Teacher Feature...
Writing Tips for Teachers - Part 2
by Joy Jones
Are you a teacher with a story to tell, an issue to explain, a statement you want to put in print? If you've already overcome writer's block, conquered the agony of an empty page, and have actually succeeded in writing something down, you're ready to look for someone to publish your work. Get ready to surmount some new hurdles. Here are some tips to help you on your writer's journey.
Join a group - Writing is a solo act, but it helps to join with others to share your writing. A writing group offers moral support and editorial feedback on your work. Members share information on opportunities such as where to submit, and where the upcoming contests and conferences are. The peer support - and the peer pressure - also helps motivate you to continue writing.
How to get published - Getting published requires patience and persistence. Be prepared for the process to move slowly and decide now that you're in it for the long stretch. A good place to start is with Writer's Market, a reference volume that lists American and Canadian book and magazine publishers of every genre. Review it to see what editors would be a match for your manuscript.
Where to publish - If you have a short and timely article or a human interest feature with a local slant, your hometown newspaper may be a good target. Daily newspapers need a frequent flow of material. Material is also in demand by a lot of websites. You may have to donate pieces at first, then as you build clips, you can submit to paying sites. Increasingly at educational conferences, I've seen workshops specifically geared to educators who want to publish. Many of the national educational organizations who sponsor these events also print books and magazines that encourage submissions by educators.
Have faith - Sometimes the path to publication can be slow going. I hope you're lucky and land something quickly, but if you're not one of the lucky ones, don't give up heart. It will come. Just keep writing, reading, writing some more and sending out your work.
I'll be looking for your byline!
Gazette Articles by Joy Jones:
More tips for writers can be found on my website: http://www.JoyjonesOnline.com.
Additional resources on the topic of writing for publication:
Marjan Glavac -- Writing, Self-Publishing and More
http://teachers.net/archive/glavac5.html
Paul Chika Emekwulu -- Self-Publishing
http://teachers.net/archive/emekwulu.html
Guest author/illustartors offer writing/publishing tips during chats. Here are transcripts of just a few of the hundreds of chat transcripts available in the Teachers.Net Archive <http://teachers.net/archive>:
Joan Holub
http://teachers.net/archive/holub040300.html
http://teachers.net/archive/holub091399.html
http://teachers.net/archive/joanholub.html
Emily Arnold McCully (Caldecott award winner)
http://teachers.net/archive/emily_mccully.html
Barbara Seuling
http://teachers.net/archive/seuling.html
Browse through the latest posts on the Books & Literature Chatboard...
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