How to Publish

Creative writing professor Carolyn See once said, “If you want to get published, you have to write a thousand words a day, every day of the week. You also must send out a letter to an editor every day of the week.”

That’s tantamount to writing 7,000 words each week, and then some, since letters to the editor will add additional verbiage. That makes for a meaty short story. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_story

It’s a great place to start if you are planning a novel someday, and romantic novels tend to be highly marketable.

But publishing what gets written is most difficult. That is because all publishers have specific needs, specific criteria, and specific time-lines. Word is about that if you want to publish for a magazine, read the particular magazine you wish to write for. If you want to sell a novel, find out what is on the best seller lists and read those novels.  If you are inclined toward writing for a specialized field, such as paranormal studies, do the research.

Hence, becoming a published writer is a full time job. It requires one to spend a couple of hours a day for the writing, and several more for the reading, and another few for research. If you are smart enough to begin an ongoing self promotion for your work, add weekend writer’s conferences, weekly blogs, and frequent speaking engagements on your subject.

So, is this writer published? Yes.

Was it easy?  It’s better to say it was unexpected.

Walking in on an editor isn’t the gentlest approach to getting published. It only opens the door, in this case, to Franciscan Communications.

Chief Editor Corinne said, “Can you write us a short story?”

A week later Corinne reviewed the new writer’s work and said, “It won’t do for us.”

The crestfallen author pulled a little poem out of her jeans pocket and asked, “Can you let me know what you think of this?”

Corinne looked up from the half crumpled paper and asked, “Can you give me twenty more?”

Beaming, the new writer blurted, “Sure; of course I will.”

“They don’t have to be poems. Short short’s are sufficient,” said Corinne.

Two years later Inside the Gospels hit its religious market.