Writers On The Move

You Can Reach Your Writing Goals

By Terry Whalin (@terrywhalin)

The word “instant” characterizes our world. Addicted to their email, many people have switched to a communication device which is much more than a cell phone but includes email, so they are in constant touch with their work. These writers are committed to answering every single email that comes into their mailbox.

I belong to several online groups and in one group, one writer answers every single question (whether she knows anything about it or not) and sends her response out to more than 700 writers. To me, it has become an annoyance and when I see her name in my box, I reach for the delete key and don’t even bother to open it. Other writers worry if I don’t respond to their emails within 24 hours.

How much time do you have during a single day to move toward accomplishing your publishing dreams? Are you planning and using your time wisely so you can move step-by-step toward the fulfillment of those dreams? There is an old saying in business: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Or another version says, “If you fail to plan, you will be sure to hit it.”

Consider These Time Wasters

Whether you have several hours a day or a full day to accomplish your writing goals, it is easy to fill those hours with “good things” that do not help you move toward the fulfillment of those goals. Let’s examine some of the time wasters that can consume our time to write:

1. Email. It is easy to join various online groups and fill your email box with the communication from these groups. Without careful monitoring of your time, you can easily spend your day opening, reading, and answering these emails.

2. Regular mail. Do you receive a high volume of mail from various institutions? What about magazines, newsletters, and other publications?

3. Telephone calls. How much time do you spend on the phone chatting with friends and consuming the day with idle conversation.

4. Following the news. Until a few years ago, the release of world or national news came in cycles. Now we get a steady stream over our phone or computer or other media device. In the middle of such noise, where do you find time to dream about publishing and succeed in those efforts?

5. Television. According to USA Today, the average person watches more than four hours of television each day. If you fall into this category, it is little wonder you are not accomplishing your publishing dreams. What are you willing to give up in order to reach your goals?

6. Family interruptions. If you have small children at home or a pet or an elderly parent, this could be a potential obstacle to your writing.

7. Volunteer obligations.

8. Writing opportunities. You may be surprised that I would include this aspect in the time waster category. When you begin to have your writing published, however, there are many “opportunities” for you, especially people who want you to write something without payment. Do these opportunities fall into helping you meet your long-term goals?

Have a Consistent Short-Term Goal

I’ve interviewed more than 150 best-selling authors about the elements of their success. They consistently state their commitment to a single goal and repeatedly focusing on this goal.

Several years ago, I had breakfast with Bill Myers, whose books and videos have sold more than eight million copies. I knew Bill was prolific, so I asked for the secret of how he has accomplished the volume of writing year after year.

Bill held up his hand with his fingers spread apart and said, “Five.”

I didn’t understand so I asked, “Five what?”

“Five pages every day,” he said. Even if Bill is attending a convention or a conference, he is committed to this goal of writing five pages a day—25 pages a week. “If I have time, I like to rewrite each page four times because I’m still learning my craft.” This constant commitment to a short-term goal and meeting this goal day after day is one of the keys to accomplishing your writing goals.

Another person with a similar goal is novelist Bodie Thoene who has more than 45 million novels in print and has won eight Gold Medallion Awards for her writing. Many people don’t realize Bodie is severely dyslexic and does no pleasure reading, yet she writes 650 page-turning novels. Like Bill Myers, Bodie also maintains a consistent goal of five pages a day. She sits at her computer hitting the keys with two fingers and may work until 10 p.m. to reach her goal—at least five finished pages. “No little elves come out of my closet to write 650 manuscript pages,” Bodie said. “Some mornings I don’t feel like writing, but I do it out of obedience to God. The opening scenes are always the hardest and can take as long as 10 or 20 pages,” Bodie explains. With the opening pages behind her, the writing accelerates until she often completes 20 or more pages a day. Then her husband Brock reads the pages aloud to Bodie and they discuss any rough spots. “If I have to rewrite, I do it on the spot and never look at the pages again,” she said.

Each of these writers accomplishes their short-term writing goal and then uses this benchmark to build and reach a larger long-term goal. It is a strategy you can also use to reach your publishing goals.

