Being a writer is about using focus and angles. You keep your focus but you use up all the angles you can find.
For instance, take a topic like Christmas. How over done is that? Could you find something new to say about Christmas (a new angle) without forgetting who you are writing for and what you are writing about (your focus). Christmas would be a tough one but every year the magazines have flocks of articles for Christmas topics. Sure, many are the same old themes about not breaking your diet, coping with the stress of shopping, bills and family, etc. If you could come up with something new to pitch to the women’s magazines your chances of making a sale increase if you have a new angle and have not lost focus on your market.
I don’t seem to have trouble with angles. I enjoy being contrary, turning tables and looking at things in a new way. Focus, is where my trouble starts. I get looking at angles, some of them are way out there, and focus just gets lost in the brainstorm.
I like to think there are other writers out there with the opposite problem. They have all the focus keeping them grounded but they just can’t think of all the angles. While they are still working on angles I might have a chance to slip my angle in first and see my name on another cheque. My name looks so wonderful on cheques, I really should get more of them.