I'm a Writer

I'm not sure if I'm an author, but I know I am a writer, because I write. I'm not certain I know how to auth.

I write a lot. I write history essays that are published three times a week. I write a lead article once a week. All for RGQ. I have over a dozen short stories published in two different MWC books. I got a little short, true story published at Milspeak.

I'm finally convincing myself I'm a writer. Now I've hit the next hurdle.

Now I find I'm not a marketing expert.

The history essays are what I enjoy writing the most. I've described them as follows:

I write 400-500 word essays on one historical event for each day's date. Most "On This Day" articles are a list of birth dates, death anniversaries, and/or one sentence descriptions of events. Instead, I select one topic for the day and expound on it. I then add four quotations at the end of each essay to either illustrate the subject matter or give a voice to the historical person.

Each day of the year holds a variety of possible topics. I choose subjects ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous, from horrifying to redemptive, and representing the global community while spanning recorded history. Some of the essays deal with topics of far-reaching consequences; some are stories of the "I didn't know that" variety. All of them are entertaining and enlightening snippets of the larger, grander human experience. 

I think that says it nicely. What I would like to do is be published for pay. I thought writing a book including 365 or 366 essays would make a great bathroom book, trivia book, or educational book.

I think the daily essays would make a great start to a social studies class at the junior high or high school level. Since each class starts with everyone getting settled and some clerical work deemed necessary by the paper pushers of the world, there are a couple of wasted minutes just begging for some form of instruction. Reading one of my essays each day would take up those few minutes without undue strain and actually set the mood for the class to follow.

A friend suggested they would make a great article in a newspaper. As listed above, most of the On This Day articles out there simply list who was born and sometimes add who died on the date. I bring one story to life.

I've written about the day SpaghettiOs by Franco American hit the shelves. I've written about the end of World War I. I've written about patents being applied for, lawsuits reaching conclusions, and cartoons being broadcast. I've learned a tremendous amount of trivia and actual history as I've written up my daily ditty.

But now, I find that newspapers probably won't be interested in this unless I can show that it is worth their time to even look at it. I'm not to send samples, but I have to send samples. I need to be published in order to get published.

I am probably going to end up publishing a book through a self-publishing or vanity press place. And the problem with those is that anyone can and does do that. I see the writing that can and is offered to these places. It makes me cringe. A "wrighter" I've met via the Internet has four books published, according to the wrighter.

It is difficult to take these publishing houses seriously because such seriously horrible writing is published by them. There are some decent things published as well. There are more good writers than publishing houses can or are willing to fund.

I have no answers. I have issues and concerns. I know my essays are entertaining and well-researched, as well as well-written. I know I'm going to end up with them in print some way. All I need is some luck.