Writing for Success

Writing success – what does that mean to you and how can you achieve it? The first thing is to define the term.

Is a novelist a “success”? How about a local newspaper reporter? A syndicated columnist? If you’re published on-line are you successful? Is success measured in bylines or by the size of your paycheck? Once you figure that out, you can take steps to achieve your definition of success.

Now that you’ve defined what success means you can take the steps necessary to achieve it. Regardless of which pinnacle of success you choose, here are some steps to reach that summit:

1. Are you going to write a novel? Do you want to write and publish newspaper or magazine articles? If you belong to an organization that provides goods and/or services, there is likely a trade publication in which you might pursue publication. Look around the magazine shelves at your local bookstore and even browse the racks at a nearby grocery store as many publications are offered free on the shelves and may be a good source for publication.

2. Once you’ve chosen which way you want your writing to trend, now you need to study the market. Who publishes the type of work you want to pen? Magazines? On-line sources? Your local newspaper? Pick up a few back issues, thumb through them, analyze the type of pieces they publish and determine whether your writing will be a fit.

3. Does your publication of choice accept unsolicited material? Do they want a query or the entire piece? You can usually find this information at a website for the publication under Writers Guidelines or in a book such as “Writer’s Market.”

4. Is your submission error free? Have you submitted it in the format required? Did you address your submission to an “actual” person rather than a “Dear Editor” letter? Remember, your cover letter is the first impression that editor will have of you and your work.

5. Now that you’ve got that first submission out the door, but wait, don’t stop now! Look for another market. Find a different angle for the piece you’ve written. Querying and having a constant stream of submissions “out there” is a sure-fire way to land an assignment. The more you submit, the higher your chance of publication (it’s a numbers game).

Being a “successful” writer is a very subjective term but to be published at all, you need to send your articles to publications and continue to develop your skills so that you become a go-to writer when an editor has a project in mind.