Another Attempted Submission
November 30th, 2007
Well, I’ve just sent an article out for submission and I’m hoping for the best. Someday I’d really like to get into freelancing or any sort of job in fact that allows me to write on a frequent basis (and doesn’t require much lifting) but I often wonder if I have anything in me to write about other than stories and poetry. I know I could easily write about foster care or all my many blessed issues but who really wants to hear about that stuff? Isn’t there enough depression in the world as is? If I want to write about that I’ll do it on my own time so I can help people but I doubt I can make money off of it.
I’m writing articles to put on a site called Constant Content and perhaps make a little cash on the side. The first, and as of yet only, time I submitted an article it was rejected. Apparently my style doesn’t quite fit in their guidelines. The subject I had chosen was somewhere along the lines of spirituality, a topic I care for deeply and consider myself adept at writing about.
Later that night I went through their site and though they have a section for spiritual related writing- it’s thin. What they seem to accept more often than not is technical style writing so I decided to try something different.
It took me a couple of days to figure out that I do know about something that I can write about (that’s useful to the general public). I’ve been running my own community based web site for almost two years now. I started from scratch, self teaching myself HTML, the evilness of Java, PHP, and CSS. Eventually I worked my way up to using programs like Joomla and Drupal. I noticed that articles about web design tend to go fairly well so I’ve tried my hand at it. It was a bit dull to write but slightly satisfying to write about something I know- not the usual for me as I almost always have to do tons of research during my story writing.
I wrote an article on the very basics of HTML. It’s extremely short, not even 500 words and I’m hoping the format (bullet points) holds up during the submission process otherwise it’s going to look like a mass of gobligook.
Wish me luck all. I know it’s not the same as submitting to a magazine. It’s just a place to put articles and hope someone buys them, that’s the real acceptance point. Still, I’d really like them to approve my submission. It just takes me one step closer. I figure if I can get some of my technical writing (that’s what it’s called right?) out there then I might have a better chance with some of my other writing. I can hope, and hey maybe I’ll find a niche I didn’t know I had and learn to write the boring stuff really well.
You never know!
Best of luck with the submission. And I love your new blog template!
As you probably already know :) expect quite a few rejections as you are starting out. If you are near a used bookstore or check your library (because a new one is like $40-$50 check out the writer’s market or good old free online http://www.duotrope.com for places to submit to.
I don’t too often write for a specific publication (but I’ve only published poetry so far working on getting some non-fic and fiction published) so I think you should just write some things that are interesting to you and send them out.
Also if you haven’t read it yet bird by bird by anne lamott is a must!
have a good weekend.
Thanks Julie! :)
Jessie: Ah, great minds think alike in many ways. I had my hunny pick up a copy of the writers market two or three weeks back (wish I’d thought to go to the library after I saw the price on the back).
Also, I’ve read much of Bird by Bord while in Borders though I have yet to pick it up (rarely travel with cash), in fact I think it was one of thw first writer’s books I had ever picked up and looked through. Very good stuff.
I’ll get there eventually. I’d love to send some of my fiction out and maybe if I can ever figure out what to do with it some of my non-fiction too. We shall see, it’d be nice to write only what I want to.