Tweetable:

Writers need a strategy and plan to accomplish their writing goals. In this article, this prolific author and editor gives some examples and ideas for every writer. (ClickToTweet)

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. Get Terry’s newsletter and a 87-page FREE ebook packed with writing insights. Just follow this link to subscribe. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn .

The Magic of Words as Opportunity

Deadlines and Other Powerful Words

Opportunity Writ Large…Again

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson, multi award-winning author of the
HowToDoItFrugally Series of Books for Writers

Deadlines.

I’m not going to give you advice on meeting deadline because I’m in the middle of a booklet for my HowToDoItFrugally Series when I should be nearing the end. I’ve always believed in leaving early for social occasions, and to catch planes. And I’ve never had trouble with deadlines before. Now—suddenly—I’m feeling…inadequate and a little fearful of mentioning the word.

So here I am facing my November deadline for Writers on the Move. I just, well…sorta stole a little segment from the booklet I’m writing to share with subscribers and visitors to Karen Cioffi’s blog as well as her talented slate of regular contributors.

It’s the story of how I came to write a booklet I’m working on. It’s little about deadlines, too, I guess. You’ll have to read between the lines.

Anthropologists tell us we humans have been storytellers since we first gathered around fires for warmth and companionship, long before we entertained the idea of writing. Stories were our entertainment. It’s also how we learned the easy way—from others’ experiences—rather than from our own shortcomings, our own seemingly insurmountable challenges, and our own oopsies. Having said that, when we do learn the hard way, sharing helps us see the value of applying humor to ourselves.

In important moments of working with my first editor, I found myself using the words saying or adage and immediately felt ill-at-ease about my vocabulary skills. I eventually acquired the more acceptable all-purpose word, apothegm when one was suggested in an editing class I was teaching and thereby expected to know about such things. It is somehow both more specific and more adaptable than sayings…and, yes, less humiliating. But it still didn’t let me bore down on the specifics I needed to communicated with editors--nor for my classes and the new book I was writing to use as a text in a class on marketing books. There were available books and texts galore out there but nothing that included public relations for authors, or promotional ideas or getting media attention for books.

In the meantime, apothegms were leading me to all kinds of synonyms with slightly different meanings. They included more precise as well as well as subliminal interpretations for each:

§ mottoes and catchphrases might suggest an unwanted commercialism.

§ proverbs imply a biblical passage; words of wisdom also connote religiosity or a philosophy that might or might not be appropriate for the title in consideration.

§ platitude smacks of cliché, something most of us work mightily to avoid.

§ maxims tend to be about rules of conduct. If an editor suggests you use them to introduce chapters and your book isn’t a “Miss Manners” book, explore the kind of apothegms they had in mind before spending good writing time researching quotations that probably won’t suit the tone of your book.

§ axiom, dictum, adage, and even the word sayings, itself!

As I started thinking of them as synonyms, it occurred to me to use a variety of the ones I was runningacross at the beginning of each chapter and as I found them, the book started feeling like a book rather than a collection of essays. When I couldn’t find what I needed, I started writing some myself. It felt like magic. Earlier this month, Terry Whalin published an article on this blog about grabbing down opportunity when it appears to you, and it occurred to me that was a bit of related magic. Sometimes we don’t recognize opportunity when it comes and perches itself on the bridge of our noses. The article made me realize that one simple word like apothegms isone of those opportune moments--one I nearly missed.

Soon I realized that very few authors use these, ahem!…sayings to make a book work as a full book and that maybe if I wrote a short book of vocabulary words related to the needs of authors, the content could help them apply this technique to their books. Different words might work differently for them, but each could be an opportunity for one of my fellows out there.

I had found a way to make the interior design that would make my book more interesting than a theme paper. It wasn’t a new idea, by any means. But it had become an opportunity that kept growing.

I had to self-publish because I was on deadline for my first class that fall. I started introducing each chapter with an apothegm or one of its semi-synonyms, depending on the topic of the chapter. One opportunity kept leading to others. Thinking of apothegms as opportunity, it’s a wonder they haven’t become an essential technique combined with the merest suggestion of interior design in seminars and presentations at writing conferences! (If you are interested in reading Terry’s article, leave a comment at the end of this article and Terry, Karen, or I will send you the permalink a to make it easier for you to access!)

