Writing is demanding and when you have to take a break, reviving a writing career can be so hard. Here’s what I learned while doing it myself.
Stale. Stagnant. Non-existent. A locked door. That’s how my writing career felt in 2023. I mean, sure, I published some, writing about food for the Bangor Daily News and having a couple pieces published in literary journals, but it’s nothing like my freelance career of five years or 10 years or 15 years ago. What’s more is that I had to take a break for personal and professional reasons — and that meant that I stopped pitching, stopped blogging and just stopped.
The chances of me publishing also became slimmer. When you aren’t doing the work, how can it be any different?
Holding myself up against the specter of what used to be is hard too. I know what I am capable of. But reviving my writing career has been nearly as hard as starting it in the first place. There’s so much work to be done. So many new in-roads to be made. So much to overcome.
But as we approach the middle of 2024, I am happy to say it’s happening. I’ve had more than 10 acceptances this year and although I didn’t get a finalist nod in that Maine publishing competition that I’ve entered a few times, I have had a couple of speaking engagements come up that are pretty cool as well.
So what changed? It’s been mostly a change of mindset and drive. Here’s what I have learned about reviving a writing career:
Do What You’re Good At
For awhile, I abandoned the genres that I have been successful in to focus on new avenues. But why? When you have a niche you enjoy and have been successful in, you should stick with it. This year, I returned to food writing and also started writing about parenting and lifestyle topics again. This has led to a new restaurant column with the Bangor Daily News (it appears roughly once a month) and other new bylines. Just yesterday, I pitched an essay to a parenting publication I’ve never written for before and it was picked up within hours.
There’s power in doing what you are good at. And, moreover, the more your byline appears, the more work you get. This year I am keeping that in the front of my mind.
Push Your Boundaries
All of that said, I still want to be published in new publications and genres. So I am pushing my boundaries more. How? While I am best known for my journalism, essays and food writing, I would love to have fiction published. In the past, I have branched so far out in my writing that it didn’t look much like what I am known for. What if I edged in with food fiction instead? What if I finished that book about a journalist I started eons ago? So I am pushing my boundaries in a new way, trying to break into new genres with topics adjacent to those that I have been published in for years.
There are other ways to push boundaries too. The media landscape has changed dramatically in the last two decades. Even the big websites I wrote for several years ago aren’t the same — or operating the same. That’s why adaptability is key. What used to work — as story types, genres, publications and writing styles — doesn’t necessarily work anymore. Pay attention to what’s getting published, and what isn’t. Embrace new styles and genres. Develop platforms for sharing you haven’t needed in the past. All of this will help you leverage your work for new opportunities.
Write Every Day (But Be Broadminded About It)
We’ve all heard the advice about writing every day, but it wasn’t until I was talking to an author at a book event this winter that it really clicked for me: Writing every day doesn’t have to mean spending an hour or more working on something. It can be far more casual than that.
Somedays, I only write a few notes by hand. Somedays, my writing is primarily what I am doing for my day job. Somedays, I spend hours writing about food and developing stories. It varies and that’s okay.
A consistent writing routine is necessary to a successful writing career, but it doesn’t have to be as intense as setting aside dedicated time to immerse yourself in a project.
Read More
When I am teaching writing to journalism students, I always tell them that good writers are also good readers. But it’s advice that so many of my colleagues (and myself!) don’t always live. When we do, the impact is clear though. The more you read, the more your mind opens to the possibilities of language. Plus, it can be very inspiring.
This year I have read nearly 30 books so far ranging from food memoirs to histories to dystopian to romance. Really, my interests run the gamut. And I’ve felt how, for instance, MFK Fisher’s The Gastronomical Me made me rethink how I was approaching writing about places and food (and, not to mention, the note taking that comes before writing). Meanwhile, Anne Willan’s Women in the Kitchen, Julie Powell’s Julie & Julia and Ruth Reichl’s Save Me the Plums have all reminded me how important, impactful and powerful food writing is.
Just Keep Trying (And Saying Yes)
As 2023 was coming to a conclusion, an editor reached out for pitches for a one-off publication. I responded, but the opportunity had already gone to someone else. Even so, the editor liked my pitch and asked to keep it on hand for another publishing opportunity in the New Year. Since then, I have written several pieces for her for other one-offs. The key, I found was responding quickly and having good ideas. Back in my days of full time freelancing, I mastered the quick pitch and that’s coming in handy now.
Meanwhile, another editor asked me to resend some pitches in mid-January when she’s assigning again. I did, and ended up getting an assignment .Both of these things bode well: I am hitting my niche and getting positive responses. The key here is being open to the possibilities and take the opportunities as they arise.
For a few years, but especially in 2023, my writing career felt like an impenetrable locked door. But resetting how I approach it and think about it has helped me so much. Reviving a writing career isn’t easy, fast or simple, but when you find your way back into it, it has the greatest rewards. I mean, what writer doesn’t love a good byline?
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