In the last 21 months, I’ve shared my passion with other moms who wanted to know how I became published in regional parenting publications. I realized that if I put it up on my blog, I can direct someone to my blog so they could read it, and I wouldn’t have to worry about forgetting details.
After reading Writer Mama by Christina Katz that I checked out at the library, I took her online class called “Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff.” It was a fun, but hard workout for someone who had never even thought about writing before. This class began my entire journey into the writing world. Stop by Christina’s website. There is a plethora of information for any new authors.
During the class, Christina shared about different resources for writer mamas to investigate. One of them that she mentioned is Brett Sember’s Regional Parenting Publication Kit. This kit provides you with a long email list of regional parenting pubs as well as extensive instructions on “how-to” write to an editor along with loads of tips to get yourself started.
I have also run across another resource by Kerrie McLoughlin, Get Published in Parenting and Family Magazines. Check out her ebook, too.
Since then I’ve see the importance of staying inspired so I’ve joined Freelance Success, a community of professional non-fiction writers where I mainly lurk and glean and Willamette Writers, a local writers’ group.
I always want to give a shout out to Ron Doyle, too, who designed my website and blog.
So this is the short version of my writing story, what’s yours? How did you get started in writing? I’d love to hear about it.
So, Jan, am I right that you weren’t published at all two years ago and now you have this incredibly long list of publications? That’s incredible! Congratulations… You have inspired me that I can accomplish something similar as I branch out from translation into publishing my own writing as well.
Yes, Lisa, I hadn’t even thought about writing. Writing for rpps is a perfect niche for me because parenting and ALL the “stuff” (tech word) that goes with it is where my heart is.
Lisa, I think you can accomplish anything that you want to. Don’t listen to lies or doubts in your head. Go for it.
Neat story, Jan. We all have to start somewhere, right? How awesome that you’ve achieved so much in such a short period of time. And, of course, FLX is an excellent resources, too.
I completed many writing courses during my media-focused university degree so that was a good start. But, my first published “clip” was an article on About.com. After that I was hired as a guide for a popular parenting web site and then I set goals: first print clip, first national consumer clip, first trade pub clip, first American national consumer clip, etc.
It’s hard work and takes creativity, persistence, love, attention, and business-savvy but it’s absolutely attainable as you so carefully explained in your post!
Jan, I’m more and more impressed! I would love to write for publication and will definitely be investigating the resources you mentioned! My problem is that I am a FLOP at promoting myself. Well, maybe flop isn’t the right word. I guess I’m unclear about how I feel God is directing ME in this area. I’m still praying about that.
But I’m so excited for the things you are sharing here and am very grateful.
Kate, if you can teach 8 kids, stay up on your blog….you can write for publication. I’m embarrassed to say that I’m becoming better at promoting myself than writing.
Christina’s class gives you a chance to meet other mom writers online. One thing I didn’t share in my post because I was in a hurry is that I met a another mom writer in one of the online classes that I’m buds with now. We edit each other’s articles, throw around ideas, etc. etc., keep each other motivated and I’ve never met her in person. I’ll probably blog about her soon.
Kate, you could do this in the summer…Just saying. 🙂
Great resource! Thanks for posting. I’m definitely going to look into some of your suggestions after Blogathon.
Oops, forgot your question. My mom is a writer, and she was as encouraging as I was interested. And I met some wonderful people at my college newspaper. To me nothing is more helpful in your writer self-esteem than surrounding yourself with writers!
Do, Tia! You have such such a gift with your mom being a writer. Thank you for coming by.
Fun to read the story, Jan. So glad to have seen all of your hard work pay off in these few years! You are an inspiration. Lisa, love what you said here: “It’s hard work and takes creativity, persistence, love, attention, and business-savvy but it’s absolutely attainable as you so carefully explained in your post!” I agree.
My start? Sitting at my computer one late night, I found LiteraryMama and the Writer Mama at about the same time. Both inspired me to jump back into the world of writing. So grateful to have found those resources!
I earned a journalism degree in college and have been writing ever since. I’m publishing a post on my site called “8 crazy things I did in college that helped my writing career” in early June that goes into how I got started writing in more depth. That was a long time ago and many things about the media business have changed since then. But some fundamentals haven’t: start out small, get assignments that give you good experience if not good pay and hopefully the opportunity to work with experienced editors, be diligent about making deadlines, turning in clean copy and pitching innovative, unique ideas, and slowly – or not so slowly – work your way up.
Michelle Rafter
Jan, I love your tips on this. Thank you also for telling me about the Blogathon. I now need to take your advice this summer and get the show on the road. I also have wanted to Join the Willamette Writers group, but haven’t had the courage to go yet.
Jan,
I’m so proud of you and proud and blessed to be you friend. You are amazing!
Thanks for the resources! Those are great and ones I didn’t know about. As for me, I began writing in college. A communications major, I took several writing courses before I took a feature writing class. It was the professor who taught this course who convinced me that I had a skill and to keep writing, and I’ve never really stopped since. Well, I took a brief hiatus for a few years when I tried my hand at fundraising sales, but I eventually found my way back. It’s funny how you always return to what is natural.
I got my start just like Jan, about 2 plus years ago. I now have 60 publishing credits … it just takes time. Then once you have a nice body of work, your stuff keeps getting picked up year after year and turns into passive income. It’s like a work at home scheme, only it’s not a scheme! Jan, thanks for listing my ebook … you have been my biggest fan, and I love you for it! What you told the mom who teaches 8 kids is true … you can do this … I do it homeschooling “only” five kids and with no college degree or training at all. Good luck, everyone!
Not even a year later I’m at over 100 published clips … YOU CAN DO IT! I feel like God is telling me to take some of my stuff and rewrite it as queries for nationals. I have to remember my own advice: it’s a numbers game. I can’t just send one query and sit around and wait. I have to send 50 queries and then wait for my $1/word assignment to roll in. There are markets for EVERYONE … essayists, nonfiction, photogs, artists, fiction and poetry. I heart you, Jan. Thanks AGAIN for this post!
For the most part, writers are an incredibly giving, supportive bunch. Jan, you happened upon a book by a fabulous writer, which led you to other fabulous writers, which led you to FLX, which led you to this post — where you are now paying it back in the most fabulous way.