one by one

I've been lax in the blog-o-sphere lately. The upside is that I'm actually getting some writing done! After months of hemming and hawing with my creativity coach about what projects to pursue, I finally popped up and committed to writing my sample Bright Livelihood columns and getting packets ready to put in front of editors.
After I made my first goal--finish ONE column--I actually finished ONE column. Then I did another one, then wrote my enticing (I hope) cover letter for the column packet. Hopefully Scooter will help me design a kick-ass logo for the letterhead and/or packet folders.
I pitched an online spirituality magazine for a short article, and plan to spin that off into short front-of-book pieces for a couple of other markets. I also decided to send ONE trade magazine editor my resume/clips, and got a "we'll put you in the freelance pool" response, which was what I was seeking.
The secret to all this has been: focus on one thing at a time. Anne Lamott talks about writing as if all you can see is contained by a one-by-one frame. It works for choosing/completing assignments too.
I also kicked out an Echo column yesterday. Started drafting a rant about lesbian relationship "processing" that wasn't very funny. I mean, the topic COULD be funny, but I just sounded caustic. In the end, I wrote a very tender-hearted essay about caring for my grandson. It reminded me I don't have to tackle huge issues and try to get really snarky laughs out of them every time I write for Echo--sometimes there's a lot more humor in my everyday madness.