"I Just Wondered How You Got Started Writing?" Tips in your Pursuit of a Writing Career-Writing Articles or Short Stories

      You are now a career writer…you are working on your first novel, let’s say a western but you also want to bring in some money, recognition and just build your web presence.  This is where last week’s question of “who do I write for?” is answered.  A better question would be to first ask, “What do I want to write about besides the novel?”

     A good way to start would be to pursue one of two avenues, maybe even both:  Article writing and short stories.

     What is article writing?  Article writing is non-fiction writing, focusing on an area that you have some expertise in.  This expertise could come from a hobby, your job, family, or social work/ministry.  Let’s say your hobby is quilting or restoring old cars.  Either of these subjects could create many articles on a variety of subjects pertaining to quilting or car restoration.  Your job as a nurse or ministry working with disabled children would support articles that would be widely read.  Do you love to cook and are always pouring over cookbooks?  Write about it.  Have you raised twins or give care to elderly parents?  Write an article.

     I can suggest three places you can submit articles:

(1)  Free article websites- these are websites that offer articles free of charge for people to use in newsletters, e-zines and other places.  You might hate the thought of giving your work for free but you can get noticed, build your presence and help others through article websites.  An article I wrote on my child graduating and the mixed emotions I experienced was noticed by an e-zine editor and now I am a contributing writing for her on-line magazine.  Google “free article websites” and check guidelines to see what is needed.

(2)  Magazines are always looking for well-written non-fiction articles concerning their subject matter.  Diligently search out what magazine your article will fit best and follow guidelines completely.

(3)   Your own website- if you love quilting or nursing or cookbooks, consider starting a website on the subject and publish your own articles.  You can create a following that will be familiar with your writing and ready to purchase that novel when it is completed.

Short Stories

     Short stories are simply what their name infers-fiction or true to life stories that are short, some people consider a short story less than 5000 words and some less than 10,000 words.  People just beginning to write short stories  would probably be helped by picking a genre such as western, romance or modern day sports story to keep them from being overwhelmed.  My dad always told me to write about what I know.  When I was a teenager, I tried to write a short story about a teenager in Alaska and it didn’t flow well at all.  The fact was I had never been to Alaska and the research wasn’t giving me a comfortable experience of trying to write about it.  I changed the place to my own home state and things went much better.

Three places to submit a short story:

(1)     Literary journals- these are magazine which print short stories and poems exclusively.  They usually publish one to four issues a year and are looking for new writers.  Read the journal of your choice and get a feel for it before submitting work.

(2)     Contests and anthologies- There are many short story contests on the internet; make sure to research for legitimate ones.  Many literary journals have contests and some contests require a small fee to enter.  Anthologies of poetry and short stories are often looking for “new” stories; one example being “Chicken Soup for the Soul.”

(3)     Magazines-many magazines have short story contests or print one to two short stories per issue.  Again, check out the magazine and look over guidelines carefully.

I hope you see that writing articles and short stories can be a great way to build up a following eager to see what you are writing next…next week join us as we discuss building a web presence…your own website…