getting published

I'm guessing most of you, being fellow bloggers, are also fellow writers, of one stripe or another (even if it's just the practical sort, who realize that blogging has it all over the phone when it comes to cost). You may or may not cherish dreams of getting published, but the trick I'm going to share would work for other goals too, so stick with me. :D

I've been writing since before I could write. Honestly. I used to illustrate stories, narrate them to my mom, and have her write the narration down on my pictures, to form a rough storybook. (Such a cool thing to do with your kids, btw.) And I've always wanted to get published. But, barring a stint at my college newspaper, and a few contests here and there, nothing much came of it.

Till this year. There's a lot of backstory (which is mostly about me needing to stop writing for awhile, do real life, and grow up a bit), but for one reason and another, by the grace of God, this year seemed like the time to tackle that goal. Here's the thing though: the idea of saying "I will get published this year" absolutely terrified me. Not least because it was a promise the outcome of which I couldn't control. I couldn't guarantee an acceptance.

So I tweaked my resolution into something I could guarantee. I resolved, "By the end of this year, I'm going to get one paid article published, or get twenty rejection slips, whichever comes first."

See, while I couldn't promise to be published, I could promise to send in at least twenty articles. That was a little less than one every two weeks, which is, frankly about the right rate for a mom of two toddlers. And if I failed, I'd fail without the sneaking suspicion that I hadn't given it a fair try. Because twenty submitted articles is a fair try.

So, my tip is: if you've got a goal, figure out what you need to do to achieve it, and resolve to take those steps. Forget about resolving to meet the goal. Real life happens, and no achievement is entirely in your power. Resolve merely to do the parts in your power (with God's help!).

And, you might get your goal thrown in. (My first check for freelancing arrived this week. :D )

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica