“Success!” I wrote to my editor this morning. After days of sending out feelers, asking friends for help, and e-mailing every organization I could find, I was able to find three perfect sources for my article.

I’d have been happy just to find sources, period. But to find the perfect three was icing.

It was the timing of the work that was so crucial. Two assignments came my way recently, almost simultaneously. Both were wonderful topics that I was very interested in, and very eager to start working on. But both came with short deadlines, high stress levels, and tough-to-find sources.

This morning, I’ve sorted both the stories out. I’ve found people willing to speak on record about their experiences, and I’ve found experts with long-term expertise on the not-often-spoken-about topics. I’m very pleased.

In all these research and writing though, I’ve managed to neglect one of the most important parts of the business– the marketing. So, here I am yet again, with deadlines coming up, work almost finished, and no new assignments once these are submitted. The marketing machine hasn’t been oiled in a while. Time to do it now. Editors, here I come!