As a relatively new full-time freelance writer, I surely had my share of rejections. Yet somewhere in the midst of it all, I’ve actually got published in a few magazines (even a favorite one at that).

If you’re still struggling to get your foot in the door, don’t sweat it. I’ve got a few tips that may help you get from published wannabe to magazine writer.

1. Start small. Everyone’s heard the story of that one beginning writer that sent in a query to a popular national magazine and got accepted and paid well for it. Kudos to that writer! You might want to try it, but if querying top magazines isn’t working, try aiming lower. Either write a small piece for a top magazine or a bigger piece for a local, lesser-known publication. This will increase your chances of getting published. If you get accepted, you’ll get your foot in the door. The first from clips and the second from demonstrating your writing abilities. I’ve done it and both have helped me to get published.
2. Keep going. Some might see one or even two rejections as game over. I see it as a starting point to get better. It might seem like a waste of time to keep trying with a publication that has rejected your query. But if you really want to get published, you need to persevere and keep going. I sent in 3 queries to the same publication before I got published. But since then, the editor has accepted 2 of my articles. In the end, the initial time spent querying was well worth it.
3. Be helpful. Sure my main focus is getting published, but the editor doesn’t care about that. They care about filling the magazine with unique, interesting pieces. Focusing on what they need, instead of my own, in the end also helps me. What I’ve done in the past is to ask editors what columns they need filled and what kinds of ideas they are looking for.
4. Stay abreast. I am an avid reader and I read everything: newspapers, magazines, blogs, online articles, autobiographies, fiction, etc. I think staying current and keeping abreast about what’s going on in the world helps foster an environment for fresh ideas.
5. Be observant. In addition, to reading and observing what’s going around me, I also pay attention to things that are going on in my own life. It’s how I got published in my first national magazine. Chances are if you’re going through something, someone somewhere has also been through it too. That makes an interesting topic, one an editor might love to publish in their magazine.

These are just a starting point for beginning freelance writers. Getting published takes a bunch of different things like luck and timing. But in the end, the only real way to get published is to keep trying.

*Veteran writers please feel free to jump in.

I’ll admit that I was one of the roamers, sticking my head and leaning my ears in between perusing books*, but what I got was pure gold. Here are a few snippets of their sometimes provocative and always apropos talk on being a writer:

“I often worry that I’m on a treadmill.  Running without doing anything meaningful.”

I love this for the simple fact that all writers feel this way.  We write to work and work to write. But sometimes it seems like we can’t ever catch up. If, for example, we’re ahead financially, we may feel we’re not living up to our writing dreams. Perhaps, the worst fear is that life will pass us by and we’ll still be an unpublished writer or author.

“What a great time it is to be a writer.”

This hopeful statement made me want to stand up and cheer! It is a great time to be a writer because there are more opportunities than ever. But then check out what they said next:

In response, someone from the audience made this comment, “There is less opportunity so my writer friends are making writing more of a hobby.”

“But was there ever a good time?”

Like the age old statement that “Life was much better when I was younger,” this topic got everyone split 50-50. Some felt that the economy and the internet has made competition crazy and pay insanely low. While a few on the panel felt that it has always been hard to be a writer regardless of circumstances. One of the writers said it’s all about working through it and writing no matter what. What do you think? You think it’s easier now or was it better “back in the good old days?”

“Blogging makes you a better writer.”

You can imagine how thrilled I was to hear this. Especially since I have three blogs! The arguments were that blogging gives you practice, makes you more vigilant because others will read it, and you have the option to go back and edit it.

“The good news is that now you are responsible for everything. The bad news is you kind of have to be.”

This couldn’t be more true. While we can now self-publish, self-market and essentially design our own publishing careers, we also can’t rely on or blame anyone else for our failures. The torch is really in our own hands. It’s just good or bad depending on how you perceive it.

“Words don’t lose its value once it’s online.”

Another gem for me since a lot of what I do is online. While the panel agreed that e-readers like Kindle and Nook will in no ways take away from print publications, they also debunked the myth that putting words on the internet didn’t necessarily take away its value.

All in all this talk made me 1. wish I brought a tape recorder (so I didn’t have to type everything on my cell phone) 2. want to attend more writing events. What a wealth of information the panel presented in an hour’s time!

How about you? Any presentations/talks you’ve attended lately that you can share here? I’d love to hear about it.

*That’s how I found this (I wish someone got me this as a gift) book, “You Know You’re a Writer When.” As in, “you know you’re a writer when writing is the only thing you do that doesn’t make you feel as if you should be doing something else.”

And here’s what happened:

No, I didn’t get into Glamour or O magazines. A prayer wasn’t answered. A miracle was yet to be seen.

Instead, last year’s queries were answered by this year’s, “I’m sorry your idea doesn’t fit with the current needs of the magazine.”

After listening to my heart shatter for a few minutes, I put myself back together like Humpty Dumpty. I realized that one rejecting letter, did not a failure make.

So this is what I did:

I contacted the publication again. I shared my gratitude for the reply. After all, most times I never hear from a company again. At least I knew one way or another that they were not interested. Then, I took action.

For the magazine that I submitted a completed manuscript, I tried again. Three times total in fact. And by the third submission, I instead of striking out, I made a home run. The result was an article published in the February issue of Animal Wellness magazine.

For the company that emailed me to let me know that I didn’t have the “right” qualifications for their freelance writing position, I asked them if they could let me know exactly what these qualifications were so I could try again in the future. The CEO not only wrote back a nice email but gave me the name of the managing editor who could help me.

For the publication who sent me a rejection letter for an idea I had, I emailed them saying that I would still love to one day be in their magazine and would work hard to get there. The editor sent me an immediate email saying that she would love to get more ideas from me and let me know what section of the magazine she needed to fill.

Here’s what I learned:

A rejection letter is not necessarily a closed door. Sometimes it is a gateway to other opportunities. If you are courteous, passionate, courageous and determined, it could be your opening to publish your best writing yet.