Home
>
Writing
>
Seven Important Lessons for Experts Who Want to Get Published

Seven Important Lessons for Experts Who Want to Get Published

At first, I noticed that I could have written many of the articles that appeared in Instructor magazine. Having earned a B.A. in elementary education and taught for a short time, I had some experience in dealing with challenges in the classroom and wanted to capitalize on it. I also read writer's magazines and reference books, which encouraged me even more.

Initially, my biggest challenge was summoning courage to just go ahead and describe my idea to the magazine's editor. My query letter began with a hook that lead to my working title and a brief description of the article's contents. Toward the end of this letter, I explained why my related experience made me the perfect writer for the job! A few weeks later, a reply arrived from the magazine. They were interested in seeing my article and would I please submit it on speculation.

So I wrote an article, which filled a single page, and submitted it. A few weeks later, it came back in the mail bearing a rejection slip. Feeling discouraged, but unwilling to give up, I developed and submitted an idea to another education magazine. I really felt good about this idea. Evidently, the editors did as well and a few months later, accepted my article, paying 75 dollars for it. Subsequently, I submitted ideas to Instructor and after a few more months, saw my work featured in the magazine.

During that time, I learned my lessons and include them below:

Lesson 1: Don't think about "writing something some day." That time will never come! Make up your mind to follow through and do it now. There will never be a better time!

Lesson 2: Familiarize yourself thoroughly with a magazine or a book publisher's offerings. Look at and read ALL of the articles. Pay attention to their format and contents. Then consider what was unsaid. For example, the author might have briefly mentioned something in a paragraph, but did not develop it. Why not expand that idea? You wouldn't be plaigerizing, but would be putting the idea in a new perspective. Yours.

Lesson 3: Make a list of everything that was unsaid and which you could expand upon. Long before writing a query which Scholastic positively responded to, I filled sheet after sheet of paper with words relating to my subject. My object was to write a book for substitute teachers in the elementary grades. I wanted something more than the usual, so I considered my experiences as a substitute teacher and asked myself what I would appreciate having and using. The answers helped me to put a different spin on a familiar subject.

Lesson 4: Give your article or book project a working title. Brainstorm a list of possible titles. Write everything down and don't worry about your titles being wacky or "wrong." That's your inner editor speaking. Ignore it until you are ready to choose one title.

Lesson 5: Take the time to write a good query letter, keeping in mind that it is going to be the first writing sample that an editor sees. First impressions are important! Write rough drafts, allow them to cool, and revise them again and again until you are happy with every single thing! If you have the slightest concern or question about any part of that letter, revise it again.

Lesson 6: Since it will be weeks and possibly months before you receive a reply, write your article or book chapters and develop more ideas. Keep the wheel spinning!

Lesson 7: Don't allow yourself to be discouraged by rejections, which you will surely receive. Experienced, published writers are rejected all of the time. If you give up too early, your work might never be published.

Dorothy Zjawin's published work, thirty Instructor articles and a book, Teaching Ideas for the Come-Alive Classroom (Parker Pub. Co./Prentice-Hall) was based on her teaching experience. More ideas appear in her website, http://www.profitable-pen.com

best cleaning company Lincolnshire ..

In The News:

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.

Seven Important Lessons for Experts Who Want to Get Published

Writing