On My Mind

When people ask "What's up?" here's what I tell them:

• Contact person for feature article profile for paper. Arrange time to meet for interview. Send photographer to his house. Write and submit article. Due Sept. 12
• Write 750-word Piedmont Mag article. Due: Sept. 1
• Contact 3 artists to interview for Reidsville magazine piece. Write 850-word article. Due: Sept. 1
• Research background for cat rescue piece for Purina newsletter. Contact and interview 5 sources for story. Write 1700-word article plus sidebar. Due: Sept. 10
• Prepare Interview questions for author of keynote speech I'm writing. Due: Sept. 23
• Research background for speech. Write first draft. Due: Sept. 8
• Print and mail contract to new employer. Due today
• Research and write 1500-word article for new employer. Due: Sept. 10
• Contact 2 magazine editors to find out where the heck my payments are. Due whenever my bank account reads zero.
• Remind other magazine editor yet again that she still hasn't approved my topic for a column due Sept. 30
• Research background / material for website I'm writing. Write new content. Due: Sept. 14
• Edit of e-book. Due: Sept. 30
• Go to post office, bank, and CVS - need eye makeup remover and hair conditioner
• Research and write 5 phone scripts. Due: Sept. 3
• Contact client who cancelled last week's meeting and see if (please no) wants to reschedule soon
• Think of new and interesting 30-second commercial for tomorrow's networking meeting.
• Go through the load of mail and files gasping to be organized on side of my desk. Due: Probably never...
• Buy sympathy card (add to going out list above)
• Conduct massive amounts of new research for new Diversity Woman magazine for which I will be assistant editor. Brainstorm story ideas, front-of-book content/columns/visual look, get to know competing magazines, etc. Submission ideas due to editorial team Sept. 20th.
• Need to start prep work at some point for 4 upcoming speeches - 2 in October and 2 in November

What's up with you? - Dena

"Lessons In Stalking" Prize for Writing Contest

This is fun. In 2002 I entered a Fear of Writing competition and surprised myself (and probably those who knew me and my writing at the time) by winning. My winning entry was written based on a writing prompt encouraging me to be a Roach Lover. You can read my winning story, Don't Poach the Roach, by clicking on the title. (Fair warning: I found the contest and prompt and entered on a whim. Don't be expecting Dickens...)

Now the sponsor of the contest has come back to me and asked that I offer a signed copy of my book, Lessons In Stalking, as a prize for her newest writing contest, one involving a cat prompt. Of course I was thrilled to do so. The link to the full information about the contest is HERE.

It's a bit like coming full circle. I feel like such a grown-up. Long may the feeling last...

Day of Drama

The Saturn lives! $1000 worth of repairs, but that still beats the price of a new car.  Besides, I'm happy to have my baby return home (never mind that my best friend huddles in the front seat in embarrassment when she visits me and I drive her around in it). =)

Can you say "Day of Drama?" That was yesterday. Holy cow, what was in the water? I dealt with contract negotiations, a flaming e-mail sent by a board member to the group of us about another board member (I call this sort of action "the public pout"), an article that just BLEW UP in my face, new assignments, and I don't know what all.  I fell into bed last night feeling like I'd been chased by a group of wild dogs all day.

All ended well.  We found an acceptable contract agreement for both sides, I took myself out of the running for the e-mail drama, the article that fell to pieces (really due to to no one person's fault. Things just went so awry with the contacts and topic that it was almost a comedy of errors) was reassigned and I love the new topic, and I spoke to a wonderful new employer whose work I am very in tune with an excited about starting.

All the same, I am doing my best to not be a little stress basket. Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines. I'm working on no less than 7 major projects, all with the deadline date of September 10th. I have every minute of my time mapped out for the next two weeks. No rest for the wicked (and self-employed).

To give you an idea of the stress level, here's my idea of fun. My running group has a 12-mile long run planned for Sunday and I'm longing to get to it. The thought of just pounding the pavement and focusing on nothing but my breathing and footsteps for almost two hours sounds very, very appealing right now.

Time's up. The work awaits. Please send me happy thoughts of productivity!!!

The Story of How Dena Did Not Interview Anyone Famous

Regarding the World of Opposites update posted on Friday, I decided not to do the profiles of the four semi-famous people.

I can't tell who the people were, but I can give general background since a few of you asked. One is a creator/producer of a popular TV series, one is a musician, one is an executive at an auto company, and...hmmm...I've forgotten the last one. Maybe a model? I can't remember.

Anyway, the gist of the assignment was a 500-word profile of each person due by September 5th. The old Dena would have thought, "500 words is easy. I'll take the assignment." Experienced Dena wondered:

• Has the idea of being interviewed for this magazine already been broached or am I cold calling these people?
• What's the focus of each profile? (You can't cover a life in 500 words.)
• Am I responsible for having photos sent in to accompany the story?
• How firm is the deadline in case I can't get the interviews in time?

Turns out I would have been cold calling these people and selling them on the idea of their profile appearing in the magazine. Which is okay, as many people are eager for the publicity. But I know from experience that explaining who I am, what the magazine is, what I'm calling about, getting them a past copy of the magazine, and getting through their people, etc., etc. is TIME CONSUMING.  It's a flurry of e-mails and phone calls and arranging dates and last-minute cancellations and "I forgot we were supposed to talk then" excuses.

Then there's the research. No way am I going to interview these people without heavy researching their background so I know what the heck to ask and what should be expected that I already know. That's a LOT of uncompensated work time.

So for those two reasons alone, I turned down the work. As Blair pointed out though, at least I knew to think about the above. Two years ago, I would have just said "yes," not realizing what I was letting myself in for.

And I discovered something. When I thought about taking the work, I had a little pit at the bottom of my stomach. When I decided to take a pass, the pit went away. I think it comes down to I didn't care much about doing a profile on any of these people and the thought of having to interview them made me nervous and unhappy. So why do it? Plenty of other projects out there to choose from.

And THAT is the story of how Dena did not interview anyone famous.