Hi! I published my latest blog at 12:00 a.m., so once again it may look as though I published this blog on the same day. I didn’t get to let that one rest as I try to do when I have the time. A piece of work often looks different a couple of days later when the author gets back to it. Then after an edit or two or three, it’ll be much more polished.
Writers Digest Books offer a variety of topics to help people craft better articles, books, characters, market their work, etc. If it has to do with writing, they usually have excellent books on the subject you’re looking for. There are great books on writing from other publishers, too. I’ve bought a handful of books from Wiley Publishing, Inc. One of their titles is Writing Fiction for Dummies by Randy Ingermanson and Peter Economy copyrighted in 2010 that’s helped me understand the ins and outs of writing a novel.
I keep learning the craft of writing, even after all of these years. There’s so much more to it than I ever imagined. Sometimes I’ll read an instruction that I’ve read many times before, and suddenly it makes perfect sense. I feel able to do it or at least make an effort that seems plausible!
My latest read is Writer’s Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing: All New Second Edition, copyrighted in 2005, edited by Michelle Ruberg with an introduction by Ben Yagoda, published by Writer’s Digest Books, Cincinnati, OH. Yesterday in the library I read a section on writer’s guidelines and when they quoted Jeff Ayers, a former editor of “U.S. Kids” and a seventeen year freelance writer veteran, it seemed as if a light bulb lit where previously it seemed dark, and muddled. He said, “Using writer’s guidelines is essential to narrowing the focus of what a freelancer should write about. You’d think that would be a pretty obvious first step. But….”
Focus is one area I tend to lose track of in a 1,000 word article or longer. Then try writing thousands of words for a novel and keeping the train of thought in a logical progression. Mr. Ayers comments helped me. 🙂
Following writers’ guidelines is an important step on the road to publication. To get quite a few more insights into getting an article in a magazine, I suggest you read the whole book by Writers’ Digest and try to absorb as much as possible and then follow their suggestions. When experts give detailed advise, the closer you do as they say, the sooner you’ll find the way. It takes talent, but it’s more than that to break into publishing. I hope this helps. If you market carefully and write appropriately, you’ll be ahead of eighty per cent of the competition that sends their writing to the wrong market, according to Jeff Ayer’s experience.
So polish and don’t give up. 🙂
Write Light 