I'm Back!

October 12, 2004, 5:09 p.m.
Months have passed since I have taken the time to update my journal and now that I have carved out the time, I am struggling to find the right words to convey all of the news and notes that I want to share.
Work is going well and I’m finally ready to dish on some of the news I have been promising to share as soon as the details were finalized. Over the next few months, you will be able to find my work in Parents, Woman’s Day, Delicious Living, Oregon Business, and the Christian Science Monitor.
I have been trying to break into these publications for months (and in some cases, years) and after numerous queries, follow up calls, reminder e-mails, and a lot of patience, my persistence has paid off.
As a writer, these are the publications I covet; the ones I dreamed about writing for when I started out. I have worked incredibly hard to get to this point in my career (and I know that I will have to continue working hard to earn future assignments), but right now I want to shout it from the rooftops: Jodi has finally cracked her dream markets!
In addition to sending out queries and working on assigned pieces, I have spent the better part of the past month working in a newsroom. I accepted a short-term contract where my responsibilities included writing, editing, and layout for a weekly newspaper. I worked in the newsroom all day and caught up on freelance work at night: It was a hectic schedule, but the opportunity to get out of my pajamas and experience the energy of putting out a paper was amazing (even though I went weeks without my requisite 10 hours of sleep).
Next on my list: researching and writing several assignments, calling editors to pin down the status of overdue payments, sending out queries (it truly is an endless process), and heading back to the newsroom to pitch in until they hire permanent staff.
On a personal note, J and I moved into our new house on September 2 and have spent the past six weeks unpacking boxes, hanging pictures, landscaping the yard, and comparing paint chips. We love the extra space (and so did J’s parents and grandparents who came to visit for Canadian Thanksgiving and were grateful not to be crammed into our tiny condo) and once my office is finally organized, I am certain I’ll be wildly productive. But for now, I’ll continue searching for a missing check, my favorite black boots, and an entire set of pot lids that went missing in the move.