Kimberly, that's the key. ;)) Gotta get off my butt and do it if I expect it to work.

The personal development seminar I went to was specifically for marketing since some coaches were going to be there.

The charity event I hadn't planned to do any networking at, but I met some people there who were small business owners and we got to talking, so I got some phone numbers of people to call and I talked to those I met about some possible projects.

I do prefer face to face networking. I can sell myself a whole lot better that way. I just have to remember to bring business cards with me.

Love the face-to-face stuff, Wendy. People are more inclined to hire a face than an email.

What are your networking events like? How do you meet? Where do you go?

Work-wise, this past last week has been slow. But I turned in five articles and four columns. Not great, not horrible.

I sent three queries encompassing about 15-20 separate ideas (all to long-time editors who prefer multiple ideas per query). I only replied to one job posting – it sounded ideal for my skills and experience – but haven't heard back.

I contacted two existing clients just to keep in touch. I also sent a letter of introduction to the new editors of a major publication I wrote for several years ago. One replied, saying they don't use freelancers very often. The other, the assigning editor, hasn't replied at all. I also reached out to about a dozen trusted PR contacts, and already have some good ideas to pitch for April and May.

I'm also about to put on my Elf Hat again to start helping Santa answer his mail. The big catch is, in order to get the postmark from "The North Pole" and ensure the kids get the letter by Christmas, you have to ship the letters to Alaska (I mean to Santa!) by mid-December. So all of Santa's Elves need to have everything ready to go by Thanksgiving, when the letters start rolling in!

I did get some face to face networking and marketing done, which went over pretty well. I got an upcoming project from that and some possibilities down the road.

And I spent some time working on some of own projects. Oct wasn't productive work wise, but it was productive in the sense of future work. Overall, I'm pretty pleased.

I had a lot of proposals to do this month, and I won't know the results until spring. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I skimmed over the job boards a few times, but there was nothing I really wanted. I re-discovered a great site that lists legit jobs in the arts, but most of them are full-time on-site, so it's not right for me, but I'm sending the link to friends. And, if I see an organization I love, I'll pitch them a freelance angle.

I'm going to get a royalty check next week for the play, and also my very last check from an annuals publisher for whom I worked for 15 years — can you imagine? I wrote for them for 15 years? It flew by. And I need a break — I think I've said everything I can say for them right now.

November is all about writing, travel, and web re-design.