And no — they've not approved my profile yet. How long has it been now?

That site STILL hasn't approved you, Lori? Maybe the company will appreciate the initiative you took in finding an alternate way to contact them, especially after seeing you are perfect for that gig.

My November was good, despite my being sick for the last two weeks (four days of which I was up in the North Woods with family). Like any good freelancer, I kept working despite this endless cold and coughing.

Queries: Sent two. Learned one was close, but the mag had covered too many people from that show already. Darn.

LOIs: Sent six. One reply. They said they don't often use freelancers, but they liked my experience and were forwarding my info and clips to their assigning editor.

Social Media: After I called and left a voice mail to follow up on an LOI from October or September, a Deputy Editor from the publication contacted me via LinkedIn and asked for clips to share with her colleagues. I send some just before Thanksgiving. Fingers crossed.

Job Postings: Replied to four, and received one rejection.

Referrals: Two former resume clients referred people to me. I wound up writing to new resumes and one cover letter. (Ideal fill-in work when you have no voice to do phone interviews!)

Existing Clients: Working on one article for Favorite Editor, turned in two local articles and three columns.

New Clients: The resumes, noted above.

Earnings: The big Variety check arrived a month before expected (yay!!!). Because of that, I brought in more than double my monthly goal. Woo-hoo!

Bottom Line: Being sick sucks. But it's no excuse for not sending more queries and LOIs. Oh, and coming back from four days away is hard. How do you frequent vacationers adapt?

I was pleasantly surprised at a client meeting while I was in San Diego to receive a couple new projects, one of which will carry over to January. I also heard from a San Diego friend who indicated her company may be able to use my services.

I have a final project for a long-time client to finish up in December. They have been aces in the projects department this year.

I received final payment on a project from a new client who indicates there will definitely be more in the future.

I heard from a former client who is at a new company who said she would definitely have projects for me in the new year. It's all good. 🙂

I got in some marketing before I left for San Diego, and did a bit more while there and there are some promising leads.

I also sent my holiday gifts before I left. Now, it's time to get the cards out.

This looks like a better closing to the year than is typical.