My Attempt at the "30 Days of 30 Queries" Challenge

Several years ago, I came across a type of “challenge” that a writer I knew was doing. This particular writer, Natasha Khullar Relph, is one who I have networked with for some time. I have stayed connected with Natasha since first coming across her newsletter for writers, Writers Crossing. Since then, I have stayed connected with her through Absolute Write, Facebook and Twitter. I also subscribe to her newsletters and read her work any chance that I get! Natasha is a very accomplished and talented writer and she really knows her stuff! I am grateful to have crossed paths with her, albeit through the worldwide web!

 

Anyway, when Natasha mentioned she was doing “30 Days of 30 Queries,” I became curious. This experiment turned into a course she started offering to writers.

 

I never have taken the course, but I have always wondered if I could do such a thing too.

 

At the beginning of June, I decided to finally find out!

 

The problem was that, when June 1 came around, I forgot that I had forgotten how to write queries! Whoops! It has been so long since I took a break from freelance writing that I couldn’t remember how to write a query letter!

 

So, I did a bit of research. Read a whole bunch of articles on how to write a query letter, then I gave it my best shot! (I do have Angela Hoy’s book, Query Letters That Worked, and I have read it before. But…it has been some time so I guess I should give it another read!)

 

Working through nDash helped charge my memory on how to write queries, too. Of course, the pitches which I sent to brands were not in the same format as a standard query letter, but the abstracts I had to write honed my ability to be succinct, to the point, and choose my words carefully.

 

Eventually, I was able to write a query letter with ease. After a while, and with a lot of practice, the memory of how to write a query letter did come back to me. Yay!

 

When I first started sending out the queries, I had a bunch of ideas for articles to pitch. The problem was, I had a hard time finding markets for them. ARGH! Googling for the markets did not turn up much. Thankfully, I finally got a copy of the most recent edition of Writer’s Market, so that helped a lot too.

 

Then I ran out ideas for articles! There’d be days I’d be frozen at the keyboard, wondering what to pitch.

 

That was until I remembered a whole bunch of article ideas I had either saved on the computer or written down into a notebook. That helped! I also recycled pitches that had been rejected in the past, giving them a new twist. I would also pitch article or essay ideas that were rejected on nDash, where I write content for brands.

 

The next challenge was to even REMEMBER to send out a query!

 

Now, see, this is why it’s a good idea to take the course instead of trying to do it alone. I didn’t have an email from Natasha appearing in my inbox every day, reminding me to send out a query!

 

I did, however, have my To Do lists, and that did help me to remember to send out a query sometimes. But I didn’t always use my To Do list this month, because with one kid graduating from middle school and the other not only starting summer term at the university but also changing his work schedule, things were a little crazy for a while there. So on the days I didn’t use my To Do lists, I forgot to send out a query.

 

In the end, instead of sending out 30 queries for 30 days, I only ended up sending out 12 queries in the span of 30 days.  Oh, well. At least I gave this challenge a try! LOL

 

Even so, all this querying, looking for markets and jumping on opportunities to pitch markets that put out a call for pitches has gotten me hooked! That’s right: Even though the month has come to an end, I’m not going to stop sending out queries!

 

In fact, I am planning to send one out tomorrow. Maybe two.

 

That reminds me … There was one day I sent out two queries: One to a market and one to a brand on nDash. After I started working through nDash, I began to think that it wouldn’t hurt to pitch to other markets in addition to the brands I pitch to through there. I like that idea a lot and just might keep it in my routine.

 

On the other hand, I may have scored low in sending out queries this month, but I was definitely busy also sending out poetry books and short stories to contests, anthologies, magazines and websites. That’s something which I plan to continue doing as well.

 

Here are all the queries I sent out this month. Of the 12 I sent, I’m very excited I got at least one acceptance.

 

The 12 Queries I Sent in 30 Days

 

Day One: Pitched Business Insider an article idea. No response.

Day Two: Pitched Parents & Kids an article idea. No response.

Day Three: Pitched Catster about an article idea. No response.

Day Four: Pitched Longreads for an essay. Rejected.

Day Five: Pitched Oregon Coast magazine about an article idea. No response.

Day Six: Pitched Whole Life Times an article idea. No response.