But back to my story. This one “accidental” piece of knowledge worked in favor of my flagship book, my UCLA Writers’ Department students, and is still making itself useful for me nearly three decades later. If you’re familiar with my how-to books for writers, you’ve probably already run across the motto or tagline I came up with early in the pursuit of clarity to replace my old sayings habit:

“Careers that are not fed die as readily
as any living organism given no sustenance."
~ CHJ

I still try to find somewhere to slip that one into all my how-to books for writers and promotional material. But it’s limited. It only works when I want to convince authors that they’ll need a “to know more about a lot of things they never suspected they’d need or wanted desperately to avoid.” It’s also an example of how the work you put into apothegms for one book might be recycled to benefit many books—even many promotional projects like handouts.

And here’s the icing on the cake. This (unfinished!) book has lead to another promotion I haven’t tried before. WinningWriters.com will be giving it as a gift to all those who enter their 2025 #NorthStreetBookPrize contest. If I’m lucky the contest entrants will tell others about it. Opportunity meeting opportunity. Speaking of opportunity! I mustn’t forget to add WinningWriters’ clever pre-promotional idea to the next edition of my The Frugal Book Promoter. That would be its fourth edition. It seems a single word has more power than even I who love words could have imagined.

PS: Once finished, this booklet full of writer-related words, each a powerful opportunity, will be available from Modern History Press early in 2026.

MORE ABOUT TODAY’S WRITERS’-ON-THE-MOVE BLOG CONTRIBUTOR

Badge created by Carolyn Wilhelm for the HowToDoItFrugally Series of Books

Howard-Johnson is the recipient of the California Legislature’s Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award, and her community’s Character and Ethics award for her work promoting tolerance with her writing. She was also named to Pasadena Weekly’s list of “Fourteen San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen” and was given her community’s Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts. Carolyn writes nonfiction for writers, poetry, and fiction and has studied writing at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom; Herzen University in St. Petersburg, Russia; and Charles University, Prague. J. She is especially thankful to Karen Cioffi for letting her share stories like this with her #WritersontheMove audience.

Focus on the Details

Contributed by Karen Cioffi, Children's Writer

When it comes to storytelling, the big picture often gets all the attention: impressive plots, sweeping character arcs, and monumental stakes.

While these elements are crucial, the little details are what breathe life into your story, turning a decent narrative into a drawing experience. Details anchor your readers in the world you’ve created, making it vivid, immersive, and memorable.

Think of your favorite books or films. Chances are, what lingers in your mind isn’t just the overall plot but the specific, finely crafted moments: the creak of floorboards in a haunted house, the peculiar way a character twists their ring when they’re nervous, or the vibrant smell of oranges in a market stall.

These details don’t just add color; they serve a deeper purpose, enhancing your story’s emotional resonance and authenticity.

WHY DETAILS MATTER

Building Believability: Details make your world feel real. Whether your story is set in a busy city, in the 16th century, or an other-worldly realm, well-chosen specifics help readers dive in and become immersed in the story.

A medieval castle with generic ‘stone walls and tall towers’ feels bland. But mention the moss creeping between the stones, the faint echo of dripping water in a deserted hallway, or soul-wrenching cries, and suddenly it springs to life.

Deepening Character Connection: Small, unique details reveal a lot about your characters. Instead of saying, “John was nervous,” show how he nervously aligns the pens on his desk until they’re perfectly parallel. This information not only conveys his anxiety but also hints at his perfectionist tendencies, giving readers a deeper understanding of who he is.

Enhancing Emotional Impact: Details tap into the senses, evoking powerful emotional responses. A fight or flight scene becomes far more moving when you describe the size and look of the bully or the rustling leaves and crackling twigs of an approaching menace.

STRATEGIES FOR FOCUSING ON DETAILS

1. Use the Five Senses
Readers engage with a story through their senses, so aim to include sensory details whenever possible. Don’t just describe the bakery on Main Street; bring it alive:

The scent of freshly baked sourdough lingered in the air, mingling with the buttery sweetness of croissants. The glass display case showcased rows of golden pastries, their flaky edges crisp and inviting.

By appealing to sight, smell, and touch, you’ve created a bakery that feels tangible.

