2012: My Next Big Year

So my home pass is drawing to a close... and I must say it's been a good one. I feel that the year 2012 holds a lot of promise for me. My mom said she feels the same way. Not only that, but my cookie told me that today also. I got the fortune, "You will soon be confronted with unlimited opportunities."

I came home thinking I would work on getting published in a magazine. I thought maybe Psychology Today (there's a two-minute memoir section). Then I read they don't accept personal stories of psychological disorders or recovery. So I guess they actually LIKE the crap they usually publish in that section. Hmm.

Anyway, I found a magazine that does accept that kind of thing, and it's called The Sun. Note the "The." There is a trashy magazine called Sun out there, and it's not the same thing. I believe that's the magazine that I saw the headline not too long ago that said: "Alien Skull Found - and It Talks!" So anyway, I printed out my article, and prepared it with and SASE to be sent off to The Sun magazine. I will send it when I go back to Idaho.

I've actually spent most of my vacation working. Of course, it doesn't feel like working because it's actually been fun. First I read through my book again, doing some minor editing, and removing one particular section. Then I gave all the chapters titles (which took awhile because there are 60 of them). Then I went through and changed everyone's names. Finally, I read through it one last time, just to double check everything.

I've also been working on a new query letter. I had written a new one following feedback I had received from one writing site in particular. So I expanded on this one, making it more interesting. Then I found a new writing site (I didn't want to go back to the old one for reasons I don't want to get into), and posted it. I received very positive feedback on it. They suggested a few minor changes, and told me that my book sounded very marketable and told me that agents would probably yank it right up. Previously, on the other site, I got responses to my other queries like: "If I were the agent I wouldn't be able to hit delete quick enough." I don't think it's because these people are going easy on me though, this query is just a great deal better. That's why it's important to get other peoples' opinions on query letters if you are trying to get published, preferably fellow writers. Sometimes you don't realize the impression that your query would make.

So anyway, I'll be back in Idaho on Wednesday, and then hopefully moving into my apartment for good shortly after that.