wonder if Rachel has any I could borrow? Calling now... (every one I borrow is one less I have to buy, LOL). Just talked to Rachel and she has Natural Home and Garden. We are getting together for lunch tomorrow - well, for ice cream - and she will bring some back issues then for me to read over. So there is another good one. And she says Mother Earth News is one she doesn't get but is a good one (that's what my dad suggested. Two more markets. So I will go and check up on those two. My list thus far, for different slants: 1) Mother Earth News 2) Natural Home & Garden 3) Parents Magazine 4) Women's Day and I will be subscribing to WritersMarket.com and check for a few other magazines. I could probably do a blurb - that's a bit shorter than a full article - for some of the bigger ones. Those don't need queries but can be sent straight on. Hmmm.... Going to go check, and get permission from dh to subscribe to Writer's Market. I saw last night that they have a 30 day moneyback guarentee, so if it winds up not working out, it makes more sense to subscribe for a month and then bug out, than to pay $4 for it and bug out. But we'll see what dh says. And by the way, it's my birthday! I'm 26 and not yet published - well, unless you count my S&T book review (gotta remember to send that). But we are going to change that. Can we do one query/article a week? We'll find out! ***** (A little while later) Okay, I checked out Natural Home and Garden on the web. Looks like a good market, though of course I'll have to peruse some back issues. Mother Earth seems a bit tougher to break into, and I'm not altogether sure I can hit that market, but I'll research it. The worst that can happen is, well, I won't. But maybe I can find another shot for it - I'm working on keeping my eyes open. I have my credit card on the chair and I am ready to hit Writer's Market. I even got permission first from dh, though I don't know why - it's not like he checks purchases with me. Oh, yes, I was holding off to be sure there is room on the card. Let's see.... sometimes there isn't. Sometimes there is. Nope, I'm $20 over. Maybe I should pay them right quick. Drats. I may as well hold off now, but I guess I won't use that card. Wonder what my cash back is...$19.09. So I'm going to search new markets today, come up with some magazines to research tomorrow and Wednesday. Britt is bringing her copies of "Little House on the Prarie" and, hopefully (gotta call and ask, I just remembered) New Era which is a church magazine, probably a nonpaying market, but always worth a shot. I'm going to call her, then assemble a list of markets to check for my magazine. Wish me luck! My goal, remember, is to have at least one query letter sent off by Friday, maybe more. I'd like to do maybe three for my article thought? I have to determine different ways to address it, as I have the article somewhat written in my head. Another venue: health. A health magazine (or more than one). Should I shoot for the lowerpaying ones to get me started? This in all types, not just health. Or should I aim high? Or should I maybe - probably - combine them both. Why not query Parents for a health blurb? The worst they can do is say 'no' and I'm out a stamp. Or an email, depending. Okay, will add health to my marketing department. Thanks for the tip. Don't know how I missed that one, quite obvious. Duh! |
| I spoke with dh and got the okay for an hour of writing at night. He even says he'll hold the baby, provided I feed him first (the baby, not dh). So I did a little nosing around on the flaxseed article today. Tomorrow, I think I'll run to the Decatur library and check out The Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature to see what has been written lately for flaxseed. I have been checking out a couple of freelancing sites and newsletters and arguements, and basic whathaveyous. I am looking towards a goal, and I think my goal is going to be to develop a query letter/article a week. That may be a bit heavy for five hours tops of writing, but we'll see. This week's plan is as follows: Monday: Go to the Decatur library and see what has been written on flaxseed over the past 3 years. They are doing toddler time at 11 a.m., so I can let the kids listen (and I'll have to sit and supervise), and then do the research; or perhaps we can save the storytime for "if you are good". The library opens tomorrow at 9, and odds are good I will be checking into this website to see the name. Or I could write it down. Okay, let's try that strange idea. Also see about checking out a few Cricket-related magazines. Tuesday: I will most likely subscribe to Writer's Market on-line ($30 for the year, which is about the cost of the book, with a 30 day moneyback guarentee) and start looking for markets. I may even do this Monday night, since we are supposed to hit our library on Tuesday. Where I will also check for Cricket-related magazines. Then again, I may move our library to