Guest Post by Alvina Lopez

Tips on Becoming a Successful Writer

by Alvina Lopez

At an early age, I knew I wanted to be a writer. While other kids in school spoke of studying to become doctors, teachers, and policemen, I somehow knew my life would be enveloped in writing. For years, I had watched my mother dream up the plots behind her romance novels from the comfort of our home, and even when she struggled to finish the ending to one of her many novels, she always seemed blissfully content with her profession. I couldn't help but admire and want to replicate her many writing talents. Later on when I began my writing career, however, I grew envious of my mother's success. What came so easy to her was a struggle for me.

Unlike her, I had my difficulties breaking into the writing field. She had entered into it rather early in her life, but I struggled to get most anything published, even after five years in the field. I’ll admit, I was rather headstrong about my work, so I hardly ever took anyone else's advice; looking back, I realize I should have accepted help when it came my way. Nowadays, I've grown less intolerable and embrace sage wisdom when it is offered. Furthermore, I know that as the writing field continues to evolve and expand, it is becoming harder and harder to get work published. For those of you who are looking to become a successful writer, here are three useful tips in getting your work published and sold in today's world.

Find a Mentor

Early on in my career, I tracked down a mentor to help me in editing and revising my work. At first, I felt embarrassed to ask them to help me along, but in the end they turned out to be a wonderful mentor in my career. If you are looking for a mentor, sit down and think of authors that are close to where you live, and once you choose one, you'll open your career to a world of opportunity. Not only does your mentor come with years of experience and advice under his or her belt, they also have connections in the industry. I personally got to help my mentor edit three of her books and meet her publishers, who eventually took an interest in my work. Keep in mind, it never hurts to have someone read over your work and give you some professional advice, and published authors are the perfect mentors to dish out some useful advice!

Freelance

Many successful writers try to differentiate themselves from journalists, but I believe that is a little absurd. Journalists are actively writing all the time, and even though it may not be the type of work writers want to engage in all the time, there is no reason to pass up journalistic stories. Writing news or feature stories will keep your writing wheels in motion, which not only helps build up your creativity, it also looks great on your resume. Try and seek out media outlets in your area and see how you can be of service to them; not only will you make money at it, you'll also get published regularly. Sure, it isn't ideal for every writer, but it'll build up your portfolio and that helps in pitching to publishing companies.

Join a Writing Group

When I took my first real-world job, I had to move across the country. Not only was I terrified at the prospect of living in an unfamiliar city, I was also wondering how I would initiate myself into the writing community. It wasn't until I moved to the area that I learned about the blessings of local writing groups. Through a friend, I joined a community group that met once a week to go through writing exercises and editing sessions. Not only did I meet people who helped me improve my writing, I also met people who helped me get my work published. It may be intimidating to enter into a writing group at first, but doing so will aid you in ways you can't even imagine.

Though it can be frustrating at times, the writing profession is a fulfilling endeavor – if you make the most of it. For those of you who are looking to further your career as a writer, utilize one or all of these tips.

Author Bio: A freelance writer and blogging extraordinaire for seven years, Alvina Lopez now mainly contributes her expertise about online colleges to accreditedonlinecolleges.com. Her ultimate goal is to help future students discover their potential by enrolling in the right program for them. She also writes about trends in education, personal finance, and sustainable living. She loves getting feedback from her readers at alvina.lopez@gmail.com.

Guest Post by Aniya Wells

Got the Post-College Doldrums? 

