editor – Taryn Was Here

So I am terrible about bragging about my writing exploits as of late, so I want to share with you guys my latest published work. Way back in June, I discovered this magazine call Millennial Magazine. It’s all about Gen Y and powered by Millennials. They were accepting writers and I knew I’d be a good fit so I quickly wrote the editor and pitched her a few ideas.

The Pitch

For me, pitching an editor is not scary. In fact, it is my favorite part of the process. I introduced myself and spoke on my passion about talking about myself (typical millennial, lol) and sent her some samples and some possible topics. Then I hit “send” and waiting eagerly for the response. Within a few hours, she got back to me and said my ideas were great and to move forward with them.

The Triumph

For a few days I was on cloud 9 enjoying life and feeling validated. She loved my work and ideas! It felt amazing to receive positive feedback. So needless to say my ego was pretty inflated; at a healthy rate though. 😉

The Fear

After the acceptance high wore off, a huge sense of insecurity crept over more. “Am I good enough?” “Will the editor like my work?” were the thoughts that plagued my anxiety-riddled brain. I became stuck and fearful that I could not get it done. Instead, I avoided it like the bubonic plague and just let the project fall to the wayside. I was so bummed and disappointed with myself for following through, but my fear and anxiety had gotten the better of me.

The Comeback

Fast forward 2 months and I still had not written the article. So finally, I took a good look in the mirror, and spoke a few positive affirmations and vowed that I’d get this article written come hell or high-water. So a few hours later and a few revisions (done at a Starbucks, no less), my article was complete!

The Submission

After I finished my article, I sent it to the editor who had positive things to say about it. I made a few corrections and resubmitted it. I was incredibly proud of myself for finishing the article and that it was going to be published. What I was most proud of was despite my initial hesitation, I managed to follow through, and complete it. Maybe it was because the article is a topic that I relate with, but for me, when I have work that hits close to home, I have a tough time getting through with the project for fear that I am not doing it justice. Then I realized I’m not doing anything if I don’t actually do it, so here it is!

The Published Work

The cool thing about my article was that it was published incredibly quickly and I got a chance to show my friends and family. Normally I write a lot of corporate copy so it’s not exactly interesting or shareable, so it was nice to have done some work that I could share with everyone. So without further ado, here is my article! Just click the link below.

Why Millennials Aren’t Rushing to the Alter

The Takeaway

All in all, I’ve realized that the writing process does not have to be as scary as I’ve made it. Also that I love what I do. If you guys have any stories about submitting work, I’d love to hear them! 🙂

Submitting/sharing written work can be an extremely anxiety filled endeavor for a lot of writers. The moment you share your writing with someone, it feels like you’ve exposed a sacred document out into the world where everyone can judge and critique it. That my friends is a very scary mentality to have and truthfully, it was one that I held onto.

The one thing I’ve been finding out is that many writers are so nervous about sharing their work, that a lot of the time they don’t. Or, they decide not to pitch their ideas because of what an editor might say. I will admit that it’s been refreshing to know that I’m not the only who gets anxious.

What bums me out that there is a lot of stuff that is going unpublished due to the fears a writer may have. In an effort to help out my fellow writers, here are some tips/ideas that I try to remember when it comes to pitching ideas/submitting content.

1. Realize That Pitching is Nerve-wracking for Everyone

If submitting content was super easy, I guarantee you that a lot more of it would be happening. Sure it’s natural to get nervous about sending your stuff out into the world. Just be sure to not let the fear stop you from submitting it.

2. Editors are People Too

Believe it or not, editors are human beings. They are not waiting anxiously in their inbox to reject the next pitch from a writer. On the contrary, most editors I’ve worked with are extremely awesome and very helpful. Don’t forget they need your stories so they’ll work with you to make that happen.

3. Separate Yourself From Your Work

Being rejected or being asked to make revisions are a reality of being a writer. I’ll admit that it can wound my pride momentarily. Make sure you remember that the editor is not rejecting you, they are rejecting the article. Trust me, there is a difference. So when you get rejected, it does not mean that you are a terrible writer, it just means the article is not what the editor is looking for.

4. Take Rejection with a Grain of Salt

Your writing can feel like a part of you so it’s natural to feel connected to it. Like I said, your rejection is not a reflection of you. It’s normal to feel discouraged when you’ve experienced rejection. That being said, don’t dwell on it too long. Figure out where you can make the proper adjustments and try again.

5. If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try Try Again

When I first started pitching articles, I was terrible at receiving feedback. It actually made me hesitant to put myself out there again. However, I quickly realized that I can’t work on any projects without first putting myself out there. If you get rejected, keep on pitching. The more you pitch, the easier it becomes and eventually an editor will say yes!

So those are my guidelines that help me get over the anxiety hump of pitching articles. What do you do to help yourself spread your work? What was the most challenging pitch you’ve done and how did you overcome it? Or, what is stopping you from getting published? Let me know 🙂

Taryn Was Here

Tag: editor

So yeah… I kind of write stuff

Why Writers are Scared to Share Their Work