- Joined
- Aug 4, 2006
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In the 3 months since I joined this website, I have written more and dared to submit more and had more published than I would have dreamed in a 12 week period. I hope others will add to this thread to share what AW has taught them. Everyday I find more I don't know.
1) everyone starts as a newbie.
2) Submit to places where you would like to see yourself published.
3) Do the research on the place you want to publish.
a)do they take submissions?
b) how often?
c) do they pay?
4) With pieces you think pop, save them for places that are special (this is hard).
5) Submit, submit submit (where) --that's the research part. Most papers have a collection called the slush pile (learned this in freelancer section of AW), you submit and they respond actually exceptionally fast. I have also learned that seasonal pieces should be sent two to three months in advance for newspaper slush piles. They usually do not pay to start. You have to get some credentials to get them to consider paying you --i.e. when people look forward to your writing in particular.
6) The learning curve for doing this is steep.
7) submitting for free gives you credentials to then submit to magazines and places that pay.
8) In the paying and the free lance there are tons of places to submit, most take 5- 10 weeks to make things happen.
9) At the same time, if you have a larger work (book), you should be searching for an agent (this is also work) and there are lots of hints in the beware section, in the ask the agent section, and just asking in the sections you are interested in learning about.
10) Don't get discouraged and write daily. Rewrite daily too. Get a thick skin and prepare to have your writing creations destroyed line by line in some cases, or even worse, the killing words, I didn't get it.
11) keep a journal with you for ideas.
12) Crit pieces you like of others and they'll return the favor, give rep points for advice you find useful, it helps to make friends and gain readership of your pieces in SYW.
1) everyone starts as a newbie.
2) Submit to places where you would like to see yourself published.
3) Do the research on the place you want to publish.
a)do they take submissions?
b) how often?
c) do they pay?
4) With pieces you think pop, save them for places that are special (this is hard).
5) Submit, submit submit (where) --that's the research part. Most papers have a collection called the slush pile (learned this in freelancer section of AW), you submit and they respond actually exceptionally fast. I have also learned that seasonal pieces should be sent two to three months in advance for newspaper slush piles. They usually do not pay to start. You have to get some credentials to get them to consider paying you --i.e. when people look forward to your writing in particular.
6) The learning curve for doing this is steep.
7) submitting for free gives you credentials to then submit to magazines and places that pay.
8) In the paying and the free lance there are tons of places to submit, most take 5- 10 weeks to make things happen.
9) At the same time, if you have a larger work (book), you should be searching for an agent (this is also work) and there are lots of hints in the beware section, in the ask the agent section, and just asking in the sections you are interested in learning about.
10) Don't get discouraged and write daily. Rewrite daily too. Get a thick skin and prepare to have your writing creations destroyed line by line in some cases, or even worse, the killing words, I didn't get it.
11) keep a journal with you for ideas.
12) Crit pieces you like of others and they'll return the favor, give rep points for advice you find useful, it helps to make friends and gain readership of your pieces in SYW.