Let’s get motivated, part 2

Commit to your writing. Decided how much time you can devote to writing and stick with the plan. Keep track of the time spent writing per day until it becomes routine. Make writing a habit. You may want to begin by writing an article for a local newspaper or a magazine. Seeing your work published is a strong motivating factor.

Everyone has distractions, whether it’s checking email, Facebook, Twitter, phone, TV, washing clothes, or a million other things. Remove as many of those as possible. Any of them can whittle away the time you intended for writing. Find a place where you can write with as few interruptions as possible.

Join a critique/writing group. Share ideas with other writers. Talking with others who have similar goals whets the appetite and spurs on the writer inside each of us. Everyone wins when ideas are shared.

Be realistic. If you can’t find the time to write every day, and most of us cannot, write when you have a few minutes available. Some people have written novels with twenty minutes of writing per day.

Try different techniques to figure out what works best for you in creating a story and to stay motivated to finish the manuscript.

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:Magic Dragon. Writing – Work should be neatly printed or typed. If you type it, please double-space. Stories and essays can be up to three pages, poetry up to 30 lines. It is ok to send writing that you have also illustrated. You can write about anything that is important to you; it can be serious or funny, true or fiction. If you send originals and want them returned, enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

Art – You may send original art or a copy. If you want original art returned, enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope big enough for it. If you send a copy, be sure it represents fairly the original work (colors are the same, lines are clear, copy looks just like the original). Your name should appear somewhere on the artwork. You may also tell us how you created it; for example, is it made with crayon, watercolor, paper sculpture, or some other way.

Submissions guidelines at http://www.magicdragonmagazine.com/?page_id=6

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Chicken Soup for the Soul. Listen to Your Dreams 
When we are asleep, we dream. Are dreams a connection to the unconscious mind? Are they omens of things to come—both good and bad? Dreams are often the way we tap into our own inner wisdom. Sixth sense, gut feeling, premonitions, instinct. Whatever you call it, sometimes we have no logical reason for knowing something—but still we know it. Submissions guidelines at https://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/submit-your-story

Nancy Kelly Allen has written 50+ children’s books and a cookbook, SPIRIT OF KENTUCKY: BOURBON COOKBOOK. 

Comment or check out the blog at https://nancykellyallen.blogspot.com/

Writing with Kid Appeal

          Kid appeal is a must in writing articles for children’s magazines.

If you include a kid in an article, you’re much more likely to sell it. For example, when writing an article about football training, the text will be more appealing if you write about a specific kid in training, rather than an article about football training, in general. The same is true for an article on all subjects, such as the importance of recycling. Writing about a kid who is involved with a recycling project will resonate more with the reader than an article about the need to recycle plastic.

          To catch and hold a reader’s attention, write about kids who are near the reader’s age. Most teen magazine articles approach all subjects with specific kids sharing their own stories and experiences.                                       

Visuals are a necessity, too. Some magazines may require you to provide photos, and others may use stock photos, which are provided by the magazine. Photos are important to the story because they place the reader directly in the subject area. Visuals and text are equally important. Not only do kids want to read information, they want to see the pictures, too.

 

The common denominator in writing that all kids enjoy is humor. Add humor to lessen the didactic prose. If you’re writing a quiz for the readers, try spicing it up with a touch of fun and funny. Kids enjoy puns and other forms of wordplay (I was told I had Type A blood, but it was a typo.)

Write about subjects that are of high importance to the reader: boy/girl relationships, parent guidelines, friendships…

Will kids want to read the article? Check it out with some kids before you ship it out to a publisher. Ask for feedback from those readers.

Up your chances of getting a contract by adding kid appeal. Your editor will thank you for it.

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

FUN FOR KIDZ: Ages 6-13, with emphasis on ages 8-10. Each issue has a specific theme. See guidelines for theme list. Fiction and Nonfiction: 500 words or fewer. Focus is on activities and promoting positive values. Articles with photos are more likely to be accepted.

Submission guidelines at http://funforkidzmagazines.com/writers

Journal, a Secret Weapon for Writers, Part III

Other uses and benefits of keeping a journal:

After you read a book, jot down notes about why you enjoyed the book. What did the author do to hold your attention? The list of books your enjoyed can be referenced when you are stuck in the middle of your own manuscript and wonder where to take the character next. Refer to some of the books and study them to figure out how those authors dealt with the same issue. When I find children’s books that really appeal to me, I read them the first time for enjoyment and a second time to analyze the structure, plot, character development, pacing, phrasing and word choice, scenes, and numerous other elements of writing.

When an idea for a new book or article slams into your head, write it in a journal. As with a house, writing needs a strong foundation. Sketch character traits and plots. Plan how the writing will be organized. The more advanced planning, the less revision. At least, I find this to be true for my work. If I thoroughly examine my characters and plot before I begin writing and know the ending of the story, I stay more focused and the plot doesn’t wander too far off course. The best and most efficient way is keeping a journal for the article or book. All the resource material, notes, and ideas are in one place so they are less likely to be forgotten, misplaced, or go unused.

A journal in a writer’s toolkit=a good thing.

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:
The Threepenny Review is paying $400 per story or article, $200 per poem or Table Talk piece. This payment buys first serial rights in our print and digital editions, and the copyright then reverts to the author immediately upon publication. As a rule, critical articles should be about 1,200 to 2,500 words, Table Talk items 1,000 words or less, stories and memoirs 4,000 words or less, and poetry 100 lines or less.

Submission guidelines at http://www.threepennyreview.com/submissions.html