January is over and thankfully, so is Dickie's challenge. I didn't write as often as I should have, but I definitely made progress.

Here's how I know: I took time out to work on more queries today. This shows me that by focusing on this and keeping it visible, I am more likely to work on this.

What hampered me? Aside from emails saying people were "disappointed" in me (who needs that kind of negativity? Delete!), I have been rigorously busy with a long-term project. So to be practical, I could not devote all the time I wanted to writing magazine queries. Simply put, I have to pay bills before spending valuable time on something that doesn't offer an instant payout.

But I'm glad I did it because I definitely wrote more and I feel more apt to delve into query writing instead of my old mentality, which said I needed a full day off to even begin.

Thanks to the FreelanceSwitch.com Freelance Radio panel for giving me tips on this and helping me stay motivated. I may have not written every day, four days a week, but I did write more. And for me, that was huge.

I'm proud of myself!