2. Be Specific, Not Generic
General descriptions can feel lifeless. Swap out vague phrases for precise ones that paint a clear picture. Instead of writing, “She dressed business-like and looked good,” try:

She took to the high school auditorium stage in dark grey pants, a white, neatly tucked-in blouse, and a matching dark grey jacket. Her usual bulky gold chain necklace and bangled bracelets were missing. She was taking this student body presidency campaign seriously.

Specificity transforms a forgettable image into something vivid and memorable.

3. Make Details Do Double Duty
Every detail you include should serve a purpose. If you mention a character’s ragged-edged fingernails, it might hint at their anxiety or lack of self-care. If the protagonist notices the ticking of a clock during a tense confrontation, it could underscore the urgency of the moment.

In J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, the descriptions of Harry’s cupboard under the stairs—complete with spiders and cramped conditions—don’t just set the scene; they establish his neglected, unloved status.

4. Observe the World Around You
Real life is brimming with details. Note how the sunlight filters through a stained-glass window and creates a rainbow across the floor, the rhythm of footsteps on cobblestones, or the way steam curls from a cup of tea. When you ground your writing in observations from real life, your scenes will resonate more deeply with readers.

5. Avoid Overloading
While details are essential, it’s easy to overdo it. Resist the urge to cram every sentence with sensory descriptions or intricate specifics. Instead, choose the most impactful details that align with the tone and pacing of your story.

For example, a fast-paced chase scene doesn’t need a detailed account of the scenery. Focus on the thudding footsteps, the rasp of labored breaths, and the flash of a shadow turning a corner.

EXAMPLES OF DETAILS AT WORK

Example 1: Setting
Without details: The mountain was huge, and the forest dark and scary.

With details: His gaze slowly traveled up and up and up. The mountain loomed above him like a never-ending wall. Its thick, giant trees and overgrown brush left little space between them for a trail. The faint rustle of unseen creatures whispered through the undergrowth, and the air smelled of damp earth and decay.

The second version immerses the reader, making the forest’s atmosphere relatable.

Example 2: Characterization
Without details: Wang rushed through the wheat fields after a year away.

With details: After a long absence, he rushed through the wheat fields to find his father. The stalks brushed against him, causing a familiar sensation to flow through his body. He had forgotten the sound the stalks made as he passed by, the fragrance they emitted, and even the taste that occasionally made its way into his mouth when binding the cut sheaves or on a windy day.

Here, Wang’s experience is conveyed vividly through imagery.

PRACTICING THE ART OF DETAIL

Adding effective details takes practice. Start by revisiting a scene you’ve written; highlight where generic descriptions can be replaced with more specific ones. Pay attention to places where sensory details could heighten the mood or deepen a reader’s connection to the moment.

You can also try observational exercises. Pick an everyday object and describe it in as much sensory detail as possible. What’s the texture and weight of the object? How does light interact with it? What emotions does it evoke?

SUMMING IT UP

The little details are what transform good stories into unforgettable ones. They root readers in your world, breathe life into your characters, and evoke emotions that linger long after the final page.

By focusing on the nuances—the scent of freshly baked bread, the moss between the stones, the looming mountain—you’ll create a story that doesn’t just entertain but engages.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, working ghostwriter, rewriter, and coach (picture and chapter books). If you need help with your story, visit Writing for Children with Karen Cioffi.

You can check out Karen’s books HERE.

You can connect with Karen at:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karencioffiventrice
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kcioffiventrice/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karencioffikidlitghostwriter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarenCV

Indie Authors' Book Contests

A display for my sales table for Secret in the Mist:
an Abi Wunder Mystery, which was finally
sent to the formatting company, 100 Covers,
and will soon be published!

By Linda Wilson @LinWilsonauthor

After several of my children’s books placed in contests, an experienced writer friend told me, “Now you can say you’re a multi-award-winning children’s author.” It’s true. Awards have stacked up for my four picture books and one chapter book. That’s because I applied for them. Happily, certificates and front-cover stickers are a testament that your books stand out.

There are fees, some quite hefty. To me, the cost is worth it. Most of my sales are made at arts and crafts festivals and fairs. Occasionally, I’ll tell customers that the book in their hand has won an award. But mostly, they can see the stickers prominently placed on the book covers, and I don’t have to say a word. Also, I display certificates, ribbons, and other tokens received.