Wednesday. But the basic plan is to determine the markets and then refine the query letter for the market of greatest interest. Wednesday: If I haven't found a copy of the market of greatest interest, I will try to stop into Barnes & Noble, or some other great book conglomerath, to see what type of magazines they might have. I'll take a notebook to scope new markets. Hopefully B&N can provide me with a sample. Do you think Parents magazine would take me, previously unpublished? Thursday: Refine the query letter again to be more fitting; also a bit of extra research. Friday: Mail the sucker off and log my first query, whether email or snail mail. Then start looking to my next article. Incidentally, my next article will be on immigration to the US, and I have a few thoughts on there that I will pepper into this week. For one, I am checking out a book my MIL has to see if it will qualify. If not, then I will send an email out to the women in our church to see if any of them have an old journal or copy of a journal of an ancestor coming to America, preferably a child. Suddenly I have a tag line: Many people immigrated to America to escape religious persecution. "Young Amy" came to experiance it Okay, that sounds like she came seeking persecution, not true, but you get the gist. Also, my query will give the option of solely focusing on the immigration, or the toils that followed, since most (if not all) the journals I will recieve will most likely go on to Missouri if not Salt Lake. Anyway, that is my secondary work for next week's query. I am starting to think I could maybe do this. I will also have to look for quips and blurbs to insert for a short amount of money to make it in the interum. I have a couple thoughts there, as well. So wish me luck as I make yet another plan. One day, I'll incorporate some fiction into this freelance project - I have a couple stowaways I will most likely keep for when I've at least been published - and run with that, as well. Really wish me luck, cause I need to start making some money, but I doubt I will make any (unless I am extremely blessed/lucky) for another six+ monthes! |
| Just started doing various reading on query letters. Perhaps I should go ahead and to the in-depth research and various interviews to have the basic shell of the article fleshed out. So, thought arrangement is happening here: First, I need to make an outline. The basic thrust of the story, I think, will be the ease of use. I am searching to appeal to various parenting magazines, which cater to folks who are juggling the household, at the very least, and possibly jobs as well. I also keep seeing, try one magazine at a time. So maybe what I can do is this - I will sit down, grab some "real" research (Emory and ASC?), make a few phone calls to balance out the article, and then try the query letter. Then, rather than saying "I am prepared to interview...", I can say, "I have interviewed", giving more credence to my article. So next I need to go through and decide what data I am pulling out. I found a page by the American Institute for Cancer Research - fairly credible source. I need to pull a couple other spots. These will be mostly for background research. At the same time, I can ask them how much ground flax seed to use, the effects of purchasing it pre-ground (rather than doing it oneself and using it immediately), and adding it. Various levels of use for preground. If you frequently use a bread machine, a few spoonfuls are easily added to bread and pizza dough. If you make oatmeal for breakfast, or cookies, brownies, or other snacks, it is an easy addition. I also add it to sauces (think spaghetti) and soups, where it blends in with other ingredients. Your family won't even know they are eating health food! The other market I was looking into was the educational one. I need to do some research for an article with a deadline of 5/31. I am not particularly enjoying the subject, but perhaps I can find a way to make it come alive to the students. That is my hope. I am reading up on Thomas Paine and The Rights of Man. That's my primary work in progress. And my goal is to get it researched and written by next Friday. How much time do you think that will take? A lot, if I don't get researching! :P |
