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Tips for Overcoming
Eight Mistakes
By Resmi Shaji
Call it lack of confidence or knowledge; aspiring writers tend to take steps
that they regret at a later stage. I belonged to the second category of amateur writers, which led me through a struggle of nearly
eight months before I saw my name in print for the first time.
Apart from the most commonly talked-about guidelines for those wishing to make an entry to the writing world, there is more to be explored. Each of us encounters various kinds of experiences through the struggle of getting published. We learn the best from our experience,
so hereby, I am sharing some of the lessons I learned during my effort to get see my name in print.
1. Be ready with sample work: Never wait for someone to approach you to ask for a writing sample
on one particular subject. It is better to have sample articles of your favorite subjects in your file to avoid the last moment running around. At the same time, beware of people who ask for
a sample piece of work written just for them. There are people preying on the net to make the best advantage of you, especially if you tell them you are a
newbie. In the desperation of getting published, you risk overlooking or
not knowing enough about the publication or website you are being asked to write
for.
In a recent incident, an advertisement calling for web content writers was listed in many writing sites. On responding to the ad, the applicant was asked to
write three sample pieces consisting of 10,000 words. If selected, they were informed
they would get big money. The unfortunate writers who responded to this with their sample works were rejected for shaky
reasons. The advertiser, without doubt, must have gotten his work done for him
(free) and didn't need to hire writers anymore. This does not mean all the posts you
see are bogus. There are many authentic calls for submissions available on the 'net, but you must have an eye to identify which
are legitimate and which are not.
2. Approach with confidence: Many aspiring writers fear rejection. They fail to
realize rejections are a part of life and happen with even the most experienced writers. It happens whether you are querying a magazine with local, national, or international repute. When you are a
newbie, you take this to heart and things seem to get worse for you. Frequent rejection from a local publication does not mean you are poor at writing. It is not even necessary
to get regular assignments from a local magazine. If you get a chance to prove your skills with a major publication and if your query or submission stands
above the rest, you are certain to get opportunities of getting published even in a national magazine. Most importantly, give a deaf ear to all those who say you should first try your luck with a smaller publication. Listen to your intuition. If you have the self-confidence, determination and aim of making your dreams come true, no one can stop you. If I could see my success through known publications of high repute after
at least 50 rejections from minor publications, why can't you?
3. Familiarize: The general advice given by the experienced writers says you have to be familiar with the publication you intend to write
by reading at least six of their issues. Yes, it is essential to familiarize with the style of writing. But do you think it is necessary to read
six issues to learn the style? If you have the ability to grasp the style of writing and the topics they include in their magazine, you need to get your hand only on 1-2 of the issues.
4. Relinquish greediness: Unless otherwise asked, never say you are new to writing. Labeling yourself as a newbie could cut down your fees. At the same time, do not
expect top rates when you have little-to-no experience. If you find an editor is offering
a very low amount, try negotiating. Nevertheless, as long as you are struggling to break into
the writing world, never be greedy with the bucks you will receive. Even if you have to do it free, do it with a cheerful face. True, there are publications that will pay
you well even as a new writer, but when you're just starting out, your main goal
should be to build up your credits.
5. Edit the final piece: Proofread again and again. I generally proofread and edit before the final submissions
at least five times. If there are no time constraints or deadline for the article, see to that you take
at least two days off to keep the work with you and split up your proofreading over different timings of the same day or different ways. Still better, try to make
a friend or a family member read your final piece. There are chances of another person finding
a mistake that you overlooked. Once, I found I made a mistake of typing "of" instead of
"for" and never happened to see it until six months later. This happened
in spite of the fact that I had re-read and edited the same article ten times!
6. Fight criticism: Promote your talents by spreading the word to your friends, relatives and acquaintances. Do not be afraid to tell them you like to write or you want to be
a writer. As long as they do not see your name in the print or on the web, you are prone to be an element of mockery
from near and dears. Let those criticizing words never tamper your spirit. Instead, construct condemnation into a positive cheer. You will be excited to see how people suddenly change their opinion about you and give you high regards when they finally see your name in print. Believe me, they will respect you even if they
had been skeptical of you.
7. Network with care: Every writer should love to network. Networking helps by sharing knowledge. As long
as it is done with a cheerful heart, it brings in positive results. There are lot many recognized names in the writing world keen to see
talented new writers coming onto the scene. It does not mean all those who show you a smiling face are truly keen to show you the right path. Watch out for such people. You can
approach a particular publisher by finding out their details through the web or
the magazine. Never rely entirely on anyone to give you all the correct details, even if the person you are contacting is writing for the same magazine.
8. Think twice: The Internet is a good to rely on for research, finding markets, ideas,
and basics of writing or networking. With many publications having a web presence, it is not difficult to keep abreast of their
updates. If you buy a book, it will never get updated on its own. You can get a lot of free yet trustable information on various aspects of writing from
writing sites like AbsoluteWrite.com or Writing-World.com. If you intend to freelance
only for magazines or newspapers, they are never going to ask you for your
educational qualifications. They will prefer to see your skills-- which is what samples or clips are for. Enrolling in a writing or journalism course
will not assure you that you will become a writer or you will learn the tricks of the trade. Surprisingly, there are senior students of journalism from prestigious institutions who
ask how to interview an expert or how to find facts or collect information for an article.
These are a few of the many small mistakes several wannabe writers make and if each of us makes an attempt to share our experience with others, it would be of great help to the newbies. Good luck to all!
 Resmi Shaji is a 24-year old freelance writer and artist based in India. She resides with her parents, younger brother and pets in "God's Own Country" (Kerala). Her works have either been featured or accepted for publication in The Hindu, Woman's Era, Gurlz and WritersCrossing.com. Writing apart, she adores diverse forms of painting. She also loves web & graphic designing, traveling and meeting people. She can be reached at
resmi_shaji@rediffmail.com or http://travel.to/resmicreations.
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