There are many more contests to explore than the list compiled in this article. Simply google “Book contests for children’s authors.” But for starters, these listed organizations offer a great service to children’s authors and for those with little ones in their life.

Organizations that offer many Opportunities

Book Excellence Awards: team@bookexcellenceawardsupport.com

A long list of categories
A Book Excellence Awards certificate
A sticker for the book

Eric Hoffer Book Award for the Small, Academic and Independent Press: https://hofferaward.com

An organization worth studying
The US Review of Books supports this award by publishing the annual results
Reasonably priced
Registration form on website

Kirkus Review for Indie Authors: https://www.kirkusreviews.com

Explore the Kirkus website. It is loaded with Kirkus’ choice of great books to read and information about the organization. Quoted here is part of what Kirkus offers Indie authors: Our indie reviews are written by qualified professionals, such as librarians, nationally published journalists, creative executives and more. While we do not guarantee positive reviews, unfavorable reviews can be taken as valuable feedback for improvements and ultimately do not have to be published on our site. With our most popular review option priced at $450, you can receive an affordable book review that could generously boost your writing career.
Kirkus reviewed my first book, Secret in the Stars: An Abi Wunder Mystery. I learned from the feedback offered, and was gratified that the book received the distinction of being a “Kirkus Recommended Book.” I did not receive a certificate or sticker, so I had a sticker made at https://stickerapp.com, which is placed on the book.

Mom’s Choice Award: https://momschoiceawards.com

Has a global presence in 70 countries
In addition to children’s books, awards baby gates, kids’ meds, playpens, and more
First fee is hefty, discounted for additional award requests
Certificate and stickers are included
Mom Knows Best newsletter
Interview series
And much more

National Federation of Press Women: https://www.nfpw.com

To give you an idea of who NFPW is, here is information from the website: NFPW members are professional women and men pursuing careers across the communications spectrum: Reporters • Editors • Authors • Bloggers • Designers • Artists • Photographers • Publicists • Freelancers • Students • Active professionals • Retired professionals.
Writers work for: print magazines, newspapers and newsletters • Online publications • Government officials • Banks • Public relations agencies • Higher education • School districts • Nonprofit agencies • Ourselves as independent contractors.
2026 Communications contest is now open
Two categories for entrance are the Professional Contest and the High School Contest
Enter the contest in states that have an affiliate. If there is no affiliate, enter at-large.
Work must be published or broadcast from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025
Certificates and stickers
The work of first-place winners in your state automatically are sent to compete nationwide. National first-place winners are honored at the annual conference. A stipend is available for first, first-place national winners.
My picture book A Packrat’s Holiday: Thistletoe’s Gift, illustrated by Nancy Batra, won first prize in the NM Press Women 2022 Communications Contest, and went on to win first prize nationally in Children’s Book: Fiction. My book proudly displays the organization’s Winner’s sticker. Also, to show the book won first prize, I had a blue-ribbon sticker with “1st” made at https://stickerapp.com.

National Indie Excellence Awards, NIEA: https://www.indieexcellence.com

From the website: NIEA is an annual awards program that honors self-published authors and small to mid-sized independent publishers. It aims to promote high-quality books and provide recognition to authors who put significant effort into their work. The awards are open to all English language printed books available for sale, including those from small presses and self-published authors. Study the website for more information.

Society of Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators, SCBWI, offers many award and grant opportunities, simply found on Google: https://www.scbwi.org. Also, check your state for organizations that offer contests.

Story Monsters: https://storymonsters.com

Story Monsters Ink magazine
Book publishing and marketing departments
Free consultations
Story Monsters does not impose a limit on year of publication
Certificates, stickers, and other tokens are available
Three SM contests:

Purple Dragonfly Book Award: Enter your book by the earlybird deadline: March 1, 2026; final deadline May 2, 2026

Royal Dragonfly Book Award: Earlybird deadline August 1, 2026; final deadline October 3, 2026

Story Monsters Approved Contest: Final deadline February 1. 2026

The Book Fest: https://www.thebookfest.com

The Book Fest Book Awards for Spring 2026 will open this winter
Awards are offered for legacy books

Winning awards can do more for you than displaying certificates and stickers. You can see how your books stack up to other children’s authors’ books. A win offers you a personal reward for the effort you’ve made in creating your books. A win is an accomplishment above and beyond the writing of your books. Knowledgeable judges have seen something in your books that has merited an award. Winning book awards is something to be proud of.

