Reach for Your Dreams and Send That Query To a Literary Agent

Well, I did it. Today, I really did it. I've always wanted to, but I've been way too scared to get it done. But, this evening I bit the bullet and sent a query letter to a literary agent. Don't get me wrong, I love being Indie published. I love publishing at the press of the button, but still the idea of having an agent that is working for me is somewhat appealing.

The funny thing is that it wasn't the fear of rejection that held me back, it was taking the plunge into the unknown. It's setting myself up for possible success that's really the scary thing for me. I remember the first time I sent a poem to a literary journal. I was terrified to hit the send button on my Email. I was so afraid that the editor would say something terrible about my work, or even worse than that not even respond.  But, with the prodding of my college teachers, I sent Captain Jack to Poesia, and to my surprise they accepted it and paid me for it!

The second time I sent poetry to Poesia I wasn't nearly as scared. I sent three poems, half-way expecting to get a rejection. This time the editor wrote back immediately. He wasn't only going to publish one of them, but all three of them in the same book! I was so excited.

These experiences spurred me on to contact The New Yorker. I know for a fact getting published by The New Yorker is hard. In fact, I read an article once that stated Stephen King has been rejected by The New Yorker. So, I didn't really expect to hear back from them; however, the poetry editor sent me a nice rejection letter that even mentioned my poem and what he liked about it -- even though it wasn't right for them. I was so proud of that rejection letter.

Why am I telling you this? Is it because I want to brag about myself? No! I am telling you this so that you will reach for your dreams, and let nothing hold you back. You are a writer, and writers write. Go for it. Reach for the stars!

Benefits of Using Office 365 and One Drive

For more info click the picture.

I absolutely love using my Office 365 program. I enjoy its features like OneDrive and the ability to add plug-ins.

I started using Microsoft Office a long time ago. I remember taking my first Microsoft Office class in college in 1998. I didn't know at the time that my future self would be using it everyday! Since then, I've updated my Microsoft Office program every time a new edition is released, and I recommend learning the new software this way, too.

It's really hard to work in the field of writing when your technology is old, because it is so easy to lose important information. Just ask any writer that has saved valuable writing on a floppy disk for safe keeping.

(c) Andreas Frank

Microsoft Office 365 has the capacity to save your work to the cloud, which means it is always there and always accessible, no matter where you're working from. I can literally travel to Alaska, borrow a computer and work on my book if I log into my OneDrive account. It's that simple.

Another plus of Microsoft Office 365 is the plug-in capability. I bought the program StyleGuard from the Associated Press to use for article writing, and it works in conjunction with my office program. I love it! It really helped my grammar score improve.

Microsoft Office 365 doesn't just come with Microsoft Word, but it has other valuable programs like PowerPoint. I use PowerPoint to create my children's books (for tips making a children's book using Power Point click: here) and church flyers. I don't know what I would do without it.

Linda Pogue over at Mom's Red Kitchen recently wrote an article about the free One Drive Program for people who don't currently own a copy of Office 365 and I recommend checking out her article. To read it click: here.