There are a lot of great resources out there for writers, and I’m sure different ones work better depending on what type of writing you do, but here are a few that have been crucial for me.

Interacting with other writers

I have learned much from interacting with other writers and listening to advice and comments. You can do that through a blog or online sites. When you go to spots where authors are selling their books take some time to chat with them.

Some books with contacts and good advice

The Christian Writer’s Marget Guide by Steve Laube

The Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market

Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook

Writer’s Market

Writer’s groups on Facebook

Writers helping writers https://www.facebook.com/groups/27659251025

Writers of Georgia https://www.facebook.com/groups/13405436233

The Writer’s Circle https://www.facebook.com/writerscircle

You can find many more by typing writer’s groups in the search bar.

Online sites

This site is a treasure trove! https://writershelpingwriters.net/resources-for-writers/

Writing magazines

Poets and Writers

Writer’s Digest

The Writer

Writers’ Forum

These are only a few resources, but I hope they help you.

If you have decided what you want to write, and what type of writer you will be the next step is to start the writing adventure. How to start can seem overwhelming to new writers, so here is an easy-to-follow process that I hope helps you.

· Find your content. There is material to write about everywhere. When you are around others actively listen to what they are saying. What are the topics of their conversations? Could you solve some of the problems they are talking about by writing about them? What do you notice around you? What are some issues in your community, or elsewhere that you would like to address? Do you want to share some personal experiences? Is there a story in the news you want to talk about? Would you like to highlight someone or something in your community? There are so many possibilities.

· Write great queries. Once you have written something a query is your attempt to sell it to an editor if having your work published is your goal. Research how to write one that looks professional highlights your quality as a writer, and can convince an editor that your story is good.

· Where will you find your audience? If you do not want to share your writing it can stay in your journal or computer, but if you would like to see it published there are a variety of spots where it can be shared. Every town has local newspapers and magazines. In the first few pages, there is a page called the masthead that lists the contacts and e-mail addresses. Write to the editors with your ideas. Most local media is always looking for good content, and this is a great way to be published. Go to bookstores and look in the magazine section. Which magazines have content that you could have written? Make sure your story is a good fit for that publisher. Trying to sell an article on the Best Way To Grow Lettuce would not be a good fit for A Dog’s Life magazine.

There are a lot of online platforms to write for. Here are a few.

Medium www.medium.com

Newsbreak www.newsbreak.com

Here is a link to many more opportunities https://www.jeffbullas.com/are-you-a-content-writer-10-amazing-sites-that-will-pay-you-for-your-writing/

· Keep good documentation. Keep track of what you have sent to whom and what response you received. Keep contact information updated, and definitely keep track of the income you are making from the writing.

· Keep learning and improving. Read writing books and interact with other authors. Ask questions. Facebook has some great writer’s groups to join.

This is a controversial subject because writers deserve to be paid for their work, but unfortunately, we are often offered a chance to be published without pay. I would say it is a good idea to write for free in two situations.

The first example of when I think it is appropriate to write for free is when you need to build a portfolio of published work. Editors and publishers often want to see clips of your writing or see proof that you are an established writer. You want to create a writer’s footprint so you can be easily found in an internet search. Writing for free is an easy way to create this portfolio. Most local media is looking for content, so ask local newspapers and magazines if you can write for them.

The second time I think it is okay to write for free is when you want to support a cause. I write a free column about fitness for a local ministry. It is a small way to help my community.

After you have created clips and established a writing resume you should realize that your time and work have value, and you should be paid for your talents. Always ask yourself where is your time best spent. If you want to spend it writing for free then that is your choice, but it is also okay to expect payment for services rendered.

This is the first in a blog/video series called A Writer’s Life. Through the blog series, I will give you information on the various aspects of being a writer. This first piece is something to consider before you commit to a writing life.

You might have been thinking about doing some writing and wondering what it involves and if you would be good at it. Let me give you a few points to consider.

• You should like to write. If you are only thinking that this might be a good way to earn some extra cash, but you don’t enjoy the idea of writing on a regular basis, this might not be for you.
• You need to be patient. It takes time to find followers and build an audience. Very few writers are huge successes overnight.
• Consistency is key. Not only does practicing your craft make you better, but it also helps others notice you. Your audience wants more and when you can provide that they will spread the word.
• Be willing to learn and grow even when you can call yourself a veteran writer. You never want to feel that you have learned everything because improving is always possible. Read other writer’s advice and writing. Find out what other people do to be successful.
• Be willing to be vulnerable. When you begin to publish your work you will be opening yourself up to criticism and judgment, but you also could be helping a myriad of people in more ways than you know. Words are powerful and your words could potentially change someone’s life.
• Observe and listen. Listen to the stories around you. Watch people and read the news. All of that will help your writing.
• Don’t give up. There will be days when you wonder if you are any good at writing. It is when you allow negativity to whisper in your ear. Kick those negative thoughts to the curb and keep going.
• Have a why. Why are you writing? There isn’t a right or wrong answer. It’s whatever makes you want to express yourself through words. Don’t lose sight of the why.