My latest book, Cuna en la Naturaleza, the
Spanish version of Cradle in the Wild,
illustrated by 1000 Storybooks and
translated by Adriana Botero placed
as a Finalist in the NM Writers organization.
This is the display I made for my sales table.

Linda's two new releases are Botas Altas, the Spanish version of Tall Boots, translated by Graciela Moreno and Adriana Botero, and Cuna en la Naturaleza, the Spanish version of Cradle in the Wild, translated by Adriana Botero. Visit Linda at https://bit.ly/3AOM98L.

Embracing Change as Creative Fuel

by Suzanne Lieurance

Writers love comfort. We crave routines, favorite pens, familiar desks, predictable mornings. But life doesn’t always cooperate. Change barges in—uninvited and often unwelcome. Suddenly, the ground shifts. The routines that once worked no longer fit.

The instinct is to resist. We tighten up. We cling to what used to be. But resistance doesn’t stop change; it only stops us from moving with it.

What if, instead, you saw change not as an enemy but as fuel?

Resistance Drains Energy

Think about the last time you resisted change. Maybe a project deadline shifted, or a family routine disrupted your writing hours. How much energy did you spend fighting against it? Probably more than it would have taken to adapt.

Resistance drains us because it tries to hold back the tide. Flow happens when we step into the current and let it carry us forward.

Change Brings New Raw Material

Every disruption carries new story seeds. A move to a new town brings details of place you’d never have noticed otherwise. A job change brings new characters into your life. Even the loss of something familiar sharpens your perspective.

Writers who embrace change don’t run out of material—they multiply it.

Flow Lives in Flexibility

Flow isn’t rigid. It’s not about controlling the environment so you can write in one perfect way. It’s about showing up with openness, trusting that words will come even if the scene looks different today than it did yesterday.

You don’t need the same ritual every day to write well. You need the ability to bend without breaking.

Turning Change into Power

Here are a few ways to transform resistance into flow:

Shift the Frame: Instead of saying, “I can’t write because everything is different,” say, “Because everything is different, I have new ways to write.”

Shrink the Task: If change steals your time, don’t give up—write one paragraph. Write one sentence. Momentum grows from the smallest spark.

Ask, “What is this teaching me?” Every disruption carries a lesson. Look for it, and your writing will deepen.

A Short Practice

The next time you feel resistance rising, pause. Write a single page beginning with the words: “Change is giving me…”

Let the words flow without editing. You may be surprised by what new energy shows up.

A Writer’s Manifesto

You are not powerless in the face of change. You are a writer. You know how to turn chaos into story, how to transform uncertainty into meaning.

Change is not here to stop you. It’s here to sharpen you. To challenge you. To remind you that creativity is not fragile—it’s resilient.

Every time you resist, you lose momentum. Every time you embrace, you step deeper into your own power.

Closing Affirmation

Repeat this to yourself when life feels unsettled:

I welcome change. I turn resistance into flow. Every shift fuels my creativity. Nothing can silence my words when I choose to move with life, not against it.

And now, before you go, don't forget to get your free subscription to The Morning Nudge for more writing tips and resources delivered to your e-mailbox every weekday morning.

Suzanne Lieurance is the author of over 40 published books and a Law of Attraction coach for writers. Learn more about her coaching services at writebythesea.com.

Opportunity Is Everywhere

By Terry Whalin (@terrywhalin)

David Smith loved language and ignited an excitement in his English teaching at Peru High School in Peru, Indiana during the late 1960s. Of modest height with receding sandy hair and a bug-eyed appearance, Mr. Smith loved his students and reached out to challenge them. As the faculty supervisor for the school newspaper, Mr. Smith was always on the lookout for new talent to add to the staff. Thus, he was excited when a gangly sophomore who had recently transferred from Towson, Maryland, caught Mr. Smith’s attention with one of his written assignments.

