But there was a flip side to all the stressing to get on track. I managed to impress a current client enough that she's now contracted for another monthly project in addition to the work we were already doing regularly. I LOVE extending with current clients–it beats seeking out new (untested) ones by a mile.

In the end, then, June was good. Not easy–and not yet over according to the calendar AND my to-do list–but definitely productive.

Cathy, twitchy is exactly how I felt at the tail-end of May. Funny how 30 days can make a difference. Then again, it can swing the other direction, too. 🙂

Ashley, that's why we work – so we can enjoy life a little bit more. Good for you for trying so hard, though. Remember, the more you do now, the sooner you can get dessert. 🙂

Paula, sounds like you're laying a great foundation. Come on, July! I think I'd throttle that stand-in editor. No way he/she should've killed that article, especially if your pay was contingent on it running. Sometimes they like to impress themselves and their bosses on how decisive they can be. Sorry. 🙁

I promised to play along, so as of today, here's my June assessment:

Finished three short articles (a fourth was killed since the source was unavailable).

Completed three columns (the fourth will be sent in today or Monday) and four blog posts.

For one week I challenged myself to send at least one LOI per day to markets that fit well with my background. I sent six. Had two immediate replies – one said they have no current need for freelancers, but will keep me in mind; the other said he was forwarding my info to two of their editors who use freelancers. No replies yet from the others.

I sent one query and got the assignment, conditional on whether the subject agrees to do the interview.

Unbelievably, I found and replied to six job ads that matched my abilities. One replied the next day asking for additional samples. Fingers crossed.

Adding some more marketing oomph, I reached out to several existing clients (including the one I queried, above). I sent one an updated resume and a quick note – no reply. Another editor who typically gets back to me the same day hasn't replied (vacation, I presume), but another quickly wrote back saying he was ironing out details of the next issue and would have something to assign me any day now.

As for new clients, I did two really quick one-off jobs for two people: Grand combined total less than $200. I also had a disappointing experience with a would-be new client. When a friend's boss decided to hire someone to ghostwrite about 3 blog posts per week to their company blog, my friend suggested me. We had two productive calls with the boss. He explained exactly what he wanted, provides sources and direct quotes. He wanted 300 words. I turned it in – he complimented my writing but said he hadn't given me enough "meat" for the "article." Um, dude – it's a blog post, not an article. He said he'll be in touch when they have something worth my time. Right.

And other people's vacations are really screwing me up. When the editor who handles my column was out, his replacement decided not to run my column. It was a timely one, not an evergreen. Argh. Another editor was a week late getting my invoice sent to accounting. Another editor took two weeks off, and she'd the one who approved invoices and sends them in, so there's a delay there, too. (Even with that delay they'll pay faster than most magazines.) I've spent three weeks trying to reach a key source, who is apparently unreachable this month.

July can't get here fast enough!

I love the feeling of having a little extra cash before a vacation — I don't feel so guilty about all the money I'm spending on hotels and nice dinners. All my extra earnings lately have gone to vet bills, but the fur babies are so worth it.

I haven't been as productive as I would have liked because my crammed 4-week class has taken up most of my spare time. But it will be over next week, and I can focus on marketing. Gonna be a busy working weekend!

Congrats, Lori, on a great month, and hope all is well with your health!

Devon-best of luck with the seminars!

I did book some seminars for the fall, though, which iwll bring in some cash.