Every parent has those moments when either your child does something less than stellar, or a bad parenting decision backfires. I have three children and three grandchildren, so I have experienced many of those moments. I hope you enjoy the moments I share, and I hope they make you laugh and realize that you are not alone when your parenting efforts do not work out.

There were a few unfortunate moments that occurred because of sleep deprivation. One day, a student came up to me while everyone was working on an activity and quietly told me the zipper was down on my skirt, I came to school when I was eight months pregnant with two different colored shoes because I had to get dressed in the dark, and I couldn’t see my feet anyways.

My oldest has always hated milk, but we thought we had to give her milk to keep her healthy. One night, the people in the apartment below us called and said there was a strange substance on their wall coming from our apartment. They said it looked like chocolate milk. We went over and looked behind the hope chest and saw that our daughter had been dumping her chocolate milk there when we left the room. There was also some mac-n-cheese back there.

The oldest was also my temper-tantrum queen. I was in the grocery store with a full cart when she fell on the ground, started to scream, and kicked her legs and arms. Everyone around me started to look at me as if I must have done something terrible to her, so I picked her up, left the cart, and went home.

My middle child is an artist. He is always trying to observe everything at once which can lead to a lack of focus. We were out riding our bikes when he started to head straight for a parked car. I should have called out a warning, but I thought, “He must see it.” He did not so he smacked right into it and I felt awful.

We were in a restaurant one night when my youngest who was six months at the time had a massive diaper blowout. I needed to get her out to the car to change her diaper and clean her, but I was also covered with poop. How could I walk through the restaurant like that? I knew I had to, so I picked her up and moved as quickly outside as possible. I cleaned both of us and decided to play with the baby in the car until everyone was done.

Those are only a few of those embarrassing moments. We all have them and we will survive to fail another day.

Although I was a cross-country coach for years, I struggled with following the advice I gave my runners about the start of a race. I used to always say, “Don’t be pulled into the excitement of the race start. You don’t want to start too fast and then struggle the rest of the race.” My friends make fun of me because I almost always say, “I’m going to run for fun today. I’m starting very slowly.” Part of me believes this will happen, but then the gun goes off and my brain convinces me I can run with the people in the front. Unfortunately, my body is very angry with my brain around mile two. I decided I needed a way to start better, so I decided to play the game that a runner named Jenny used to play.

When the gun went off at the meet and a throng of runners headed for the trail, Jenny stayed behind, so she was starting dead last. She then began to pass people one after another. She did this so effectively that she was always in the top three at the end. I decided to do this the day after I had an AFIB incident. I didn’t want to run too hard, so I started very slowly. People were flying past me and I remember thinking, “I’m going to be last.” My friend who was running with me helped when he said, “I guarantee we will see most of those people in another mile.” I kept a steady pace and passed as many people as I could. I felt stronger running at a steady pace than if I had gone out fast, and my finishing time was better than usual.

I discovered another running game when we lived in North Georgia. I call it the runner’s ruse. When I took karate my sensei always told us that we never wanted to look like an attractive target. The same is true in running. We see the same people at local races, and there will always be people who target you as the person they want to beat. The runner’s ruse is when you convince them that you will not be in any competition because you are temporarily off your game.

I knew the master at this game. At every race, he would tell everyone who would listen about all his injuries, or how little sleep he had the night before. What was funny was people believed him. He crushed his competition every time. I used it once with a woman who runs about the same speed as I do. I told her I was going to run slowly because my knee was sore. She decided I wasn’t a threat and lined up in the back. At the end, she said, “I thought your knee was sore!”

Another game that’s fun is to choose someone slightly faster than you and run with her as long as you can. Falling into a good pace even if it is a little challenging will help to improve your time.

A game for hills is as you start the climb encourage someone next to you who may have started walking. When they start to run it’s hard not to keep going even though you want to walk because it looks bad. If I yell, “It’s only a hill! C’mon let’s keep going!” but then I start walking in a few feet it doesn’t look good.

Start thinking about anything but running. You can look at the people around you, enjoy the scenery, think about what you want for breakfast, or solve a problem. You want to distract yourself.

Write your social media post about the race in your mind. Do you want to talk about glory or a struggle? Either one makes a great story but choosing your narrative might help you push harder.

I hope you have your way of making running fun. What games do you play?

I am always looking for good writing advice because I want to continue to learn and grow, but there are a few things that I do not feel comfortable following. One of those pieces of advice is to find your niche, your specialty, and stick to that.

My problem with this is that it puts you in a box and limits your writing. I have so many interests and thoughts that I cannot imagine only being able to write about one of them. Not all of my ideas come from what I am passionate about sharing. Many of my ideas come from what I hear or see around me. I cannot ignore these ideas because they poke at my brain demanding to be released.

Another reason I don’t follow this advice is because if I stick to one niche I will be reaching a limited audience. I enjoy reading about a variety of topics and I would like to share a variety of topics with my readers. I love hearing the comments from readers from writing on different topics.

The final reason I would rather write on a variety of topics is if I only write about one topic I won’t be learning as much as I could if I research a variety of subjects.

I do understand the reason behind this advice. If you can stick to your niche you can make yourself an expert, but I believe if write on different topics you can broaden your horizons.