One day after class, Mr. Smith pulled that teenager aside and said, “Terry, I think you would make a great addition to our newspaper writing staff. I’d like to invite you to our next staff meeting on Wednesday after school. Can you come?” At that point in the school year, I had made few friends, so I was flattered with his invitation. Another classmate, Jeff Reece, and I became the two sportswriters on the staff. Throughout the school year, I attended various sports events, collected sports data, and started interviewing people. Those first days on the staff newspaper introduced me to the writing world and the thrill of writing something for other people to read in print. Mr. Smith’s simple invitation sent my life on a different career path and awakened my dreams of publishing. My writing became more than a dream; now it was rooted in practical experience and repeated opportunities to practice my craft.

The events in your experience will be distinct from mine yet are equally important. There are vast opportunities in the publishing world for anyone willing to follow the steps to speed up their success. Like the image with this article, there are many diferent doors and you have to select one, then another. Welcome to an imperfect process. I’m excited about how the events will come together for your journey

On the surface, the path to publishing might not show you the diversity and range of possibilities for your writing. From speaking to hundreds of writers, I find many of them are focused on a particular area of writing such as writing a novel or a children’s book. They haven’t understood the value of learning good storytelling and communication skills that are relevant and useful for many different areas of writing.

Because these writers are focused on a small niche area of publishing, it’s almost like they are wearing blinders and can’t see any other possibilities. In this section, I want to challenge you to remove your blinders and see the wealth of possible application for your writing within the publishing community. While each area of publishing has its own specific requirements, good writing and storytelling skills can be used in multiple areas to strengthen your overall career.

For example, you may want to write a book and have done a little exploration but the only companies who have responded to your questions are the publishers who want you to pay them to get your book into print. These companies are called self-publishers. Instead, you are looking for a traditional publisher who will pay you an advance, then print and distribute your book. Yet because you have no background in book publishing, you don’t understand that 90 percent of nonfiction books are contracted from a book proposal and a few sample chapters, rather than a complete book manuscript. Without this critical detail, you have focused on writing a full-length book manuscript. Then you discover it may take you 12 months to find a literary agent who has to locate the right publisher. Then you learn it will take a longer-than-expected span of time for this publisher to release your book—normally 12 to 24 months after you turn in your manuscript. To a beginner, this realistic and practical publishing timeframe isn’t evident on the surface.

Also, writers don’t understand they can gain valuable training, experience, and exposure through writing magazine articles. From idea to assignment to publication with a printed magazine can be a much shorter timeframe for four to six months than books. Every editor is actively looking for writers who can communicate—whether they are a newsletter editor, an online editor, a magazine editor, a book editor or anyone else who has the title “editor.” As a young magazine editor, I quickly learned I had to do less editorial work and could have greater confidence in assigning an article to a published author than an unpublished author. I read the ideas and considered giving the assignment to the unpublished author but their chances dramatically improved with any type of publishing experience.

Magazine and newspaper writers learn valuable skills that help their success with a longer project such as a book. These writers learn to write for a specific audience or publication and to write within a specific word length. Also through the writing process, they learn the value of a focused headline or title and relevant subheads scattered throughout the article, as well as hooking the reader with a tightly written opening. Then they continue to feed information to the reader as they structure their writing, and conclude the article with a focused point called a “takeaway.” These writers also learn the importance of meeting a specific deadline (or a better way to stand out with the editor is to complete their assignment before the deadline).

In addition, writers can learn the skill of rewriting and following an editor’s direction. Sometimes your article will be “almost there” but not quite. Can you follow the editor’s directions and complete the assignment to their satisfaction? It’s much easier to learn about this process on a 1200-word magazine article than a 50,000-word book project.

Finally, these writers built trusted relationships with their editors—newspaper and magazine. Many of the editors I’ve worked with have moved up to higher paying publications or have become book editors or editorial directors. The seeds of my relationship with them were planted through my magazine writing. As a new writer you need to understand the necessity of building these lasting relationships.

Your journey to publication will be completely different from my experience. It will at times startle and surprise you. The writing business is a strange mixture of creative combined with practical “how-to” skills. These pages are signposts, and every step may not be critical for you. For example, you may not care about writing children’s books or short stories, yet I would encourage you to read and explore this type of writing. If you try it and it fits your writing style, it may be the key to expanding your writing world and I’d hate you to miss it.