I have no motivation for next week's article, but I must remind myself that 'real' writers write no matter what. Saturday is the day I've allotted for picking next week's query letter topic; once I have chosen it, the next step is preliminal research and writing. That said, I have to actually pick something.

The problem is, I am excited about a subject best queried in November (thus published around April or May). I've compiled research; the next step is to locate markets. Then I need to write query letters for said markets. Now, there is some more preliminary research I would like to do, namely calling and asking the study coordinators some details (actually, I'd love to do the interview in person), and whether or not they are repeating the study or one like it in the near future. It would be a coup, of course, to put my info out at the same time the study was published, but not likely. Then again... If I post it soon after, then I have a chance of scooping everyone else, plus the slant of originality. These might be just the tools I need for marketing my article.

I am back and forth on querying too soon. On the one hand, it would be great to 'beat the rush'. On the other, I don't want the editor to think I am, you know, stupid and overeager. I worry that a larger national magazine will have a longer lead time. In fact, I am actually going to query the nationals first, which is most likely foolish but always fun. Why not get rejected by someone you know? It's high school all over again. And, hey, I might get lucky.

I think that I will contact them by email and explain that I noticed they are continuing with the research, a fact gleaned from Googling their name online. I will ask if they are publishing the results for 2006 and, if so, when. Then, when I pitch the article, I can note that I have spoken with the survey folks and they plan to publish on such-and-such date. I could also ask the survey folks when they would be available for questions about said study, or, basically, when they would be able to speak definitively about the results, info I could pass on to the editor. And I can feel them out on the findings - a correlation between the victims and their ages. Just to get a feel for 'is there something there'. I'm pretty certain there is.

I will also go ahead and make two other contacts via email, both with sites that correlate data. I will feel them out for data presently being gathered and its availability. Then I will query my article.

I love finding motivation.