I recently sold an article to a new-to-me magazine, The Christian Standard. I had not written for them before, nor had I pitched to them before. This was my first pitch, my first query, and it paid off big time. Not only are they publishing this first article from me, they pay well and have invited me to write more for them. All this from one simple query. I am not an expert query letter writer. I have rarely written them over the years and never like this one - out of the blue, unsolicited. There's a back story. I have been a regular writer for one publication house for nearly 30 years and they recently recruited me to write on a specific topic. I gladly complied, signed the contract and wrote the article. However, even though they liked the article, before it could go to print, they changed their minds and decided not to print it. They said their needs had changed. The editor who had recruited me was no longer employed there. But, I really like the article and was going t...

The inevitable failure we face as writers should not be what defines us as writers. We write, we fail, we write some more. I never really consider failure something to slow me down. By failure, I'm talking about failure to see publication. We can be highly successful writers if all we do is write; if that's our only motivation. But, getting published is another story and we all face the failure of not getting published, of being rejected by a publisher. I was recently asked to write an article on a specific topic. We signed a contract and I wrote the article. In the meantime, the publisher changed staff and the editor I'd been working with was no longer there. Even though I had a contract, they rejected my article. I'm still going to get paid for writing it, but they are not going to publish the article. I believe in this article; I am looking for another outlet in which to publish it. I've already sent it to another editor. This leads me to the 4th part of ...

Now is the time to learn. Now is the time to write. Now is the time to self-publish. I love the tips in this article . Quick, to the point, helpful. Learn. Write. Publish. ~Tricia

When I started my Writing for Publication classes a few years ago, I had no idea how far some of my students would be able to take what they'd learned and achieve such success. Amanda Hocking sat in my class and told me how she'd quit college to write full time because college took too much time away from her writing. Sitting with a large stack of rejection letters, Amanda learned about e-publishing in my class and that was all she needed to know. She's now a million-dollar-author with a movie deal in the works! The simple, straightforward information in this short e-book have been life-changing and confidence-building for many other authors as well. I got word just this week that another one of my students has sent his book off to Paramount Pictures. I also got word that another former student just signed a book deal with a publisher. You can be a successful writer, too. Start by learning what my other students learned; start by downloading your free copy of Write...

My new book, Writing for Publication (Book 1) will be available via Kindle and Kindle apps by the end of this week! I'm excited to have made this much progress since we're in the process of moving. Here's an excerpt from the book, a teaser: There are specific keys to overcoming the inevitable failure of being a writer. These few ideas can have a huge impact on your writing, and on your success as a writer.           Appreciate your own talent. If you know you are a good writer and you have something valid to say, appreciate that in yourself. Self appreciation comes across to others as confidence. Appreciating and having confidence in your talent is not boastful or prideful, it’s honest and real.          Don’t let rejection slow you down. Realize and accept that rejection is part of the job of writing for publication. If you accept this, it will not surprise you when it happens. It’s a given, par for the course. It truly...

Even if you are a novelist, consider writing articles.  Articles are quick, short and can be broadly disbursed to give you a wide exposure more quickly than a book.  Still write your books, but add articles to your portfolio. Some benefits of article writing include: Articles can be used to introduce your books and other writings. Articles are easily written. You can cover a wide variety of topics in your articles. Articles vary in size, giving the writer endless marketing possibilities. You might be more likely to find an agent willing to take a chance on you if you've published a good number of articles. Article writing expands your writing resume. Article writing shows your full talent as a writer without a huge time commitment from the reader. Articles can introduce you to a wider audience. Articles are great promotional items. Tonight is the first meeting of a new writer's group I'm facilitating. I hope to write an article about our first meeting and the gro...

I must say, my writing students are so creative, so motivated, so energetic and so eager to learn and practice their writing skills that I am totally inspired by them!  As a matter of fact, I'm so inspired that I'm starting a blog completely dedicated to writing.  You might wonder why I've not done that before and I would wonder the same thing.  Why haven't I done this before?  All I can say is, I'm doing it now. Thank you to my students! What inspires you as a writer?  Does routine inspire you, knowing your time is predictable and dependable? Or are you inspired by a whimsical thought that you just have to write down?  Are you a creative writer or a writer of facts?  It doesn't matter what kind of writer you are, as long as you're writing.  Some people I know are actually inspired by editing and revising their work.  Others just like to get it written, then hire someone else to edit and revise.  What's your style? Speaking of edit...