Writing success – what does that mean to you and how can you achieve it? The first thing is to define the term.
Are you a success if you’re published whether you received payment for it or not? Are you a success because you have a byline? Are you a success because you’re making so much money that you can retire from your “day job”?
Now that you’ve given thought to what medium you’d like to see your name attached to, you need to build the momentum to reach that goal. Whether it’s baby steps toward publication or whether you throw yourself into pursuing that dream full time, here are a few pointers to get you on the path:
1. Decide what you want to write about and in what format. Do you want to write fiction or non-fiction? Is your dream to pen a novel, newspaper or magazine articles or a column? Do you have a particular area of expertise that you’d like to share? Do you have a hobby, a passion, a calling that could lead you to publication success? Are you a member of a trade organization (Dry Cleaners of America, Coffee Growers International, American Legion, etc.). Check their trade journals for publication avenues.
2. In order to be a good writer, you need to be a reader. In my experience with teaching writing classes, those who go on to become published are those who are avid readers. On that note, research and read the type of publication in which you’d like to see your byline. Know the market, read what’s been published before. Study back issues – whether online or print.
3. Once you’ve found the publication in which you want to see your byline, the deep research begins. In what format does the editor accept submissions (hard copy through the mail, electronic); do they accept queries or will they only consider complete pieces? Check the publications’ website or a “Writer’s Market” type book to determine how the editor accepts submissions. Don’t bypass the submission guidelines – they are there for a reason and the editor expects them to be followed.
4. Put your best foot forward. Make certain your query or article is error free and polished.
5. Now that you’ve got that first submission out the door, but wait, don’t stop now! Look for another market. Find a different angle for the piece you’ve written. Querying and having a constant stream of submissions “out there” is a sure-fire way to land an assignment. The more you submit, the higher your chance of publication (it’s a numbers game).
Being a “successful” writer is a very subjective term but to be published at all, you need to send your articles to publications and continue to develop your skills so that you become a go-to writer when an editor has a project in mind.
