1. If you truly want to become published, then you need to
perfect your skills by: taking writing courses, sharing your writing,
learning from writing criticism, attending writing workshops and
national conferences. Okay, what did I leave out? Oh yeah, you should
read like a wolf on the prowl. Read everything you can sink your teeth
in. Read, read, and read, especially the best writers in your favorite
genre.
2. Put your ego or your worries aside and attend national and local writing conferences. For a long time as an aspiring writer, I didn't attend writing workshops or conferences for fear my writing would be stolen or it won't meet the standards of the writing group. When I did join a small group at a nearby college for a six-week workshop once a week, their writing criticism was priceless. Thanks to that workshop I produced three articles for publication.
3. Since you want to be published, you are probably a rather sensitive person, who wants to share what you have learned during life's journey thus far. Here's the rub, you have to develop a thick hide to ward off the emotional strain of criticism and rejection. You can't let it send you into a tailspin or defeat your urge to be a writer. Always consider the source. Rejections are like pieces of wallpaper. Line your writing area with them. Each one signifies that you put yourself or your soul out there for others to see, read, and criticize. Be proud of your effort, and learn from your comments.
4. What would you do if an editor told you that your essay for a famous educational magazine was "sappy"? Would you crawl under a rock and never let your written words see the light of day again? Well, that's what a person on the editorial board told me. Sappy, can you imagine that? The board sat around a meeting table and shared what they didn't like about my story on a blank piece of paper, different handwriting and different people. How did I get my hands on it? The main editor liked my story, but others didn't on her panel, and she wrote that in a paragraph below the form rejection letter. Did she ask me to rewrite the story? No. I am sure at the last moment before sealing the letter she threw in the criticism paper, testing how much I cared about my story.
5. Never give up!... I sat down that evening at my desk with a fire in my belly, and I revised and revised, while dealing with each complaint. I wrote with such passion that time just flew by, and I sent the story off in the morning mail. Now I felt that it was a better article. Fewer than two weeks later the editor sent me an acceptance later. About a month later she called me and said, "We are featuring your story on the cover of our magazine."
6. Never give up your day job. It's a challenge to actually make a living as a writer. Writing has always been an avocation for me. In my youth I dreamed of writing the next Catcher in the Rye or Where the Sidewalk Ends, as an adult. But nowadays I have mostly given up on the dream. Eventually some dreams have to be modified or let go. (Our choices define our lives.) I like to believe that anything is possible. However, when it comes to writing and life I now believe almost anything is possible. J. D. Salinger is deceased, yet he still makes $250,000 each year on his novel about a mixed up teen.
7. If you truly want to get published, you have to really care about your writing. If you read about Salinger's life, you will discover that he loved the characters in his novels more than his own kids. I know that's difficult to believe. However, if you don't love your characters or ideas, hardly anyone else will. You have to make your readers care right from the first sentence. That's your sacred job as a writer.
8. What should you write about? You should write about what burns in your mind, what you truly care about. Yes, write about what you know best, but don't stop there. Write about what you want to know more about. Do research. Discover new things. Make your journey interesting. Every life experience is a lesson or a gift. Smell the flowers, pet the dog on the friendly leash, and enjoy the steaming coffee. Then step beyond your comfort zone and experience life. That's one of the biggest sources for writing topics. Robert Frost said, "If there's no surprise for the writer, there's no surprise for the reader."
9. Do I need an agent? If you're asking that question, you are probably way ahead of yourself. It's as difficult to find an agent as it is to find a publisher? So, I would strive to find a good publisher. Should you self-publish? I have self-published several times with Amazon. I think it's a good deal, if you're in a hurry to get published. Most self-publishing companies will cost you big bucks. Amazon is free for e-book publications. However, you will have to create a polished book no matter what cause of action you choose. And by all means: proofread, proofread, and proofread.
