Thursday 7 November 2013

My First Article Published!


I was very excited when I woke up yesterday as I had achieved one of this year's goals - to write and have an article published - and couldn't wait to buy a copy of Writing Magazine to see my technology feature about guest blogging in print.

Getting the idea for my article wasn't hard. I had just posted up a guest post from the lovely Samantha Tonge to promote her anthology of short stories and was thinking about how easy she had made it for me. She had written a polite request, had got to know me through our womag writing, was a reader of, and regular commenter on, my blog and sent everything I needed for the post in good time. In contrast, that week, I'd had a request for a guest post from someone starting... 'Dear Fellow Blogger...'

Needless to say, I didn't reply.

It made me think that just as there is an etiquette to being a house guest, there is also an etiquette to being a blogging guest. This was the light bulb moment: I had my article idea.

But how to pitch it? Never having written a feature before, my first port of call was the brilliant series of articles in Writer's Forum written by another of my guest bloggers. Douglas McPherson. Following his guidelines, I pitched the article to Writing Magazine (I chose this magazine as I had already had a star letter and a further letter published in it about Wendy's Story Timeline.)

Surprisingly, Jonathan Telfer got back to me within hours saying he wanted the article and the rest, as they say, is history. I'd like to thank everyone who contributed to my article: Tracy Fells, Samantha Tonge, Cally Taylor, and Marianne Wheelaghan.

A second article has today been accepted by the People's Friend which makes me feel that I am not just a one-trick womag pony.

Having said that, I will never enjoy other types of writing as much as I enjoy writing my magazine stories. At the newsagents, I also bought a copy of this month's People's Friend Special. In it is another first - my first historical story. It is called The Gypsy Bride. I loved writing it and have sold a few more historical stories since then.

To finish my post, I just wanted to tell you that the 50's swing dress from my last post arrived in a day and fitted a treat - I can't wait to dance in it.

I hope you will all join me next Monday to welcome  Samantha Tonge to my blog as she is back to talk to us about her fabulous new novel 'Doubting Abbey' which will be published on Sunday... you see, as my article said, if you are a well-behaved guest blogger, you get invited back!

32 comments:

  1. Yes! Yes! Yes! Congratulations and well done, you, Wendy! You are an inspiration and should be rightly proud of your continued writing successes. What next?? :) Ohhhh ... your swing dress sounds fabulous!

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    1. My next goal is to write a serial, Marianne - fingers crossed.

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  2. Congratulations, Wendy :-) And good luck with your next goal :-) x

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    1. Thanks Teresa. I'm a big believer in trying new things to stop yourself getting stale.

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  3. Congratulations on first article, Wendy. It's a great piece too, with lots of sensible advice. Here's to many more article sales (clink of teacups!). You were never likely to be a one-trick womag pony (that's a bit of a mouthful), I think you'll find the writing stable is chock full of different steeds!

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    1. Sensible of advice from sensible people, Tracy. Thanks for your help.

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  4. Very well done, Wendy - I'm away behind with my writing mags but had a quick glance through the new one to see your article! So pleased the new dress fits you well.

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    1. Thanks, Rosemary, and maybe I'll post a picture of me in it when I next go to a dance.

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  5. Hi Wendy, yes, I was thrilled to read your article, and I've mentioned it in my latest post as well. I agree that we have to branch into poetry, children's stories, etc. to use every bit of creative brain. Also letters. Well done on getting in to Writers' News. It's the best writing mag around. Look forward to your pf article. To mirror Tracey, chink chink, keep it up.

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    1. Than you, Susan - yes I saw you had mentioned it on your blog. The PF article won't be until next year.

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  6. Congratulations on the article!

    I've just had an abrupt request to host an author interview. They didn't greet me in any way, not even with 'dear fellow blogger' - just launched into what they wanted. They've never interacted with me in any way, don't follow my blog ... I haven't replied to that either.

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    1. Ooh, how I'd like to know who that was from, Patsy.

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  7. Great article Wendy - well done. And I loved the dress. I just wish my waist was that tiny! Just started my umpteenth diet of the year at the same time as doing nanowrimo. Maybe not a good move - I need wine and lots of it to keep me going!

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    1. Maybe think of nanowrimo as you do Christmas, Tracey, where you can are allowed to eat and drink what you like for that period, Only problem is you then you have the real Christmas straight after!

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  8. Well done, Wendy! I'll look out for your article.

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  9. Aw, thanks for the nice comments, Wendy and well done you, what an achievement! I wouldn't know where to start with a non-fiction article.

    Ooh, i can't wait to come back on Monday. I can still taste that burnt flapjack from last time ;)

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  10. Congratulations, it sounds like you're on a roll now. Great feeling isn't it?

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    1. Yes, Linda. I shall savour the successes before the rejections come rolling in again.

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  11. I'd like to add my congratulations. I received my copy of WM earlier this week but read your article just today, before seeing this post! Keep them coming!

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    1. I'll try, Lindsay, but I need to come up with some more ideas!

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  12. Congratulations on your articles, Wendy - is there no end to your talents?! Looking forward to your interview on Monday :o)

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  13. (Glad the lovely dress fitted, by the way!)

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  14. Great article, Wendy. Well done at getting out there! Read your piece earlier this week and hadn't twigged it was you until today! Doh!

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    1. .i suppose it's not where you'd expect to find my writing, Wendy.

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  15. Congratulations on all your successes, Wendy. You are prolific. You are also an inspiration.

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    1. That's very sweet of you to say. Thank you, Keith.

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  16. Well done, Wendy! The advice is always to break things down into small steps in order to achieve your goals, so it sounds like you're doing the right thing in constantly setting yourself new tasks to extend your writing. Also, it's very easy to get stuck in a writing rut - it's so exciting (and such a relief!) to be successful in one field that then it can be hard to risk rejection in starting another. Then you find yourself saying, 'Oh, I never write articles/historicals/twists ...' and missing the opportunities. So I'm full of admiration - well done again!

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