Publishing

Katie D.

October 28, 2011 - 7:29 PM

I have always wanted to be a writer. I spend considerable time on creative writing projects, and I once thought that my dream job would be writing novels. One of the reasons I have loved working on this blog is because it has given me such great practice with writing consistently and having a real audience. I've found that the blog has helped me with discipline in my writing, and has given me tools for writing quickly, honestly, and to examine my life for writing topics. It is also a great launching-point for other writing projects: I can process ideas here first, and maintain the writing regimen that could someday help launch other published pieces. I have these dreams of publishing creative writing, journalistic pieces, and academic articles.

I've published several short pieces of writing over the years, mostly in campus publications. Each time it's been an enormous rush, and a sense that this is certainly part of what gives me a sense of meaning in my life.

Well, I just got some wonderful news! I wrote an article about my summer and my experiences accompanying Central American women in their search for lost migrants. And it was accepted! This journalistic article, with photographs, will be my first national publication, and the first article I'll be paid for as a professional writer.

The bad news is that the article won't be published until their April edition. The good news is that the editor wrote that she hoped we would work together again in the future.

I can't wait to see my writing in print (and I promise to publish a link for anyone who's interested at that time). But there's another great lesson and opportunity here also-because I won't see the article until April, I'm stuck with this sense of success, tempered with a sense of limbo. What this means so far is that I have a powerful desire to keep working. I know I can be successful as a writer now, although I also know now just how much work is required by a single article: hours of writing and re-writing, then hours of editing, then photo selection and captioning, then final editing and formatting. And all that work doesn't even include the work that went into researching the topic, interviewing folks, and traveling to a story-worthy location.

So here I am, months away from seeing my name in print, but with a sense of realism and potential in this work. I got that email, and felt two simultaneous emotions: a sense of accomplishment and a sense of ambition. I'm so proud, and so aware that I have work to do-this publication feels like a starting point, and a success that might help me launch future successes.

Now I'm scheming. I'm pondering new writing projects and possible new venues for publication. In addition to the ambition behind this, I also know that I am happiest when there is consistent creative outlet in my life.

So here's to a new challenge! A success and an opportunity-and a new goal to pursue.