Writing Tips for Teens #7: Publishing

I’ve been posting writing tips for teens this school year. If you want to catch up on the other posts, here are the previous links for my #writingtipsforteens

August https://lynnlovegreen.com/writing-tips-for-teens-1-guidelines-and-getting-started/

September https://lynnlovegreen.com/writing-tips-for-teens-2-your-writers-notebook-and-prewriting

October https://lynnlovegreen.com/writing-tips-for-teens-3-writing-the-first-draft/

November https://lynnlovegreen.com/writing-tips-for-teens-4-responding-to-drafts/

December https://lynnlovegreen.com/writing-tips-for-teens-5-revising-drafts/

January https://lynnlovegreen.com/writing-tips-for-teens-6-editing/

This month, we’re looking at the Publish step of the writing process. 

So, let’s say you have taken a writing project through the writing process and gotten it just the way you want it. Before you do anything else:

Kudos! Pat yourself on the back! Celebrate! That’s a great achievement!

Now, you’re ready for the last step in the writing process: publishing. This will vary based on the project and your goals for it.

Depending on what your writing project is, you might turn it in to a teacher as an assignment. Or maybe it’s a letter or email to send off to someone. Of course, the most personal way to publish your writing is to show it to your family and friends. You may know someone who would love to read your work. That’s a perfect form of writing publication.

You may be looking for a wider audience, so I have listed some online resources below.

Note: Please research websites, and be careful when creating accounts or submitting information. Any time you’re online, you need to practice safe internet skills. You’ve probably heard about them in school by now, but here’s a great list of tips from the NYPL for a little reminder:

https://www.nypl.org/help/about-nypl/legal-notices/internet-safety-tips.

Perhaps you’d like to enter your writing in a contest? NYPL has a great list of contests at https://www.nypl.org/blog/2020/10/26/writing-competitions-young-adults.

Here are online journals where teen writers can be published. Look at the website to learn more about the age range, kinds of writing they’re looking for, etc. for each site, and make sure it’s a good fit for your work and your writing goals.

BALLOONS Lit. Journal https://www.balloons-lit-journal.com

Canvas Literary Journal http://ww7.canvasliteraryjournal.com

Ember Journal https://emberjournal.org

One Teen Story https://www.one-story.com/index.php?page=ots

Paralax Online http://parallax-online.com

Teen Ink https://www.teenink.com

The Milking Cat www.themilkingcat.com

Do you have a whole book to publish? Wow, congrats! Book publication is a huge undertaking. You have two basic options, traditional publishing through a mainstream publisher, which usually takes getting a literary agent; or indie or self-publishing which involves hiring professionals or doing your own editing, layout, and cover. I don’t have space to go into details here, but I will say that it is possible for teens to become book authors. One of the most famous examples is Christopher Paolini, who published Eragonat age 17. (Read more about him at his website bio: https://www.paolini.net/biographies/christopher-paolini-full/.) YA author Ally Carter has gathered more advice on this topic in her book Dear Ally, How Do You Write a Book? https://allycarter.com/books/dear-ally-how-do-you-write-a-book/synopsis/.

Publishing can take many forms. Whichever you choose, share your writing and feel the satisfaction of a job well done. Then start your next writing project. There’s always a new idea you can have fun with!

Please comment if you have any questions. Take care. See you next month.