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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. |
 Edited and emailed said article to LFC, and then visited paypal to add my address to the site. Still trying to make decisions on my writing - like whether or not I'm going to keep up with the nonfiction - and also with how much time I'm going to spend on the site. I'm home for now, and for tomorrow, but not sure how long that will last. DH probably won't be home tonight, but he didn't know that until this afternoon, around noon, so I wasn't expecting that. Trying to make some 'mom' decisions, as well as some life decisions. I have a whole blog entry on 'mom' decisions that has been waiting to pour out for about a week and a half - basically, since about a day or two before we left town. Trying to figure out where to put my priorities.In the midst of that, I find myself tempted by a port raid. "Invalid Item" It started two days ago, but I think I can have a good shot. But that depends on whether or not I want to spend that much time reviewing this week. <sigh>Also supposed to sign the paperwork and close on our house on Friday. The original date for the sale was tomorrow, the 12th, and I'm hoping we don't shift again. I'd love to close on Friday. <dreams> Alright, I'll be back tonight after the kids are in bed (and, um, I finish with the work from the gym) and let you know my thoughts and such. I'm interested in feedback. |
| Edited and emailed said article to LFC, and then visited paypal to add my address to the site. Still trying to make decisions on my writing - like whether or not I'm going to keep up with the nonfiction - and also with how much time I'm going to spend on the site. I'm home for now, and for tomorrow, but not sure how long that will last. DH probably won't be home tonight, but he didn't know that until this afternoon, around noon, so I wasn't expecting that. Trying to make some 'mom' decisions, as well as some life decisions. I have a whole blog entry on 'mom' decisions that has been waiting to pour out for about a week and a half - basically, since about a day or two before we left town. Trying to figure out where to put my priorities. |
| Well, here we are, on the road again. Thankfully, we should be headed home today. I am looking forward to heading back to real internet connection. Right now, the wi-fi here is spotty. It only works a little at a time. Then it doesn't work. Then it does. Then it doesn't. Very annoying. Also, I'm on a crummy laptop that needs a serious slam dunk on the space bar. It's making me nuts. If you run into a no-space word, now you'll know why. But, I got my edit from LFC today. Only two sentences to be reworked. I'll fix that up this evening and then send it in tonight. I also need to register for paypal. Then I can get my $20. I've written only one article while on hiatus. It's the space bar that gets me. I am waiting for dh to get back here at 1 for checkout, and then we are going to zoo. Love the zoo. Nice and free. Not like the half-your-firstborn-to-get-in Zoo of Atlanta. We're in Athens, btw. Anyway, it's 11 now and I may go ahead and pound out a quick article while I wait. I've already gotten everything packed up. Now I just have to wait for the kids to unpack it all. Trying to decide what article to write. I was thinking about the miraculous backrub that every parent needs to know before birth. Sort of a humerous article. I'm not sure I can handle the spacebar issue, though. I'm about to die just doing this blog. |
| I have 'em, the dreaded post-travel exhaustion blahs. After a 12 hour trip to Virginia, three and a half long and exhausting days in a 200 year old house that is a parent's worst nightmare (steep narrow stairs, screws and nails everywhere, and my dad's collection of 'stuff' stacked in corners, on the floor, pretty much in every available space), the near-drowning of my 18 month old, and then an 8 hour drive home, I am physically exhausted. (Both drives without a/c, so the car stayed around 90 degrees). I don't want to clean up, unpack, or even write. I am here, now, to grease the wheels. I need to write three articles by the end of the month - what is that, three days? - but have no inclination to do so. I need to go ahead and send another submission to LFC so I can earn another $20 - no inclination. Okay, let me tell you quick about the near-drowning, I know you are curious. We had a pool party for my grandmother's 80th birthday. DH and I were the only adults in the pool; my cousin's three kids (the youngest is 9) and my three kids were the only others joining us. Now, a pool is a freak-out hazard for me, because my kids are 5, 3, and 18 mos, and none of them know how to swim. Plus, I didn't want to be in the pool the whole time, I wanted to visit my family; I had two cousins and an uncle there I hadn't seen in four or five years. Plus, duh, I wanted to see my grandmother. DH doesn't mind the pool with three kids; he's done it on several occasions. Jimmy, my