• Rejection - Writer Challenges - Writing Topics

    Why Scrappiness & Grit Are Essential to Successful Writing

    Tweet I’m going to confess something I’ve never told another soul, except my husband. My entrance into being a columnist for The Writer magazine happened in a weird, kind of embarrassing and surprising way. My gateway wasn’t my writing. It was through cartooning. I’m not a cartoonist, as you can see in the cartoon I submitted below. Here are a few reasons why I think I wasn’t jilted for my lack of obvious talent. The editor at the time was kind and open to receiving cartoon submission from a non-illustrator. I was persistent. In fact, I didn’t stop at that first…

  • Freelance Writing - Writer Tips

    5 Ways to Get Your Foot in the Door of the Publishing World

    Tweet If you’re an intimidated writing newbie, don’t sweat it. There are a lot of things you can do to get your start while you’re waiting for your experience to catch up with you. {photo by: kandyjaxx} Here are a few things that helped me early on flex my writing muscles and get comfortable before I started full-time freelancing: 1. I sent in mini practice articles. You might know them as the letter to the editor. I’ve been sending letters to the editor since I was in high school. Why? I find it’s a fast and easy way to get…

  • Writer Tips

    A Secret to Getting Published

    Tweet A writer friend confided something in recently. He said he grappled with the ability to step outside him self when writing. As a result, his creations at times were a bit foggy. Although they were clear to him, they were confusing to others. I completely understand what he means. Sometimes I’m up late at night after a day of writing and my writing brain is exhausted. But I push on. As the words flow through me, I get lost in a cloud of my own creation. I’m immersed in a jungle of ideas and steeped in the visualization of…

  • Magazine - Writer Issues Solved

    Magazine 101: How to get published in a magazine

    Tweet Okay for all you magazine veterans out there, this is not for you. But please feel free to comment and leave your wise and experienced tips below! 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.