Yesterday Was Huge

I was having one of those weird anxiety laded days yesterday about articles I had written and were waiting in the editor's queue. Yes, I know editors have a big job, but some things seem to zip to the top, and others dwindle. Anyway I was waiting on 2 Demand Studio Articles, and 2 Associated Content articles. Finally by the end of the day, I had one published in each place, another rejected, and I'm still waiting on one of the AC articles.

The article I'm waiting on is about the educational system in the US. It started as a review of "Waiting for Superman" but has gone beyond that. So, I asked to be reviewed for upfront payment, which can take a bit. If I just posted it for performance payments, it would just go up. But I think it's worth something more.

So, in my anxious frenzy I turned to the forums -- which I really hadn't done on AC. "Should I withdraw my upfront payment request?" I asked. "Is it worth it to stew for a few bucks?"

At first, I got some bigwig on the site quoting policy -- "it can take up to 10 business days."

Yeah, I know. "It can take" doesn't mean it typically does, and it doesn't mean things aren't going to sit in a queue and then not be approved anyway. The good news with AC, is even if I don't get upfront, I'll still post it for performance payments.

Then I got a real answer. If I can get my page views up, I'll be offered more money. Duh. So I made a few friends followed some more people. My page views went from 32 yesterday (which was actually good for me) to 199 today. :) I'm still waiting on that  approval, but I'm not as stressed about it.

So I learned-- Ask questions. Make friends. It can be time consuming, but it's worth the time

Oh, and that poem I promised, written mostly right after I saw the movie Howl.

 

Risk　
A lifetime of careful,
I tread lightly, tread lightly
　
All these eggshells have
gotten me to the bottom of the ferris wheel
back where I started
dizzy from going round and round
and getting nowhere
I dip my toe delicate,
as if somehow it is better than my foot
　
I never know
where the dropoff is
I bind myself with kite string
strap on a blindfold and tuck
myself away
　
But this time
I will see where the wind carries me
as I leap
wings first
keeping my eyes open
my arms spread eagle to
splat if I splat
soar if I soar
　
Tomorrow, regret or not
I'll know
what lies beyond
these borders
as I make my ready
for the next jump