sweet little boy, was playing with a ball on the path near the pool. I was over there supervising, and my husband was in the middle of the pool with my 5 yo DD on a raft. My 3 yo DS starts running around the pool again, so I hurry over to him to tell him not to run. I turn around, look for Jimmy, and he's in the pool. Apparently the ball rolled in, and he climbed down the steps and chased it. He was flopping around, got about 4 feet away from the steps, and his head was mostly above water. I screamed out DH's name and took off running, then jumped in the pool and grabbed the baby. The most horrid part is that I learned once again I am lousy in a crisis situation. I don't think clearly. I could not for the life of me remember what to do. My son was not breathing, so I put him on my shoulder, patted his back like I was burping him, and rushed toward the steps, trying to remember how to expel the water from him. My mind was totally blank. Thankfully, burping him worked - he belched once and was able to breath, then burped a few more times. He didn't throw up water or anything, so apparently he did a good job of swimming. DH took him back in the pool within two minutes, and he had no fear. And all I can say is, literally, thank you to Heavenly Father, because I froze. (I might add that no one else, of all the other adults, hurried over to help us; had someone been at the side of the pool, I would've handed him off while I tried to get out. My dad, two aunts, two uncles, two cousins, sister, and brother-in-law all sat in their seats, staring. My grandmother too but I don't expect an 80 year old to jump up and run over to a wet pool. I guess I am not the only one in my family lousy in a crisis situation.) But I really do give full credit to God for keeping him safe and happy. And for making him an apparently better swimmer than the rest of us. That's that. I hope it never happens again. I've been saying - only half joking - that I'm not taking them into the pool again until they have their driver's license. Seriously, once we have a job...and money...I'd like to do some swimming lessons for the older two. Okay, happier topics. On the trip up to Virginia, we put a contract on our house (talk about going fax crazy). That was this past Thursday. We are going to have to come up with $3,500, which we should be able to do, but the house we have been trying to sell for three years will be gone. We've learned a lot about buying our next home, and we're going to implement that learning in our next move. On the trip down yesterday (Monday), dh got a job offer. It is for one of the companies similar to Dave's, but there isn't as much travel. That is sort of a downer, because the pay is low - less than dh was making before, for the first 6 months, then paid by the job which should be about what he was making. We knew that going into it, but figured if we are out of the house/apartment/whereever we will live most of the time, it would knock down utilities significantly. And food. And, if we are home for only 3-4 days a month, then we would be more open to living with my in-laws for those few days, so we may not even need a house. But most of these jobs are in Atlanta, which dashes that significantly. No travel for the first 6 months, and then only 2-3 days a week after that. We'll have to do some serious praying. BUT we have a job offer, which is a positive, AND someone else called with another telecommunications company, and Michael is interested in talking with them. So, in short, other than nearly losing my son, we have had a good five days. Got a contract, got one firm job offer and one maybe. I also figured out what I will write my three by-the-end-of-the-month articles on, I just have to do them. I figure I can swing them out pretty quick, although I thought about saving one for LFC and writing a similar but not the same version. We'll see. I am too exhausted, physically and mentally, to do any 'serious' writing today. But at least I got my blog written! |
| I told you last week that I submitted From the Asylum, sent my story, 'Huh', in. I got this email today. Thank you for your submission. We are currently running six to eight weeks for response time. If you do not hear from us after eight weeks, please feel free to query and make sure you haven’t fallen through the cracks. Argh! At least I know they got it, I suppose!  I think I'm going to be an absolute wreck with all the things coming up in 6-8 weeks. |
| We are back in town, I'll give you the whole run down later. But I wanted to share the good news. I sent in an article that I had written for ezinearticles.com to LFC. They emailed me today and offered me $20 for it! Woohoo! It was a quick article, only took me maybe 10 minutes, 15 minutes at most. So what's that, $80-120 an hour? Sounds like a plan to me. Too bad they only take one submission at a time. That said, I think I need to come up with another article. Um, I had a great idea on wedding planning....boy, this is going to be lots of fun. I think I'll cannibalize that article tomorrow and send it in, and then I'll work on the other two content sites. I need three more by the end of the month to get my $50 GC. Hmm. Maybe I should do that instead of sleeping tonight. Nah. |
