Writing success – what does that mean to you and how can you achieve it? The first thing is to define the term.

Are you a success if you’re published whether you received payment for it or not? Are you a success because you have a byline? Are you a success because you’re making so much money that you can retire from your “day job”?

Print or online? Daily, weekly, or monthly publication? Local or national? These are all things you need to decide when you hit the streets to begin your writing research. Narrow that down, target the publications in which you’d like to see your name and kick off the research necessary to break in. Below are some hints and tips to guide you along the road toward writing success.

1. What is your forte? Are you a natural born storyteller in a particular genre and do you dream of writing a novel? (keeping in mind that publication of a novel can be a long process) Do you have a knack for decorating? Are you the go-to person when it comes to your particular industry? Are you the king or queen of the grill? Where do you want to see your work? Newspaper, magazine, on-line, company newsletter?

2. Study the market. Read what you want to write about. You can’t send an article off “blind” or the editor will spot you as an amateur immediately. If you submit an article on Top 10 Tips to Lose Weight and the magazine published that topic one month ago, the editor will know you haven’t done your research. Want to get your words out on the worldwide web? Pull up Google and do a search on the topic on which you want to write, go to the sites and see if they accept submissions. Be sure to check out article writing sites as a source for your submissions as well.

3. Once you’ve found the publication in which you want to see your byline, the deep research begins. In what format does the editor accept submissions (hard copy through the mail, electronic); do they accept queries or will they only consider complete pieces? Check the publications’ website or a “Writer’s Market” type book to determine how the editor accepts submissions. Don’t bypass the submission guidelines – they are there for a reason and the editor expects them to be followed.

4. Is your submission error free? Have you submitted it in the format required? Did you address your submission to an “actual” person rather than a “Dear Editor” letter? Remember, your cover letter is the first impression that editor will have of you and your work.

5. Submit, submit, submit. The most-published writers out there get that way because they are constantly researching new markets, sending off queries and articles. The more you submit, the higher your likelihood of being published.

Being a “successful” writer is a very subjective term but to be published at all, you need to send your articles to publications and continue to develop your skills so that you become a go-to writer when an editor has a project in mind.

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