When you work from home as a freelancer, TGIF loses its luster a bit. I’m still glad it’s Friday, though, because I think I’m going to actually not do any work over the weekend and pick back up on Monday. Not that I worked all that hard this week. I took it pretty easy, because I think I needed to.

So yesterday was one of “those” days. I stopped thinking about knots and instead spent time making a nice dinner. Eggplant parmesan, garlic bread, salad and even peach cobbler with ice cream. Ate entirely too much while, of all things, watching TV. I don’t watch much TV. I record a few shows I like–Modern Family, Raising Hope, Ricky Gervais–and watch them when I don’t feel like doing anything else. My daughter and I shoveled food in and enjoyed a few of those last night.

That must have done the trick, because I felt more “back” today. I still didn’t unknot anything–didn’t try–but I made some notes on one of the stories I’d intended to write this week and even produced one new very short-short odd little thing.

Then I got a rejection. Yesterday, that probably would have driven me bugnuts. But today, I could handle it. I immediately resubmitted it somewhere else, and then submitted 4 more pieces to 3 different markets right afterward, in determined and heated revolt. This is Sparta!

March Madness: I haven’t finished submitting this week (I don’t think) but so far I’m at 15 submissions for March to 7 different markets. That puts me at 17 pieces out there, but also means I’m waiting to hear back from only 9 places. I can’t seem to nudge that up, as every time I’m ready to I hear back from one or five in a single week. The rejection today was the only one this week.

I sent one new short-thing today, but the rest were resubs except one poem that had never been submitted before. All my subs this week went to markets I’d never tried before, which is a bit exciting in itself. I’m off to get some writing done right now, and I think tomorrow might just be a knot-untying day.

My goals regarding weekly fiction and poetry submissions, my brand-new, shiny goals from last week, took a backseat this to week to business marketing and the work that pays. I don’t consider the week a bust, however, because I did get so much accomplished.

I spent some desperately needed time updating my resume. I hadn’t touched it in almost 2 years, so when a gig would come to my attention I’d think hey, I’d better update my resume and send them something, that looks like a great opportunity, and I’d end up not doing it because the idea of updating my resume gave me a rash. I also put a few “writing sample” documents together–one for business, one with a variety of topics, one that’s easily customized to whatever the topic might be–as I’d been putting that off, too.

I did that this week, and have sent my updated resume out 13 times as of this morning. I’ve heard back from two so far with positive responses, so I think I did all right. I have not heard back from the two that I want the most, but I’m hopeful. And if not, other opportunities will come along.

Today needs to be spent working and getting rid of the growing list of articles I need to finish for clients. It does feel great to have everything ready now so that I can write a cover letter, pick a few articles to include as samples and shoot off an inquiry when I see a writing request that fits. I’ve made this part of my daily routine now–spend just a few minutes looking in the usual places for new and interesting writing job listings and send resumes to those that look promising.

I also started a list of companies that I’m going to send a letter of inquiry to, offering services. These are all online right now, but after I’ve sent about 3 each day for a couple of weeks, I plan to target local businesses with actual snail mail and a business card. So no fiction submissions this week, but a lot of marketing on the paying end of things and work that trims down my time spent marketing when I do it.

I also wrote about 4,000 words of fiction and kept that muscle warmed up, so I’m feeling positive. I’m aiming to get that submission knocked out this week, and may try to do two, for good measure.