When I began my freelance career thirteen years ago,
writing personal essays and submitting for publication made me feel
somewhat uncomfortable. It was constricting, like wearing a new pair of
shoes that gave me friction blisters. Did I really want the world to
know about my personal life? I was overly cautious and
concerned about revealing too many personal details. I stepped around
issues as though I were tiptoeing through a flower bed. Consequently my
essays sounded forced and, or formal. I would either ramble or retreat,
fearful that readers would judge me instead of my writing ability.
After several rejections, I decided to step out in faith and write
from my heart. And that is when I hit my stride. My inspirational essays
have been published in fifteen Chicken Soup for the Soul books and many
other anthologies and publications.
Like an artist who uses paints and brushes to create pictures and
evoke
emotions, I use words. I make every effort to move the reader with
imagery and authentic writing, whether my topic is joyous, sad or
humorous. I have learned that my hook sentence is a crucial element.
Powerfully written openings make editors want to read on. I begin with
punch, pizzazz. In writing an inspirational essay, I make certain that
my story has an "aha' moment. I give my reader something of value to
take away. A satisfying conclusion reflects my opening paragraph.
In the beginning, I wondered if anyone really cared about my
experiences. I discovered that the answer was yes. We all have had
similar life experiences. It's the honest emotions conveyed that makes
each of our personal experiences unique.
I am not a gardener, yet I had an inspirational story published in
The Ultimate Gardener about my grandchildren planting artificial flowers
in Grandpa's garden. I could have begun with the fact that
my husband was recovering from foot surgery and was unable to plant on
time, but instead I enticed the reader with this attention-grabbing
sentence: "Along with a healthy crop of tomatoes and peppers, one
season, compassion grew in my husband's garden." I summed up my
personal essay with a reflecting statement. "Thanks to the compassion
that grew in Grandpa's garden many years ago, the children now have a
deep appreciation for the good earth and the bounty that it produces."
Just as a gardener plants, waters, weeds and cultivates crops,
writers plant a seed of thought, fertilize their words, weed the
unnecessary in order to produce a personal essay worthy of publication.
Keep in mind, writing for inspirational markets is not the same as
writing with a particular religious slant. There are subtle ways to
acknowledge God and all His goodness, and I make every effort to do so
without
specifically targeting a religion.
Linda O'Connell, a preschool teacher writes from her heart and blogs at
http://lindaoconnell.blogspot.com
Linda is co-creator of Not Your Mother's Book...On Family, one of
thirty-five, Publishing Syndicate anthologies in development. Contact
her at
billin7@yahoo.com