| Okay, I forgot to say, I've found a new addiction... "Crack Kraken's Code Contest [Round Over]" [13+]I did this for the first time yesterday, and I see karabu among the previous winners. It was really fun! I want to hurry up and rush Davy along to the next round! Which reminds me. Did the whole crackin'/kraken thing in Pirates annoy anyone else? I kept yelling at the movie screen - well, I tried, but dh quickly learned to cover my mouth after the first time.  |
| Okay, a little more about me. I've been very very very slack and pretty much done nothing in terms of the freelancing. I've really done nothing at all. I've been very very very blue for the last two weeks, and everything has suffered, including freelancing. The house is a mess, the kids have spent an obscene amount of time in front of the television, dinner has been 'whatever', and I just sort of lay around reading. But I spent last night in some serious prayer, and I woke up this morning - well, I went to bed last night - feeling better. I've tried in the past to 'have faith', to 'let God take over', but that has always been very difficult for me to do. I'm one of those 'doer's, I have a hard time just letting go. I've been reading Christian novels, for a variety of reason, one being that I am thinking of striking out in that field, or a similar one. They are also more uplifting, and at this point, I desperately need to be uplifted, because I've been struggling for what feels like forever (in reality, only about 17 months, since just after the baby was born and dh lost his job the first go round). Anyway, I was reading Terri Blackstock's book, Last Light, and there was a part where one of the women was trying to do the same thing - let go and trust in God. But she recognized she had trouble doing that because she was a doer, a mover. She was having a conversation with an older woman, and the older woman basically told her that it was okay to worry, and to keep on praying - good even - but that she needed to focus more on the fact that God was looking out for her and her family, and less on the 'evil' power of a person or event. And I was like, duh, that's what I need to do! So I did, and I woke up this morning and started cleaning. Not massive cleaning, but since I've done nothing - negative, even - the change was amazing. Okay, all that to tell you why I haven't been posting much, haven't been freelancing well. Next, I'd like to share a tip I got from Rose on the Absolute Write freelance forum. I am copying it verbatim from her posts, with her permission. I thought this was such a great idea for nonfiction freelancers. Post 1: If I'm reading this correctly, it sounds like you're writing shorts and then searching for a home for them. In the early stages of my freelance career, I did the same thing -- I'd write a story or come up with a great article idea and then pour through Writer's Market, magazines, and other sources to find a publication that'd want it. I soon realized this process did not work for me. It turned out that it was so much easier to study a magazine first, and then come up with articles/ideas that would appeal to its audience. Perhaps you can give this a try and see if it helps reduce the stress some! Post 2: I start with the magazine first for everything -- it's just so much easier to come up with the "perfect" pitch that way. And, on that note, let me add that I now only pitch pubs that I subscribe to or can find at the library. Why? Because my method is to read three issues one after another, then immediately brainstorm a bunch of article ideas for them. It works for me, probably because three issues provides a really good sense of what the pub wants (content, style, word length, tone, etc.) Try it...you might like it! Post 3: I just want to make sure I typed what I meant to express...I read three issues of the SAME magazine (preferably the three most recent) and then brainstorm a bunch of article ideas for that pub. The whole thread is here, see if you recognize me: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38866 I thought that was such a great idea, and I think I am going to start exploring it. I have a huge tickler file but I think I am going to keep it as a 'last ditch effort' sort of thing. Then again, right now, I am so stressed because I have another great idea going on. I am actually rather excited about Terri Blackstock, but I am wondering if I would really be able to interview her. The timing is a little off, because her latest book just came out, but if I could determine when her next book is going to be published, I could really have a market. But with my luck, it would be another year. Then again, perhaps that just means I need to wait awhile. <sigh> I also found a new market, which I cut