Focus!!

Boy, do I need to get organized. Ok, I AM organized, but I need to organize my thoughts and put them into some semblance of order that's workable for me.

Ever have one of those days when the ideas just keep coming, and suddenly, you realize that your desk is covered in Post-it notes because whenever you hear something - a song, an advertisement, a snippet of conversation - you jot down a few notes because it's a good idea and your mind says 'hey, I just need a bit of time to flesh it out.'

That's how I feel today. I stepped back into my office after lunch and I realized that I have 19 Post-It notes - each listing three different ideas - spread across my desk. There's also the pile of books I'm reviewing, my writing bible (The Renegade Writer's Query Letters that Rock), a calendar that's beginning to fill up with scheduled interviews, a list of follow-ups I need to call, and a Christmas cactus that needs some serious attention.

Am I avoiding writing? Maybe. Or maybe today is the idea day - the day when I fill out the graphic organizer in my mind and come up with at least ten different article possibilities for each of those scribblings on the Post-It notes. Will it bring in the cash and help pay the bills? Eventually.

One of the editors of a writing newsletter I subscribe to swears by the "13" rule when it comes to sending queries. I've been working my way toward that magical number. At one point I had submitted seven queries and suddenly I had two assignments. Perhaps "7" is my lucky number. I do like her idea though, and by the end of this week, I will arrive at 13.

OK, back to those Post-Its...