4 Tips for Transitioning into the Real World

by Aniya Wells

If you received a bachelor's or more advanced degree in the past five years, you've probably at some point experienced the post-university blues. Of course, any sort of life transition as big as going from college to the real world is tough. Compounding the situation, however, is that you've graduated during the worst economic recession in seventy-odd years. Talk about depressing! Even though I've been out of school and (barely) making it in the marketplace for almost three years now, part of me still can't shake the fact that life is not as carefree as it once was. Notwithstanding, there are definitely specific steps you can take to alleviate the growing pains. Here's what I did:

1.     Keep in touch with old friends. Put some effort into making new ones.

Perhaps the most difficult part of the transition for me was having to say goodbye to many of my closest friends. It's a pretty common experience to meet your best friends in college, the ones you spent nearly all your time with living in a dorm room or off-campus apartment. All three of my besties left the city where we attended school, and I was left behind. I've never felt quite as lonely as I did the first 6 or 7 months after I finished school and started working. The fact of the matter is that it's difficult to make good friends after college. Universities are set up to encourage a vibrant social life, one that's difficult to come by once you're working. Whatever you do, keep in touch—via phone or Skype or actually going to visit in person—with your closest friends. But put yourself out there and make new ones. Join clubs, go to work happy hours, and strike up conversations whenever you can.

2.     Continue learning, whether or not it's in a structured environment.

Another problem that affects many students-turn-young-professionals is that you're pulled out of an environment in which you're constantly challenging your intellect, and you're thrown into a world of office desks, television, and tedium. You simply just aren't learning as much or as often as you did in school. But learning doesn't have to occur only in school. Take a continuing education class at a local learning center. Read all the books you were dying to read if only you had time after reading your course materials. Take music lessons! Study a new language! Do whatever you can to keep learning.

3.     Don't worry if your career is not where you want it to be. Everyone your age is in the same boat.

If you've been lucky enough to find employment, it's likely that what you have isn't anywhere near your "dream job," and that might be getting you down. Reality check—no one your age has her "dream job." Even those who are older don't have their dream jobs, since the "dream job" is really a myth. Every job has its plusses and minuses. You aren't as stuck as you think you are, and doing as well as you can in a job that isn't the best will help you as you look for more rewarding work a few years down the line.

4.     Enjoy and stress the freedom that a post-academic life affords.

I'm sure there were times in school when you wished that you were a working adult. Hold on to those instances and realize that, without term papers, tests, and college drama hanging over your head, your evenings and weekends are free. Embrace this freedom and be glad you don't have an impossible deadline looming on the horizon.

All-in-all, the "real world" isn't terribly exciting. But if you decide to make it exciting, if you decide to "think big, but relish the small pleasures," as someone important once said, then you'll learn to love your life post-college. Good luck!

Aniya Wells is a freelance blogger whose primary focus is writing about online degree programs. She also enjoys investigating trends in other niches, notably technology, traditional higher education, health, and small business. Aniya welcomes reader questions and comments at aniyawells@gmail.com.

Great advice from Audie Cornish

Browsing through the June 2012 issue of Glamour magazine, I came across an article filled with advice for "how to master an entry-level job (or, well, any job) in a crazy-tough economy" by Lilit Marcus. All of the advice was useful:

• "Don't just learn your job, learn what others do too" from news anchor Erin Burnett
• "Realize that you have to earn people's respect" from Mandana Dayani, vice president of Rachel Zoe Inc.
• "Find balance now, not later" from Sue Naegle, president of HBO Entertainment

I think the advice I found most useful came from Audie Cornish, cohost of the National Public Radio show All Things Considered. She said, "A lot of people I am in touch with now in my career are people I'd asked for help when I was in my first job as an assistant news-writer at a public radio station in Boston. It's easy to be intimidated by big voices, but when you're just starting out, you have the unique license to open any door in the company and ask, 'How do I get to do what you do?' People love being asked for advice. It shows you respect what they do." 

No matter where you are in your career, it's never too late to ask for advice. Why not pick up a pen or open an email window and write to someone in your field who you admire?

Whenever I finish a book I love, I always take a few minutes to Google their name, find their website, and zip them an email. I tell them what I loved about the book and also ask if they have any advice for me as I work to build my own writing career. Not only have I received wonderful words of wisdom and encouragement, I have even been able to forge friendships with writers from all around the world -- novelists, playwrights, memoirists, poets. These are people who I admire greatly, who enrich my life, who make me feel like I'm not alone when I spend my days pounding out words on the computer.

