During Writer’s Workshop, I am always telling my students to live a writerly life. I share my own writing with them (and this was especially successful during our poetry unit), and I even share my fear of sharing with them. I think it models that adults aren’t always perfect and that we have fears, too.
However, I realized last year that if I really want my students to value writing then I have to show them how much I value writing. I need to prove to them that writing isn’t something I do just to model examples for them. So, this summer I set a goal to work on getting something published. Thus, last week I began sending out query letters to various magazines to promote an article I am writing about my trip to Michoacan, Mexico. When I applied for the travel fellowship, I promised to promote the Monarch Teacher Network, and one idea I contributed was to get an article published about my experiences. Well, we are off and running! Now it is just a matter of sitting back and waiting to hear from the editors. Wish me luck!
It’s funny, but now I have a new experience to share- the waiting game! What is it like to send out a manuscript and just wait for an editor to make a decision? Hopefully, this will encourage more of my students to be brave and attempt to get their own writing published.
Filed under: writer's workshop, writing | Tagged: freelance writing, mexico article | 10 Comments »
