When One Writing Gig Leads to Another and Then Another

by Julie Lavender @JLavenderWrites

Edie Melson’s post last month, 8 Reasons Every Writer Should Stop Procrastinating and Write Something Right Now! asked readers to contribute by way of comments other reasons that she hadn’t included. At the time, nothing popped into my head. Several days later, when I signed a contract for an online-magazine article acceptance, I thought of something that might work for her list. 

One Writing Gig Often Leads to Another and Then Another

As often happens with brand new writers, one of my first bylines appeared in a sweet publication entitled Welcome Home. The non-glossy, small-in-size print magazine had just a few sketches that served as illustrations throughout the publication and focused on stories for stay-at-home moms. 

I was a new SAHM, with six years of teaching under my belt and a newborn in his crib. One article led to another, and those credits on my resume helped me get my first paying gig in Lifeway’s ParentLife Magazine with an article called “Mud Puddles and Lesson Plans.” After two articles appeared in ParentLife with my byline, an editor reached out with an opportunity to contribute regularly to their “ages and stages” columns at the front of each magazine. 

With that published ParentLife article focusing on homeschooling on my resume, I reached out to Homeschooling Today Magazine with a unit study idea written in the format of those included in each issue of their print magazine. That one acceptance led to assignments from the editor for several years.

Filling out an extensive application for Group Publishing, Incorporated that included a sample curriculum lesson—that resulted in an acceptance to join their freelance pool of writers—gave me assignments for the next several years. In fact, I once counted up my contributions and I’d written approximately 145 curriculum lessons in 21 Group teacher resource books! 

And, several years after my writing gigs with Group had diminished, a fellow Group writer whom I’d met at an in-person Group writing retreat, asked me to come alongside her and write children’s news articles for the Denver Post. Boy, did we have fun with those articles!

Because an acquaintance at a local bank knew about my curriculum writing, she reached out to me when the bank chose to do a promotional booklet for customers and asked if I’d pen an activities calendar for fun things to do with kids. 

After writing a family column for my newspaper, the Statesboro Herald for a number of years, the editor called to ask if I’d consider writing faith-based articles for the paper, but he mentioned that he’d only want one every four or six weeks. I happily accepted the assignment. I’d only written two or three articles when I received an email from him that said, “Send me these kinds of articles as often as you want.” With all the seemingly “bad” news that often shows up in newspapers, our community welcomed inspirational articles to read! 

A couple of those early newspaper stories caught the eye of the editor of Statesboro Magazine, our hometown print magazine, and I enjoyed several assignments that involved interviewing locals and reporting on local happenings.

When my second book released, a homeschooling devotional, an editor from the religious division of Carson-Dellosa reached out and asked if I’d consider writing a teacher resource book that editors titled Scripture Adventures. I happily accepted and later received requests for two more books, Super Men of the Bible and Wonder Women of the Bible. 

A Guideposts Magazine writing contest win in 2014 with eleven awesome writers, gave me the opportunity to eventually publish in all four of their major publications and on their website. Later, I was invited by Guideposts editors to submit pieces to a devotional magazine, two devotion compilations, and their Christmas special edition.

Several years after winning the contest, a Guideposts editor with whom I’d worked passed along an email callout to me and other children’s writers he knew. With another extensive application process, a sample writing piece, and several weeks of waiting, I found out I was selected to take part in a writing project assignment that became my most recent publication, Children’s Bible Stories for Bedtime, published by a Penguin Random House imprint. 

During three decades of writing, I’ve watched one writing gig lead to another and then another and then another. As a God-loving, Bible-believing, Jesus-praising author, I know my Heavenly Father orchestrated the path of each of these writing credits. But it’s certainly been fun to watch how He used each project to lead me on the journey to the next one.

As Edie says, “Don’t procrastinate.” And, as Julie adds, “Don’t put off writing today what might turn into another writing gig tomorrow.”

TWEETABLE

When One Writing gig Leads to Another and Then Another, insight from @JLavenderWrites on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Julie is the author of Children’s Bible Stories for Bedtime, published by Zeitgeist/Penguin Random House, and 365 Ways to Love You Child: Turning Little Moments into Lasting Memories, published by Revell/Baker. She’s also written more than 1000 newspaper and magazine articles and enjoys encouraging fellow writers to get their foot in the door of the publishing industry with shorter pieces. Connect with Julie at julielavenderwrites.com and on social media platforms.