Now I've even started receiving the occasional email from young writers asking me for advice, and they make my day! I am always so delighted and excited to strike up conversations with new writer friends.

How to Convince Your Parents That Your "Worthless" Major is Worth Something

Guest Post by Tim Handorf

When I was an undergraduate, I knew from the very beginning I wanted to study English. Most of my friends were tepid in their own choices, and changed majors several times before settling with subjects like Economics or Psychology. Others wanted to study something else but were influenced by their parents to study a major that would provide more immediate material gains.

When I told my parents my intentions to study English, my father deadpanned, "That's all?" I asked him what he meant by that, and he responded, "Why not minor in English and study something else more useful, like Business?" I was taken aback. I didn't know how, exactly, to respond to his question.

Of course, in a way, he was absolutely right. Studying literature or creative writing for its own sake doesn't result in obvious job prospects. Eventually, however, I formed a coherent enough argument favoring my choice of study, that even my parents -- a very traditional bunch -- eventually supported me wholeheartedly.

One thing to remember when you decide to throw your lot in with literature or writing is that chances are, you won't become a world-famous novelist. At the same time, however, no one goes or should go into a university literature or writing program with the idea that pursuing fame and fortune is our natural next step.

We do it because we do care about the written word. We understand that taking in the world and its details and expressing it clearly, thoughtfully, even creatively, using our own signature mark, is meaningful, even if we don't eventually do it to earn our daily bread. That is not to say that we cannot always dream. And the carefully study of letters is a necessary first step in finding our own voice. We cannot, after all, pen something extraordinary without knowing what has come before.

To counter the old folks' assumptions that paying a lot of money for a college degree only to end up as a starving artist is quite easy. What I did was throw at them some of the latest research. Parents love research. For example, take Daniel H. Pink's book A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. Pink, a former speechwriter for Al Gore, who now writes for several leading publications analyzing future trends in business and technology, argues that we are now moving beyond the Information Age to the Conceptual Age. By this he means that those who have developed the capacities for empathy, creativity, and are able to take information and discern some meaning from it will be most successful. And are these tasks not exactly what a degree in English or Creative Writing prepares us for?

So if your parents, friends, or even you yourself are struggling to figure out the purpose behind a course of study in literature, rest assured that you will have a host of opportunities, even if you don't end up writing fiction or poetry for a living. If you can synthesize information, if you can communicate it clearly and inventively, then the future is yours.

By-line: This guest post is contributed by Tim Handorf, who writes on the topics of online colleges and universities. He welcomes your comments at his email: tim.handorf.20@googlemail.com.

Wanna Make a Career as a Writer? Or Not? Read on!

I don't want to make a career as a writer. How can writing help me?
I always tell students I work with that writing is something that will benefit you no matter what your dream career is. Writing, at is essence, is communicating. Job interviewers, no matter what career, are looking for someone with good communication skills. It makes you a better person! For example, my mother works in an engineering firm, and they are always looking for engineers who can also write well. Writing also encompasses so many different genres and fields -- you could be a novelist, a playwright, a business writer, a copyeditor, a grant-writer, a newspaper reporter, a memoirist, a medical journalist, a poet, a children's book author ... the list goes on and on. Not to mention, writing can be great therapy because it allows you to express yourself and connect with others in a healthy, genuine way.

I do want to make a career as a writer. What is your advice?
Read and write every single day. Even writing for only twenty minutes really adds up if you do it every day. Also, if you want to make writing a career, it is important to research the business of writing. Subscribe to Writer's Digest and The Writer magazines. Read writing newsletters. Get a copy of The Writer's Market. Learn how to write query letters and proposals. Attend writer's conferences. There might even be a writer's group in your area that you can join. Tap into the writing community and learn from other writers. Most of all, don't be discouraged and don't give up! Good luck!