Professional Education Resources JOURNAL

Diary 

Since I lost my internet connection at home I have been using Wi-Fi access points around Jefferson County, and St. Louis County, Missouri.  So far the most reliable spots are McDonalds.  I have used Panera, Burger King, and the YMCA connections to Wi-Fi with sporadic success; McDonalds is still the fastest to connect to.  I do have to put up with occasionally getting disconnected, but reconnecting is pretty fast here.

Today while starting this entry, Bob K. came in and plugged in.  He is quite the talker.  He told me quite a bit about his travels to Chile, Argentina and some of the fabulous destinations in South America.  So while we were talking I learned about Mar del Plata and Iguazu Falls.  The pictures and the links I found on Google were excellent.  Bob highly recommended the Lonely Planet tour guide books and we got to talking about the possibility of writing for The Lonely Planet.

So I surf over to The Lonely Planet home page and search careers.  Specific links for authors, photographers, and editors were available.  From the overview at each link, these are such popular careers and opportunities that competition is fierce.  Needless to say, my confidence for success in such a position is nonexistent.  I have plenty of opportunities to attempt before engaging in such a high profile exposure to my unpolished work.

Bud B.  told me to check out Helium.  I did, but have rarely used it since then.  Helium, Writer's Market, and other platforms are incredible resources, and I really haven't taken advantage of them.  I have several online writing accounts besides this one and am terrible at keeping each of them updated.  I think, in order for me to embark on my next level of professional development or education, writing must become a daily practice. 

The resources available to me offline are pretty vast too.  I have many books which I bought since college that help with writing skills.  I still have many of my college texts which I haven't cracked open for years.  These books, a writers magazine, the St. Louis Post Dispatch and The Leader newspaper give me plenty of inspirations and muses to write about.

Next Steps

Primarily I need to work on:

1. Identifying audiences which will follow my writing.  (Bob just asked me what I write!) I know kids like my writing, teens who know me enjoy my work, other teachers like my writing, and community parents and friends like my writing.  My global niche is yet to be found.  My pleasure writing is a bit more obscure in finding an appropriate paying audience.

2.  I need to work on time management.  As I said before, writing has not been a daily practice for me.  In order for mine to find an audience and strengthen, I must write often enough to grow in my writing skills.  The more I write, the stronger I will get.

3.  I also need to find a focus.  Finding an audience also depends on the content I choose to write.  I should select content unique and personal enough to be enjoyable for me, but also in demand enough that others want to look at it.  I thought about writing little travel entries for towns across Missouri.  This would appeal to a very, very select market of readers. Once I established myself as a credible author, these excerpts would be read by a broader audience, but the internet is littered with content that is read by mini-audiences.  I want to write content that resonates with many.

4.  I also need to start working on submitting my work.  It has been a very long time since I have submitted anything for publication.  Writers guidelines and style manuals are available online.  There really is no reason not to be submitting something on a regular basis.  By starting the process, I can begin to see the possibilities before me.  Until I try, I will never know how effective and successful I can be.

5. I must also network.  Writing is an art.  There are professional writers all around me.  Former students, colleagues, and family all have encouraged me to write.  I need to share my efforts with them.  They will encourage me and when necessary give me the feedback I need to improve my writing.  When I share my writing with others I will find professionals to give me guidance and help me hone my craft for marketing to a more profitable audience.

6.  I also need to continue my writing education.  Cost should not stand in my way here.   In order for me to take myself seriously as a writer I must act seriously.  Serious writing requires serious development which can only come from expanding my vision, experience, and knowledge.  Classes online and locally would be a wise investment for me.

7.  Finally I must read.  My experience with books has been that of a fan-hoarder.  This isn't good for my development as a writer.  Now that I have all but buried myself in pages and pages of paperbacks, hardbacks, library discards, and travelling books, I need to make a serious dent in my TBR pile.  A writer who doesn't read is like a voice shouting in a public forum.  No listening means my audience will not take me seriously because I don't pay attention to what has already been said.  When I identify my topic, what has already been written and published on that topic.  Magazines, books, and internet resources must be consumed for me to become a serious and successful writer.

I definitely have my work cut out for me.  I pray I'm ready for this.  I know God has given me the gift.  Now I must accept my responsibility to become a published writer.  It is a responsibility too.  My community, family, profession, and spirit need this.

Topics in this post: 

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