I don’t know why, but the columns I write and which I think are so-so (and which, more often than not, only took me an hour or two to pen) often end up being the one receiving the most comments (good or bad), usually via personal email to me.

Anyway, just for fun, here’s one I wrote that I particularly like. Bonus points if you get the film reference.

Alas, MaNoWriMo is off to a slow start. I ended up having to put it aside for a little while on Friday while I focused on a few last-minute assignments from a new local magazine that’s coming out in mid-September. At this stage in my career, money must come first, I’m afraid.

I ended up landing three separate assignments, including a personal essay about being a relative newcomer to Grand Junction. Those are always fun to write — no interviews, no travel, no transcribing. Yay! I won’t actually be here during the magazine’s official launch party, which is a bit of a bummer since I ordinarily never turn down free food, but I’m excited to see it once we return from Singapore. No matter how many times I’ve been published, I always love seeing my name in print. What can I say? I’m vain.

The assignments came at a rather good time, too, what with the trip (is it really just over two weeks away? Gaaaaaahhh!!) and the fact that July was a totally dead month for me, freelancing-wise. I sent out over 30 queries and landed exactly 2 assignments. I’ve made the decision that I’m going to back off querying most of these new, online publications, especially those that advertise for writers on Craigslist. I’ve done enough blogging to know that making any decent $$$ off of them requires tremendous work, and quite frankly, if these folks can’t even be bothered to put together a decent Craigslist ad, I don’t have much hope for their “sure-to-be-phenomenally-successful” blog or magazine or Website or whatever. If I’m going to put in that much work for measly “revenue share” (which they always make out to be a lot more appealing than it is) or a pathetic $2-5/post (while demanding anywhere from 20-50 posts a week), I’d rather do my own blogging and get all the revenues.

So far I’ve landed a handful of assignments for Singapore, which thankfully will be a nice addition to our travel fund. I’m still on the lookout for more, but with just over two weeks left until departure (Gaaaaaahhhhh!!), I’m not optimistic. I’ve got another couple of assignments for the local paper, and I’m finishing up some administrative work for a local nonprofit that will also bring in a few dollars. Every little bit helps.

Ohhh… and here’s something funny (well, funny to me): I learned something the other day about a former boss that made me realize just how incredibly, incredibly happy I am to be a freelance writer. It can be such a challenge sometimes, especially when you do something like write 30 queries over 30 days and end up with two small assignments, but then you hear news like that and you think, Oh yeah, that’s why I left Cubicle Nation. And my heart is so glad.