I wish you a blessed and prosperous year in writing. The clock is already ticking. Time stops for no one. Do you have an idea what you want to do with approximately 6,000 hours available to you? I deleted the first 48 hours and 8 hours/day sleep time.
I'm sure you've heard the cliche, "If you don't know where you are going, any road will do." When I first started writing, my goals were quite general. "I want to reach more people than I could ever come face-to-face with." I went to a writers seminar and one instructor encouraged, "If you don't send out ten submissions every month, your career will take forever to get off the ground." So I set out to do my ten submissions in a month. By the next writers conference I was burned out. I talked to a mentor who encouraged me to write and market at my own speed. That gave me a lot of peace, so I set out on my new quest. Not ten submissions a month. The first instructor was right. My writing career was taking off at a turtle's pace.
I have since learned that the more I write and submit, the better I get. My acceptance rate started out at 20%. It has increased to 44%, which is still considered beginner level. But unless I keep writing and submitting, I will never get above 50%. Let's consider that you start off better than I, and you submit ten things for publishing during the year and get five published pieces. Let's also consider that the average compensation is $100. Your gross is $500. What are your expenses? How much did you spend on training and supplies?
Study your markets every day. Consider how your writing will fit publisher needs and submit. Let me know in comments what your aspirations are. I am praying for you. Together we can make a difference.
A great opportunity for Christian writers is coming to Redwood Chapel in Castro Valley February 21-22, 2014. Guest speaker is local writer, Suzy Flory, author of Thunder Dog and other books. Whether you write fiction, nonfiction or poetry, this seminar is for you. Great sessions and workshops. Register now for the Christian Writers Seminar. If you plan to attend and would like to coordinate travel, please contact Sue Tornai at suetornai@comcast.net.
Several Sunrise Christian Writers write poetry and have inspired the rest of us to get our feet wet writing verse. Thursday, February 6, 2014 we will begin and new study using the book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Poetry. If you would like to join us, we will meet the first and third Thursdays at Sunrise Community Church, 8321 Greenback Lane, Fair Oaks, CA 95628. Purchase your book on Amazon and read the first two chapters. Since the first chapter is an introduction, we will discuss the second chapter. Try your hand at two of the exercises at the end of the chapter. We look forward to seeing you.
