Hi Readers, Writers and Bloggers,

Well, we’re prepping for our trip to Mexico, where I will partially unplug (trusty Blackberry is going with me) and chill. This blog and freelancewrite.about.com will both continue to drip, watched by a trusty assistant!

Keep working over the summer, keep writing:

“Take out another notebook, pick up another pen, and just write. Just write. Just write, in the middle of the world, make one positive step, in the center of chaos, make one definitive act. Just write. Say yes, stay alive, just write, just write, just writer.” ~Natalie Goldberg

I was approached on Friday to rewrite an article from another writer that an editor didn’t like. It was on the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor for Latino Leaders magazine, to which I am a semi-regular contributor. The catch was that this magazine’s June edition is printing today, meaning I had to have it complete and in my editor’s mailbox by opening hours today (Monday).

Did I accept the assignment? Well, I knew my weekend included a 5K run (my first), a possible date to walk with a girlfriend, and, oh yeah, my husband is in the middle of installing new wood floors throughout the main floor of our house.

But I still said Yes.

And, I succeeded, despite the massive disarray that my house, home and family life is in right now.

Freelancers need to be available to editors, and they need to meet solid deadlines.

I recently outsourced a huge project from the publisher Thompson Gale, hiring over 10 writers. Now, that might not seem like a lot, but keep in mind that I’m an itty bitty one-person operation writing from my home office, often with 2 kids, 3 cats and 1 dog underfoot. Managing 10 writers has been … fun, but it’s also reinforced the need for writers to meet deadlines. We’re so far, so good on this project, and I will be delighted when I meet Thompson Gale’s deadline.

I am continually impressed with WOW- Women on Writing’s high quality monthly magazine. I’m proud to have my article Manifest Magic in the May issue. I tend to explain Magic Realism to people as a genre in which the character or setting contains so very much passion that it bursts from reality in the form of magic. Take a look at my article- I worked hard on it, but considering this is my fave genre it was definitely a labor of love. If you’re not familiar with the genre, I would suggest starting with Gabo’s short stories. Plus, if you’re “too busy to read”– well, there ya go. Even I can find time to read these.