Alyce Wilson

As I announced earlier this week, I’ve challenged myself to a project I’m calling “30 Queries in 30 Days,” where I’m going to be making specific efforts to increase my freelancing income.

Today, I set myself a big goal: to finally write the query to “Parents” magazine that I’d been contemplating since this spring. It’s my first query to a major national magazine (though I had a feature published in the state-wide “Pennsylvania” magazine about 10 years ago). I referred heavily to their writer’s guidelines, which were very helpful. So I’m proud to add to the list:

5) Wrote and mailed a query letter to “Parents” magazine, proposing a travelogue piece about my trip to Illinois with KFP, concentrating on tips for traveling alone with your child.

Then, because I didn’t submit any queries yesterday, I worked on something far easier. I pulled together several examples of press releases I’ve written to submit with another Elance job proposal:

6) Submitted a proposal via Elance.com for a job writing a press release for a new business book.

I will, of course, post any feedback or response I get for the queries I send out this month. Wish me luck!

While I can be the most determined person when I have a specific goal in mind, my failing as a freelance writer is not putting my writing out there as much as I should. This is a long-time issue for me, something I’ve been dealing with for as long as I can remember. Simply put: It’s more fun writing than it is doing the work of trying to get that writing published.

However, our family has been making due with approximately one-and-a-half salaries since I gave birth to our son three years ago, and that just simply isn’t enough when we’ve got three people now instead of two to feed, clothe, and provide for basic needs. The solution seems simple enough: I’m more likely to be successful the more I actually try.

That is the purpose behind the “30 Queries in 30 Days” project. I am challenging myself throughout the month of September to take action that will potentially lead to more revenue and more opportunities. Here’s how it’s going to work:

I’m using a loose definition of “query,” defining it as a specific effort to earn money through my writing. For that reason, I’ll include not only query letters, which are sent to publishers to propose a story idea, but will also include submissions of poetry, stories and articles to literary magazines; applications for grants; proposals submitted on online freelancing sites (such as Elance and Odesk) for advertised writing jobs; and submissions to paying writing contests (preferably those without submission fees). I will track both my efforts and my results on this blog, so stick around. If you haven’t already, this might be a good time to subscribe to my blog, which means you’ll receive an e-mail notification whenever I post.

Hopefully, this experiment will push me past my sticking point. If I can do this for a month, I’m hoping it will become second nature to me. After all, it’s only a short amount of work every day. And like I keep reminding myself: You can’t win if you don’t play.

Here’s what I’ve done so far:

1) Submitted a proposal for a job proofreading a memoir at ODesk.com.

2) Mailed a poetry submission to The Georgia Review.

3) Entered a poem in the 2014 Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest (winners announced August 2014).

4) Submitted a proposal via Elance.com for a job writing humorous commentary for a “caught on tape” Web site.

KFP is measured for his ringbearer suit.

Thanks to all the generous donors to our Indiegogo campaign, “Get the Ringbearer to Illinois,” we made nearly half of the money we needed to travel to a wedding in Illinois, where my son is supposed to be the ringbearer. This morning, before he left for work, my husband and I put our heads together and did some number crunching. After plenty of debate (and a few tears), we realized that the only way way to make the trip possible will be for my husband to stay home and for me and our little ringbearer, nicknamed Kung Fu Panda, to fly out by ourselves.

It will still be costly, and while we have the airfare covered, we could still use some help with the hotel room, food, and a car rental. With that in mind, I’m offering a special one-time ebook, which be available as a PDF in May, following the April 20 wedding. The book, tentatively titled, “Now with Kung-Fu Action Grip,” will feature the following:

* Poetry written during my pregnancy with KFP
* Selected blog entries, essays, and humor pieces and poetry about KFP
* Several essays about parenting
* The story of our adventures traveling to the wedding, complete with photos from the trip and from the wedding

There is no set donation amount needed to receive “Now with Kung-Fu Action Grip.” We’re grateful for any amount you wish to contribute. Help us make this the best trip to date of his young life!

To donate by check or money order, please make it payable to “Alyce Wilson,” include a note giving your e-mail address, and mail it to:

Alyce Wilson
P.O. Box 39706
Philadelphia, PA
19106-9706

You can donate via Paypal (using a credit card if you prefer) using the button below.

Please boost the signal:

These are the final 8 days of our Indiegogo campaign to raise traveling expenses for our son to be the ringbearer in the wedding of a couple we regard as family:

http://igg.me/at/ringbearer-illinois/x/1412553

We’ve got fantastic perks at all levels that should appeal to gamers, readers, writers, art lovers, and anyone who might require editing or Web services. In addition, there are some truly unique perks, such as a personalized poem and a personalized story from writer Kevin Saito. Check it out! Help us Get the Ringbearer to Illinois!