Day Seven: Longreads rejected my pitch so I sent it to Mutha Magazine. They responded with a request to submit. Accepted.

Day Seventeen: Queried Bookmarks magazine about an essay. Rejected.

ALSO ON DAY SEVENTEEN: Pitched article idea on nDash. No response.

Day Eighteen: Queried Slate about an essay. No response.

Day ???: Queried WritersWeekly about an article idea. No response.

Day 30: Pitched Newsweek about an essay.

 

I am grateful for this experience. It has definitely sharpened my skills in writing a query letter (I’m glad I remembered how to do it again!). It has also gotten me interested in keeping up with it. I may not have gotten a query out every day, but I’m definitely going to keep sending them out. Always be writing! Always be pitching! That’s my new motto for the freelance writing. Who knows? Maybe I will get those 30 queries sent out 30 days in a row. What matters is that I keep tossing my name into the hat.

Better Mental Health the Natural Way – New Ebook Offers Tips on 10 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health

 

I am very interested in natural medicine. When I was growing up, my dad was often sharing with me his knowledge about herbal remedies to cure certain ailments. My mom also used herbal and natural remedies. Even so, because my mother and I were both in a car accident, which resulted in her losing half of her left leg and me being burned, and then I lost my hearing due to meningitis at 13, we both knew Western medicine very well. We saw doctors, took medications, took antibiotics, were in hospitals, had surgeries, have had trips to the ER, and even received inoculations.

 

But when it came to natural medicine, we always turned to it if it helped us.

 

Even so, I wanted to look for ways beyond herbal medicine to improve health. Ways that didn’t involve ingesting plants or taking pills or applying salves.

 

I found those ways when I was much older and made some major health changes to my life. 

 

I smoked for a very brief time in the past, but I have been smoke-free for 20+ years. I used to be an alcoholic, and thankfully, I will be sober in five years this October. Getting sober made me think that it was time to take better care of my health, using natural remedies outside of herbal medicine. I got nothing against herbal medicine, but I strongly feel that making the right lifestyle choices can greatly improve our health. Especially our mental health.

 

As far as mental health issues are concerned, I am no stranger to the struggles. I have had depression for a long time, as well as anxiety attacks and panic disorder. I have worked with people who have mental health issues. Both of my kids also have mental health issues. So I know a thing or two about it. I have also spent many years doing research on the best methods for treating mental health – outside of doctors, pills and therapies. I wanted to know what natural methods a person could use to help improve their mental health problems – or, at least, alleviate the symptoms.

 

The result was my new ebook, 10 Ways to Boost Your Mental Health. This book is the result of all of that research I have done. It’s the result of all the studies and reports which I read supporting the book’s material. I know there are probably more than 10 ways to boost your mental health, but I wanted to keep this list short. Also, I’m not a doctor or therapist, so I am not an authority on this subject. That said, ten felt like a safe number to go with.

 

As it stands, I have seen firsthand how these methods have helped other people with mental health issues. They have helped me too. I use some of them a lot. I am not cured of my mental health issues, but these routines definitely help me get back to baseline and also prevent worse case scenario thinking.

 

Ultimately, they are a source of help to turn to when things get bad. They often do, and these methods help. (Forest bathing is in this book, but I call it “nature therapy” because it does help a lot.)

 

I hope that these routines will help readers in the same way they have helped me and other people I crossed paths with. They are not meant to be cures, but they can definitely help. The best part is that most all of them are free to use at any time, during any season and without needing to replenish a supply.

 

Here is the blurb for this book:

 

Do you feel like there is just too much chaos to get through your day? Does it feel like you have no way out of an oversensitized environment? This ebook shares tips and tricks to help you destress and find a sense of inner peace. Every single day, we are exposed to things that can tear us down. From depressing and horrific events, scary news stories, doomscrolling on social media and dealing with unpleasant and even violent people, our mental health takes a lot of abuse as we try to make it through yet another day. In 10 Ways to Boost Your Mental Health, you'll find 10 easy, free and rejuvenating activities you can do to help you feel just a little bit better despite all of the bad things in life. We can't make the negative things we are exposed to go away, but we CAN do things to protect our mental health and try to keep our sanity in this chaotic world.

 

The book is available free through Smashwords.