10. What if I want to be a commercial success? What should I do? If you want to be a success at all, follow the guidelines that publishers set to the letter for their manuscripts. You can find them online or in Writer's Market books each year. The two best books on writing are Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft and, Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. Be sure to read both. (Don't be fooled by the last title.) Good luck on your journey.
2. Put your ego or your worries aside and attend national and local writing conferences. For a long time as an aspiring writer, I didn't attend writing workshops or conferences for fear my writing would be stolen or it won't meet the standards of the writing group. When I did join a small group at a nearby college for a six-week workshop once a week, their writing criticism was priceless. Thanks to that workshop I produced three articles for publication.
3. Since you want to be published, you are probably a rather sensitive person, who wants to share what you have learned during life's journey thus far. Here's the rub, you have to develop a thick hide to ward off the emotional strain of criticism and rejection. You can't let it send you into a tailspin or defeat your urge to be a writer. Always consider the source. Rejections are like pieces of wallpaper. Line your writing area with them. Each one signifies that you put yourself or your soul out there for others to see, read, and criticize. Be proud of your effort, and learn from your comments.
4. What would you do if an editor told you that your essay for a famous educational magazine was "sappy"? Would you crawl under a rock and never let your written words see the light of day again? Well, that's what a person on the editorial board told me. Sappy, can you imagine that? The board sat around a meeting table and shared what they didn't like about my story on a blank piece of paper, different handwriting and different people. How did I get my hands on it? The main editor liked my story, but others didn't on her panel, and she wrote that in a paragraph below the form rejection letter. Did she ask me to rewrite the story? No. I am sure at the last moment before sealing the letter she threw in the criticism paper, testing how much I cared about my story.
5. Never give up!... I sat down that evening at my desk with a fire in my belly, and I revised and revised, while dealing with each complaint. I wrote with such passion that time just flew by, and I sent the story off in the morning mail. Now I felt that it was a better article. Fewer than two weeks later the editor sent me an acceptance later. About a month later she called me and said, "We are featuring your story on the cover of our magazine."
6. Never give up your day job. It's a challenge to actually make a living as a writer. Writing has always been an avocation for me. In my youth I dreamed of writing the next Catcher in the Rye or Where the Sidewalk Ends, as an adult. But nowadays I have mostly given up on the dream. Eventually some dreams have to be modified or let go. (Our choices define our lives.) I like to believe that anything is possible. However, when it comes to writing and life I now believe almost anything is possible. J. D. Salinger is deceased, yet he still makes $250,000 each year on his novel about a mixed up teen.
7. If you truly want to get published, you have to really care about your writing. If you read about Salinger's life, you will discover that he loved the characters in his novels more than his own kids. I know that's difficult to believe. However, if you don't love your characters or ideas, hardly anyone else will. You have to make your readers care right from the first sentence. That's your sacred job as a writer.
8. What should you write about? You should write about what burns in your mind, what you truly care about. Yes, write about what you know best, but don't stop there. Write about what you want to know more about. Do research. Discover new things. Make your journey interesting. Every life experience is a lesson or a gift. Smell the flowers, pet the dog on the friendly leash, and enjoy the steaming coffee. Then step beyond your comfort zone and experience life. That's one of the biggest sources for writing topics. Robert Frost said, "If there's no surprise for the writer, there's no surprise for the reader."
9. Do I need an agent? If you're asking that question, you are probably way ahead of yourself. It's as difficult to find an agent as it is to find a publisher? So, I would strive to find a good publisher. Should you self-publish? I have self-published several times with Amazon. I think it's a good deal, if you're in a hurry to get published. Most self-publishing companies will cost you big bucks. Amazon is free for e-book publications. However, you will have to create a polished book no matter what cause of action you choose. And by all means: proofread, proofread, and proofread.
10. What if I want to be a commercial success? What should I do? If you want to be a success at all, follow the guidelines that publishers set to the letter for their manuscripts. You can find them online or in Writer's Market books each year. The two best books on writing are Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft and, Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. Be sure to read both. (Don't be fooled by the last title.) Good luck on your journey.
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