Wherever I Can Find It

Reading, learning and growing is a constant part of my writing life. If you’ve read anything in these pages, you know these words are built into my daily actions and fiber. It’s part of how we grow as writers and editors and continue to improve in our craft and business practices.

Today I stumbled across a little free booklet called How to Find an Agent and $ell Your Writing. It is geared to fiction writers but the truth rings throughout these pages for any type of writer.  Consider these points on the opening page:

“Seven Tips for Breaking Into Print

• Always listen to industry pros; even if they wind up being wrong, you’ll learn from the experience.
• Seek criticism, not praise. Knowing what’s wrong will help you improve.
• Be ready and willing to rewrite and edit, a lot.
• Read what’s currently selling, and come up with comparable ideas.
• Don’t take rejection personally. This is a business, so be businesslike.
• Make the Work free from typos, spelling errors, and formatting problems.
• NEVER GIVE UP.”

What are you writing today? A magazine article? A children’s book? A website? A nonfiction book proposal? A Thank You Letter? A Resume? Or a Newsletter? 

No matter what you are writing, make it your best, then check it again before you send it out into the marketplace. Your writing could be exactly the project that a particular editor needs.  As for me, I plan to continue looking for wisdom and writing insight wherever I can find it.