[stylist] message from new member and reply to new writing prompt

Wed Feb 8 22:56:17 UTC 2012

Hi Amy,
Welcome to Stylist. I'm Donna Hill from northeast Pennsylvania. I write for
the online magazine Suite 101, which does revenue sharing, and have had a
few things published in local papers, NFB magazines like Slate & Style and
so on. I'm currently trying to find a literary agent for my novel The Heart
of Applebutter Hill. If I don't within a reasonable length of time, I'll
self-publish.

In general, if you're just getting started, you want to get your writing out
there somewhere. There are online mags that don't pay anything and don't
require much in terms of reviewing your past writing. Initially, I wrote for
American Chronicle and then used some of my articles there to apply to be a
writer on Suite 101. Now, I'm looking for the next step up.

Many standard magazines have a certain percentage of freelance content each
month, and many are now accepting submissions by e-mail. Some, like Virginia
Quarterly, have accessible online forms. There are a lot of online blogs
about the publishing industry, writing and so on that can help familiarize
you with the industry itself. Writer's Market has a site where you can get
contact info for magazines and find out what they're looking for, but it
costs something (can't remember, but I think it's less than $50 a year). If
you know the name of a magazine you'd like to submit to, you can just Google
the name plus "submission gidelines" and get the information directly from
their site.

You could also approach your local papers with a sample of your nonfiction
writing to see if you could do a monthly column or something else for them.
It would be a good thing to have on your resume, and you do have credentials
for writing on teaching and bilingual issues. You would know what questions
to ask other professionals in that field, for instance, and what the issues
are. You could also put notices on free bulletin boards locally like "Needd
a Writer?" if you're willing to do work for local groups or professionals.
Make sure you say you don't do term papers and the like.

Perhaps, the most important thing is to try multiple approaches. Everybody
and their brother seems to want to be a writer these days, so the field is a
tough one to get into. You have to deal with a lot of rejection and not much
compensation. Once you have some published work, it's easier to sell your
writing skills to business and professionals who don't have time to do their
own writing. Obviously, you would not be deciding what to write, but that's
why they pay you. Meanwhile, the list is here as a resource to critique your
work and help you improve your skills, so take advantage of that.
Best of luck,
Donna
-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Lynn Herstein
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2012 2:34 PM
To: stylist at nfbnet.org
Subject: [stylist] message from new member and reply to new writing prompt

Hi, everybody.  My name is Amy Herstein.  I might show up as Lynn on
the list but prefer to be known as Amy.  I am an aspiring writer who
would love to get in contact with a more experienced person, maybe a
freelance writer, who might be willing to offer some helpful pointers
to someone just getting started.  I have a B.A. in English and an MA
in teaching English as a Second Language, love writing fiction, and
enjoy editing and writing creative essays.

I'm from Maryland, and we haven't had much of a winter here, either.
There were a few days when it dipped below twenty, but there have been
less than ten of them since winter began.  When it is cold, I must
confess I'm a bit of a wimp.  I tend to shelter indoors, drinking a
mug of herbal tea, spiced cider, or hot cocoa.  I love baking, as it
warms the house and fills the kitchen with wonderful aromas.  I spend
a lot of the colder days inside, huddled beside a box heater with a
book to read.  My latest tradition is counting down the days until
spring arrives again.  I start at a hundred, then count them down
until I hit zero.  (If anyone wants to know, there are now 48.)

It's great to get on this list, and I'm looking forward to interacting
with everyone.

Amy Herstein

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