Taking Your Time

Today, Starsongs is excited to welcome guest blogger Mary Kate Crockett.

Mary Kate Crockett, a homeschooled high schooler, has penned three novels and dozens of poems and short stories. She has published a few poems in the past and continues to submit to publishers as she improves her craft. Last semester, Mary Kate taught a writing class and loved helping others learn to enjoy writing. In her free time, Mary Kate travels, reads, and experiments with other arts and crafts. She lives in San Antonio, Texas with her family and occasionally blogs about her writing hobby.

In today’s hurried world, temptations to rush through projects often arise. Hurry through breakfast so you can get to school. Hurry through school so you can get to chores. Hurry through chores so you can get to dinner. Hurry through dinner so you can finally slow down and watch a little TV... right?

Whatever happened to do your best or practice makes perfect or finish what you started?

Even in writing, young authors often send their work to friends, family, and even publishers within minutes of writing those two little words The End. Guilty of this for quite some time, I could barely put down my pen before reading my work to any family member who would listen. Thankfully, I never submitted to a publisher until I was a little older and had been practicing my craft for several years. Even with a few publications under my belt, I still have a tremendous amount of writing and editing to do before I become an expert.

Researchers have found that most people who are experts in their job skill (sports, art, music, business, etc.) have accomplished around ten thousand hours of deliberate practice in their field – practice sessions where their goal was to become better. They weren’t born with some gift to be the “World’s Greatest ____”. They put in the hours of hard work and then reaped the reward of their labor. Check out this article to read more about this research. That’s quite a few hours! If I began calculating the hours I have spent in writing classes, practicing writing, editing essays and stories, and reading about writing, my total would probably come out to less than a thousand hours – I’m not even 10% of an expert! 

Humbly put, we’re probably all just a few hours away from being experts in the writing field. So, what’s the rush?

This doesn’t mean we can’t ever submit or share our work with others until we reach an X amount of numbers on a clock. Or that we have to throw out any piece of fiction we wrote before achieving a set amount of hours. But, it does mean we need to slow down when writing, take time to edit, and seek the advice of other writers before sending work off to be published. Writing, although fun, should be treated like any other profession. It takes time and hard work to be an expert.

We’re all learning, no matter where we are in our writing career. So keep an open mind, constantly try to improve your craft, and enjoy the journey.

Are you willing to put in the hours of deliberate practice to become the best author possible?

Leave a comment about Mary Kate’s post between now and August 31st to be entered in a drawing for a free download of the Summer 2012 issue of Starsongs magazine .

2012 NextGen Writer's cCnference

Announcing the 2012 NextGen Writer's Conference!

If you like to write, want to know more about the world of publication, or want to meet your favorite authors online, NextGenwriters is the place to be! The conference will be held on August 2nd and 3rd. 

It's a free, online conference designed to help authors under the age of twenty discover new craft techniques and improve their writing. Want to know how it works? Find out here

Our presenter list includes some amazing new and returning talent this year. Talent you won't want to miss Click here.

Want to learn more about the craft of writing?

Wonder how to submit a manuscript?

Need encouragement?

NextGen is the place for you! Hurry on over and register today! 

Registration opens June 15, 2012. See you there.

Let's try this again!

Almost two months ago, I wrote a post (see below) introducing this Starsongs Magazine blog. Unfortunately, shortly after that, my granddaughter and I decided to make some font and color changes. Little did we know we managed to wipe out the entire web site!

It's taken a few weeks to get things back in order, so again, I would like to welcome you  Take a look around. Send me an email from my contact Patti page or leave a comment at the bottom of this post. Let me know what else you would like to see on the site.

Happy writing! 

Welcome to Starsongs Magazine

Welcome to Starsongs Magazine's official web page. It will take me a few days to get everything here that I want, but for now you will find our guidelines and the rules for our annual novel writing contest.

In the next few days, I'll be adding lots more, including samples of writings from previous issues, information about our authors, more ongoing contests, and what we are seeking for up and coming issues.

What would you like to see in Starsongs magazine and on this blog?  My goal is to serve as a resource for young writers not only for improving your writing skills, but for getting published. 

Have questions? 

Feel free to leave them in the comments section.

Look forward to hearing from you!  

Keeping in Touch

As executive editor to Starsongs magazine, I'm learning new things all the time. As I learn, I want to pass the information on to you, my readers. I still don't know who you are, but that is all right. I get the reports every week that tell me someone is reading this blog. Even if only one person reads and benefits from it, it's worth the time it takes to think about and type every word!

A writer who is waiting to hear from an editor about their submission can experience a considerable amount of frustration. You work so hard on a story, poem, or essay and send it off, then wait with bated breath to hear something positive. I make it a point to acknowledge every submission I receive so the writer isn't wondering for months if their work is floating around lost forever in cyberspace.

However, I also allow myself six to eight weeks to respond with a positive or negative about a writer's work. There is a reason for this. Right now, we are in the last stages of putting together the winter issue of Starsongs. Therefore, the work that will appear in that issue needs to take priority.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't check for an email from the editor for several weeks, however! I respond to most of my writers within a much shorter period of time than that projected six to eight week period of time.

Once an editor accepts your work, keep double checking for communication. Even though a piece may be already contracted, there may be something else the editor needs. Final layout may require the editor to alter your work in some way, and he/she may want to make you aware of any last minute changes.

Sometimes, if you have sent your bio, it may need tweaked or the editor may request more information. Maybe the picture you sent isn't quite right, or there may be a question about your contract.

Yes, the frustration of waiting for an editor's response can be nerve-racking! However, check your email frequently. When an editor does send a message, it's usually for good reason that most likely requires an answer from you!

Happy writing!