What’s the likelihood of a writer being lucky enough to sell the first article they ever produce? Impossible, you say? It can be done. It happened to me.

Getting a foot in the right editor’s door is a challenging task for a new writer. It isn’t exactly easy to convey the impression that you know a thing or two about professional writing when all you’ve ever written are essays that are but a dim memory from years gone by and company minutes that take no creativity to produce. It is tough, but not impossible to get your writing career off to a promising start with a little creativity.

I started out by reading reams of material written specifically for writers. It’s always said that it’s safe to write what we know. That’s exactly what I did. I had all this material telling me how to do just about everything I needed to do, so I just dug right in.

That first article discussed the mistakes that new writers should avoid, as well as the logical steps that should be taken for publication to be more than a distant dream. I talked about the importance of organization and providing accurate information.

I also discussed how important it is to be disciplined and focused. I spoke to perseverance in getting work out there to various publications, as well as the advantages of building a resume. This newbie even discussed the advantages of giving away articles just to spread the word that there was a new and capable writer on the block. I have to be honest though, I haven’t followed this advice wholeheartedly.

Something about giving away anything I’ve laboured over doesn’t sit well with me, even though I still haven’t been paid for that first article after repeated emails to the editor. She still has that article (If I Knew Then) displayed on her website, but I digress. Experience teaches wisdom and luckily I haven’t been bitten like that since. In the event that the link above does not work, here’s the address http://fmwriters.com/Visionback/Vision24/ifIknew.htm

In my opinion, attitude is one of the most important ingredients if you hope to thrive as a writer. I had no idea of the level of success I would achieve with that first article and as a writer. I did however, dedicate the time and energy to research and write that first piece, while remaining confident that I would get it published. And that’s exactly what happened.

My formula for publication? Stay focused, do your research, work hard, send out those submissions and that first acceptance will pop up in your inbox before too long.