Thursday, March 11, 2021

Write What You Know, But Learn As You Go


by Julie Lavender @JLavenderWrites

Recently, I had the pleasure of contributing an article to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine for their Raising an Entomologist theme. The acceptance took me back on a reminiscent journey of my writing.

Very early in my writing trek, after receiving many rejections, I decided I needed to actually do some research to find out more about the actual concept of becoming a published writer. After all, my undergraduate and graduate degrees were both Early Childhood Education. 

I heard the phrase “write what you know” at a conference and decided to adhere to that path. I sent a query to an educational publishing house for a teacher resource book idea. Because of my education degrees, teaching experience, the company said I was a great fit to write the book I’d proposed. I completed the manuscript, received my pay, and looked forward to seeing the book in print.

By the time I received the acceptance, I was no longer teaching. My new hat was stay-at-home mom. I continued on the “write what you know” path and sent in queries to a sweet, non-paying publication for stay-at-home moms called Welcome Home. I had several pieces accepted, which helped me get acceptances to a paying market, Lifeway’s ParentLife Magazine.

Fast-forward a couple of years, and I added the homeschooling mom hat to my resume. I queried Homeschooling Today Magazine about a unit study on insects, because, after all, I was married to an entomologist, so I knew I had a resident resource at my disposal. That acceptance led to other science-based unit studies, as well as others, and I wrote for that magazine for several years. 

As my children got older and took part in Vacation Bible School and children’s ministry activities, I jumped right in as a volunteer with each activity. I used that knowledge to help me get an acceptance as a Group Publishing curriculum writer. I wrote lessons for that company for years and have pieces included in two dozen resources. 

While at a Group Publishing workshop, I met a fellow author who wrote children’s news events for the Denver Post. She asked if I’d come aboard as a writer with her. I hesitated to say yes – I’d never written for a newspaper, but, she reminded me that I’d be translating current event articles into kid-friendly language, and she knew my background with Early Childhood Education. It was my first step off the “write what you know” path. I decided I could “learn as I go” with my friend’s help. 

I enjoyed writing with the Post for a number of years, and that gave me the confidence to query my local newspaper editor about contributing a family column. Another, “learn as you go” adventure. He jumped at the chance to have another monthly columnist and later asked me to contribute faith-based pieces to the paper. I was so excited to write God-stories in the newspaper that I didn’t hesitate to say “yes,” even though I knew for sure that would be a “learn as you go” path into the wilderness, because I knew nothing at all about newspaper freelancing.

I’ve enjoyed a great time as a newspaper stringer and continued contributing to other avenues that were already a part of my repertoire. Keeping the idea of “write what you know,” combined with “learn as you go,” keeps my writing fun and adventurous. 

TWEETABLE

If you’re just starting the writing journey, brainstorm areas that you might qualify for with experience. Think about your education background, career path, childhood happenings, volunteer opportunities, hobbies, and passions. But, also be willing to jump into unfamiliar territory with the plan to “learn as you go.” When you combine the two, you’ll have a fun and adventurous writing journey! Julie Lavender enjoys writing in areas that she feels qualified to write due to her experiences, but she also loves the challenge of learning something new to put pen to paper! No matter what she writes, she feels guided by the Lord along the path, because as she says, “My background is Early Childhood Education. That makes it even easier to give God all the credit for my writing journey.” She’s especially thankful God guided her to write 365 Ways to Love Your Children: Turning Little Moments into Lasting Memories, that released in October from Revell.

10 comments:

  1. Julie,

    Thank you for the wise advice in this article for other writers. We write for the doors that open to us and learn from the experiences. Early on in my writing days, I wrote a series of radio scripts (something I have not written for decades) but I learned a lot from that experience. When my children were small, I wrote a number of children's books which were published (another season in my writing). We need to march through the opportunities and seize the day.

    Terry
    author of 10 Publishing Myths, Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed

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    1. Terry, I LOVE this: "march through the opportunities and seize the day." That is a perfect mantra for writers! God leads us to those opportunities and leads us right through them, too! He provides the tools we need and/or the resources to get the job done. Seems like you've had such a wealth of writing opportunities, and each one prepared you for the next journey and opportunity God had in mind for you!

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  2. Julie, I'm finding it true in my writing also. I just walked through the door that swung open at each stage of my life, and experienced some WOW moments along the way. Recently, due to having lived near the Ozarks, I landed a job as a regular contributor to two magazines there. God is faithful to teach us what we need to know, as we need to know it. Thanks for your insightful post.

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    1. It's such a fun journey, isn't it, Roberta, when we walk through those doors He swings wide for us. I love tracing His hand in the path of my journey, and He's definitely given me some WOW moments along the way! And, what a fun gig, to write for magazines about the Ozarks! A visit there is on my bucket list!

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  3. Thanks for your article this morning. I learned so much from it, and I can put it to good use. Thank you again for sharing.

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    1. Thank you, Diane, for your kind comment! I've enjoyed learning as I go, from the doors that God has opened. And some of those doors involved fellow writers' instructions and various writing conferences that both taught me so much! Blessings on your writing journey!

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  4. Julie, thank you for sharing your path and wise advice. This well-written post generated several ideas.

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    1. Thank you for chiming in, Jeannie, and I hope you God led you on the path to many new ideas! I love when He swings open the doors for us to journey through, carrying our experiences with us, but with an open heart and mind to learn whatever He wants to teach us!!

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  5. Your writing is fresh and encouraging, Julie. Love your new book, 365 Ways to Love Your Child!

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    1. Thank you, my sweet friend, for your kind and encouraging words!!! I feel the same way about your newest book, and I can only imagine how many single mamas you've blessed with that book! Thanks for sharing that encouragement to so many moms!

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