| Recent unemployment issues have caused me to decide to more strongly pursue the avenue of freelance writing. My greatest fear, however, is a lack of ideas for submissions. That said, I already have two articles in mind, and I'm going to touch on them here in hopes of further developing them. I'm not sure if I can handle nonfiction writing. Well, that's not exactly true, since I did the obligatory high school and college newspaper experience, not to mention my stint as an intern with Sky & Telescope magazine. We won't go into regrets on that department. So it's not the ability, because I think I have that down. I'm just not clear on the best way to go about writing articles. Well, I'm going to start with my first article thought - flax seed in the diet. I think that is a very healthy yet unknown addition that can be added quite easily to most meals. My plan is to develop a query letter and submit it to a variety of magazines, with a specific start-off of parenting magazines. The discouraging factor is that the first couple I checked out wanted published authors. I guess I have that, but not necessarily in that field. Still, I think I can lean towards my background in scientific info (astrophysics, general health, all the same, right?). I can try to process it in that direction. So, flax seed. I think my plan is first to touch on the benefits of flaxseed, and then follow up with easy ways to incorporate it into your diet. Let me think my way through. Benefits, of course, include Omega-3, bowl movements, I think I read about help with menstration and - drats, I can't think of the word but when you stop menstrating - and cancer. There are also various ways to take flaxseed - you can take it as oil in pills, you can soak it whole and drink it, and best of all you can add it to your food ground up. That's the easiest and healthiest way to obtain the nutrients. Okay, well, I'm going to try to write my query letter. In fact, I should be able to post that, so I can get a little feedback, eh? My other thought was talking to the AJC and seeing if they take freelance work. There were a couple of scientific news stories I thought they missed, particularly astronomically related. I can email them and find out if they accept freelance articles and what their interest is. Next thought was about writersmarket.com. I was thinking of subscribing to the sight to gain access to various markets. I will have to talk to Michael about it when he gets home (he is on a father-son campout tonight). It is $3.99/month, or something fairly low and reasonable - maybe $25? - a year. That's the cost of the book, anyway. I may try that next. But for now, I'm going to work on formulating a variety of ideas for query letters and sample articles, and float some out. I saw something about it being okay to send out simaltaneous submissions for query letters, and how it might even help you get a variety of articles. I need to figure out a few other markets to hit, as well. I wonder how Cosmo would take such an article? A couple of health and fitness magazines might also be a good idea, but one wonders if the subject might have been recently touched upon. Okay, so two articles in mind - flax seed and Disney. And the thought of calling the AJC. I also emailed a small-town paper about a position, which I will probably not get, but you never know. The least I can do is try! I'm going to work on my query letter now. I like the idea of posting it on Writing.com and getting feedback. Actually, one thing I would like is to vary nonfiction articles with short stories. And one day I would really enjoy working on my novel again. I will have to talk to Michael about scheduling some writing time. He is (hopefully) going to be starting school in the fall, so we will have computer time-share issues. We'll have to figure things out then. I need to work out when I'm going to be writing sometime soon. But for now, I have a plan, which is a real miracle. I need to do the submissions. Let's just say that over and over again. I need to get a real goal and get my act together so I am clear on what I am doing. And also get some more sleep. Nah, who needs sleep. |
| well, DH has a new job now - not with his uncle, go figure. He started today, of course, the most stressful day of the last two weeks when I really could have used him home. No fear, though, I'd rather he be employed. But today was a hit-it-all day, and the kids totally drove me batty. Once again, it was good to have him home and spend so much time with him. Especially now with the kids, he was a big help. He also did major housework help. But I'm glad he's employed again. Woohoo! |
| Just letting you know that now that we have three kids, dh got laid off today. Very exciting. At least we can collect unemployment and go on Peachnet (healthcare for the kids). Not excited right now, even though we have another job tentitively lined up. But we'll see. For now, I have to go soothe my poor little baby Jimmy, but maybe one day I can take the time to fill you in on some details. The way life is going now, probably not, but at least you got the structural outline, right? |
| Just letting you know I'm still here. We are having a "road trip" to Chattanooga. The kids loved the aquarium, were okay with the shark Imax film, and had a blast at the kids Discovery museum. More to come? Who knows. No writing going on, I'm afraid. But I did join a gym, hoping to avoid the dreaded postpartum depression. So far, so good - I'm one week in. Hopefully it will stick. Gotta go - dh is holding the baby and getting antsy/tired. I hope to be back soon. |
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