Capturing Chaos

Every time I look at my Associated Content content page, I’m reminded of why I left the site in the first place. The article that they finally published today was seven days in the review queue before they made an offer, and then two days processing. But I’m learning patience, and also the importance of timing.

I submitted an article on the ideal Christmas gift for a gardener, an idea I picked up from a quick glance through Helium. (By the way, Helium is an excellent source for ideas if you’re running dry.) At the speed that seems to be AC’s current mode, by the time it’s published, most of the timeliness will have passed because I submitted it so late in the month. Let’s hope I remember that lesson when the next holiday season rolls around. At least it’s an evergreen article that will be relevant every Christmas, so even if it hibernates for the next nine or ten months, it should collect some pages views for the 2009 season and thereafter.

Even better, the topic of the article doesn’t have to relate just to Christmas. Gifts for gardeners are welcome any time of the year, and if I can get off my butt and rewrite the article a couple of times, I can get some more mileage out of it, on other sites. This is one technique that experienced writers use all the time, and one that I need to use more often. Unfortunately, it arouses my personal bogey man, the boredom that comes with repetition, so that’s one more obstacle to overcome.

One note of encouragement I picked up on the AC forum, when somebody was complaining about the long delays between submissions and acceptance: just keep pumping out the articles regularly, and even with the delays, you’ll be publishing regularly. In other words, keep the tap open and flowing. I need to keep that in mind on days when I’m feeling discouraged about AC, and about my writing, in general.

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