and past vital info on and put into my happy notefish account (www.notefish.com). I went to www.worldwidefreelance.com and signed up for their newsletter, which makes me able to access their free market base. I found a market today, with a link to accompanying writer's guidelines, then went over to Writer's Market to see if there was more information to be had (like, do they take queries by email?). Not listed in WM.com! <gasp> So it looks like a good way to locate more markets, something we can always do with. Ironically, after I read the site and took notes on pertinant-to-me information, I realized it is published in Fayetteville, Georgia, which is not to far away! You would think that means they would sell the magazine somewhere in Atlanta, wouldn't you? <sigh> Anyway, so another great free resource, used in combination with free notefish, means I am at least actively pursuing things, right? Tomorrow/Thursday we are driving to North Carolina, possibly all the way to Virginia, so you may not hear from me until Friday or later. Sunday is my grandmother's 80th birthday, and I'll be staying with my dad. My mom, brother, sister, and brother-in-law will be there as well, along with my hubbie and three kids...this will be crowded and I may not make it out alive. Wish me luck! Oh, and in case you were wondering, we didn't get the job in the area, but dh got another job carrying stuff up and delivering it to Chapel Hill, which is only about another two hours of driving, so the money from that should cover our travels. So we continue to be blessed, even though we sometimes overlook it.Keep my grandmother in your prayers, too, if ya'll are the praying kind. She is almost 80 and still lives alone. Apparently she fell and bumped her head two weeks ago - um, my dad says she was chasing a squirrel away from her tomato plants. Went to the doctor and ran the full battery of tests, and everything turned out fine, but she does have poor circulation (obviously) and some type of blockage in her arm, which they said would be too risky to remove but not a serious problem. Which is not what I recall hearing about blockages, but whatever works. Anyway, just keep her in your prayers, since if she continues chasing squirrels, she definitely needs some divine intervention. That's my grandma! |
| For anyone interested in writing for Families.com, I got this email today. As it happens, we have several major construction projects going on at Families.com over the next 2 months and I’ve had to postpone hiring this next group of Bloggers. The good news is that we’ll need about 50 new bloggers when we do hire the next crew (hopefully in the beginning of October). Just for anyone who was interested. <sigh> I guess this means I'm out of luck til at least October. |
| I've been in a funk, but I did manage to get some things written today. One four hundred word articles for my funness and enjoyment. It only took me about ten minutes, if that, to write it. I still need to write two articles on weddings or marraige. And I am fresh out of ideas. But if I can write two very quick articles by the end of the month - next Thursday - then I can get a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate. Which reminds me, by the way. I wrote a quick article as a 'freebie' but it turned out so well, I decided to send it to Looking for Clues. If it bombs, I'll try it for free. In the meantime, I need to come up with some good marriage articles. Any ideas? My brain is fried. We are leaving town on Thursday. With good luck, we'll be out of town for almost two weeks. With our luck, we'll be back by Tuesday. Out of town long means more money. So wish us luck, okay? We need it. Better yet, pray for us. We could use that, too. So I actually have four submissions out right now. No, five. Wow.  Filler to Parents Filler to Reader's Digest Query letter to Parents Article to Looking for Clues Short story to, er, that site.I didn't realize I was doing so good. Of course, LFC is a content-purchasing site, so not exactly a 'real' query. I'm still wavering on the idea of fiction. It would be nice to get some money for the articles. I do enjoy both. I remember last year when I decided to merge the two. Write a short story about whatever I was writing my article about, or somehow include that in the story. That would be feasible, though not always possible. Like, what if I'm researching uh, chicken nuggets, but don't want to write a story about it? And what about my novel? I do like the idea of continuing the one-query-a-month plan, because it's sort of the best of both worlds. But I'm having trouble with figuring out when I am supposed to write...uh, anything. What a day. <sigh> Still need to think about my article. I could do a nifty one on marriage and trials. We're struggling now, and I could definitely provide some realistic feedback. On the other hand, that might work as an LFC article, too, since they like the personal aspect. Hmmm. |
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