Want+to+get+published?

So based on all of the activity on here and the work that has been posted, it's obvious that a lot of people love writing, myself included. And what's better than to get published when you're just 13? I did the same last year.

Before you even submit a story, poem, or any creative work, you need to write it, obviously. Finding inspiration and an idea can be very difficult. For me, I get ideas simply from things around me. The key in finding an idea is to not do anything. You'll come across a great idea when you don't force it. Another thing to do is to write about the little things. You don't need a double rainbow or an earthquake to have an inspiring moment.

Notice the things around you, too. Take time to just sit outside and listen.

And most of all, be open minded and in a good mood. Yes, you can write when you are depressed, but your mind will be able to think better if you're not stressed out. A crucial thing to do is to carry a notebook or journal with you. You NEED to write down your idea as soon as it comes to mind. Whenever you have an interesting dream, write it down. Any small thing that you noticed that was pretty or thought provoking, make a note of it.

If you're in writer's block, don't worry about it. Stop writing and start reading, or do something else. DON'T force yourself to write when you really aren't in the mood.

So now that you have a *brilliant* short story, poem, photograph, or essay, you want to get it published. Especially if you wish to pursue journalism or anything in the field of English, getting published now will set you apart from everyone else on your college applications.

There are a lot of websites to get published on out there, but the one I have applied to is called Teen Ink (http://www.teenink.com). Teen Ink is a print magazine and website filled to the brim with creative work done by teenagers. Not everything submitted is accepted onto the website. After you submit, it may take up to a year before your work appears on the website. The main thing is patience: don't get discouraged if you don't get an email after a few weeks. The shortest it has taken for some of my work to appear on the website is about two months, so it can take a while.

If you get published onto the website, you have a possibility to be published onto the magazine. Anytime from a year after you are published onto the website you have the chance of going onto the magazine. If you are published in the magazine, Teen Ink emails you and sends you a copy of the issue where you were featured.

I have not yet been featured in the magazine, but I do have a ten month time gap where either of my submissions on the website will be published in the magazine. Here's a link to my work: http://www.teenink.com/poetry/sonnet/article/317099/The-Love-Story-of-a-Boy-and-His-Game/ This is a sonnet about my brother playing video games. http://www.teenink.com/fiction/romance/article/344425/Hereafter/ This is a short story based on the line "Two loves I have, of comfort and despair" from sonnet 144 by William Shakespeare.

The Love Story of a Boy and His Game was my original poem I wrote for my ILP (a huge project that you'll complete second semester) and Hereafter~ was my original short story I wrote for the aforementioned assignment.

Teen Ink isn't the only place to get published. There are a lot of other websites and magazines out there. Keep on the lookout. The Los Angeles Times features book reviews written by kids every Sunday, for example. Keep putting yourself out there, and sooner or later, you will be published.

-Erica