Show your editor some love, they do a great job remembering you for a story assignment and coordinate details with you for your article, so check out some of these gifts here which I am sure any editor would love to be at the receiving end of!

The last I remember this was a fairly easy process. You set up an account on Yahoo to contribute to their growing number of articles. You can choose to write your own topics and have the editors review for publication. Or you can check on the assignment desk and see what types of articles they are looking for, and submit content in keeping with their requirements. Most times this is something very easy and requires just your personal experience or some very basic searching online. The articles almost always get published right away unless you did something terribly wrong and did not follow all instructions. Sometimes they can even get rejected or sent back for corrections but most times they get approved right away. Some of them you get paid for on publication and some you get paid for based on views - either ways once the article is published, there is infinite opportunity for it to be viewed and read so it is always fun when out of the blue, you get a few dollars deposited in your account for performance pays for these articles you submitted long long ago. All you need is an active PayPal account and this could be an additional course of surprise income for you :) Read my latest here or see other articles I have written and sign up for your own account. 

You know every once in a while how you are puffing and panting to get a project out, then you second guess yourself like a few million times and keep cussing as to why you have these brilliant ideas in the first place, but then know that this is one of those projects you will be really pleased with once it comes to fruition? Well, today is one of those days for me! Big sigh of relief. PHEW! Seriously. Was all worked up over this one piece that I was the one that pitched it in the first place but knew it would be great once it was published but had to work so hard on it since it was my first piece with this specific outlet and so finally managed to give it all my TLC and submitted it so now begins the thumb-twiddling to know if it is accepted or not 'cos seriously the last thing I want is to have a re-edit on my head with this on. So. now. I. wait...

December is turning out to be a busy month already. What are you working on?

I have decided to make a few updates and improvements on my website here. Keep checking back and you will notice the changes. 

I just pitched an article idea to a new media outlet and got accepted. Deadline in two weeks - you will know when it gets published. Another magazine I write for checked in to see if I would do a review of a holiday show so that is on the cards as well.

Meanwhile, a friend of mine writing a book has asked me to take charge of editing, with a second book in queue. This should be interesting as well. Hopefully, I can do for the book what previous editors did not accomplish. It does need a bit of TLC but nothing that some focus can't achieve.

Here's to good work coming through and no 'idle mind is a devil's workshop' syndrome :)

Funny how just when you think you have it all worked out, turns out that wasn't the case! Was thinking I would have all my projects done and dealt with by the weekend so I can get things going for Thanksgiving, when I have some dear friends visiting. But, as luck would have it, I now have an article to turn in, more proofreading to do, and a bunch of blog posts and reports to submit - all next week! Ah, the simple pleasures of working at home.

A few articles in and most of us have figured out what is the best manner for us to query or pitch an article to a prospective publisher, be that print or online. Of course, some media outlets are very specific in their accepted formats for query letters and article pitches. But I believe most are laid back enough to be at the receiving end of an email that is addressed to the appropriate contact on staff, and clearly states what the article idea is, what the story will cover, who the sources will be or where information will be gathered from. In my experience, I have just mailed in to a publication asking if I can write for them. If the answer is yes, then I proceed with poking around their website and ideating on possible stories I can do for them. I have not written for too many publications but for the few that I have, I have never been asked to provide a query or pitch in a particular pre-specified manner. I would definitely be interested in knowing how you query or pitch for your articles, and what methods have proved successful or futile. Please share them here as comments to my blog post.