Happy Spring! The daffodils and tulips are blooming in my back yard, the sun is shining, and spring just has to lift our spirits!

I have been receiving a lot of requests for help or advice with getting your work published. So I thought I would write something about that here for everyone to read. I hope it is helpful!

It is very unusual to get something published that hasn't been revised and revised and revised. To get feedback, join a writing group or take a writing class. If neither of tose things work, then press your stories upon your friends and family members, but only if they promise to be truthful. It won't help you if they're not!

A wonderful way to both study your craft and to meet other beginning and established writers is to attend a writers conference. There are so many good ones out there, and you can find a listing of them in Poets and Writers (which, by the way, is the magazine writers read for information). Some of my favorites are: Writers in Paradise, Bread Loaf, Wildacres, and The Maui Writers Conference. Google any of these for information, including faculty, dates, and costs.

If you are writing to me about your work because you think I would enjoy it, or it is similar to mine, I am teaching at two workshops this summer. The first is in Guatemala in July and it is run by the writer Joyce Maynard. Go to Joyce's website for information about it (joycemaynard.com). I am also teaching in August at The Maui Writers Conference, which is in Honolulu this year.

When you believe you have something that is publishable, the best path to your goal is through an agent. The Writers Market is a very large, expensive book (but they have them in libraries!) that lists every agent and how to approach them, as well as the kinds of books they are looking for. Agents take a commission, usually 15%, but they never charge you to read your work. So avoid anyone who asks for money up front. Another way to find an agent is to look in the acknowledgment section of your favorite books. Authors often thank their agents there!

I know that it can be very frustrating trying to get published, but I believe wholeheartedly that fine work finds a home. If you are getting rejections, perhaps your work is not yet ready. Take that class, attend that conference, get feedback, and revise!

I hope this has been helpful. I'm sorry I can't read your work or respond in too much more depth. But as you can see from my Events list, I am traveling a lot for both The Knitting Circle and Comfort (which will be out in two weeks!).