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The Three Laws of Presenting and Publishing (with apologies to Sir Isaac Newton)
by Donald BoozerFirst Law: Overcome Inertia
The hardest thing you'll do as a writer is simply to get started. To paraphrase Sir Isaac Newton's First Law of Motion: if you're not writing, you tend to stay not writing. Librarians, as a rule, are busy with the day-to-day chores involved in their work. Some see writing for publication as just another task to accomplish.
Granted, academic librarians often have no choice about publishing, as a step toward attaining tenure. Public librarians, on the other hand, often talk themselves out of this avenue of expression. It's easy to rationalize not doing something with which you're unfamiliar. You can tell yourself any number of things: "I can't write;" "I don't know how to start;" "It's too hard;" "I don't have anything interesting to say." All these can work as perfect justifications to never begin, but let's look at them one at a time.
- "I can't write."
You don't have to jump right into writing full-blown dissertations or research articles. You don't even have to aspire to these types of writing. Start out slowly. Test the waters. Write some short articles for your library's newsletter. Describe some links for your library's web site. Create some flyers for events. All these are great ways to expand your skills and get feedback from patrons and colleagues. Writing reviews is another excellent avenue to pursue. I personally started out writing some short articles for my library newsletter, and have now had an article published in a British journal.
- "I don't know how to start."
Start slowly. To reverse an environmental catchphrase: Act locally, think globally. As mentioned above, do things for your local library, but also keep your eye on a regional, national, or international audience. There are any number of people to whom you can turn for advice. There's probably someone who's published an article either in your own library or one nearby. If you read an article you enjoyed, e-mail the author. People love to talk about their work; don't be afraid to ask.
- "It's too hard."
No argument here - it is hard! But, think of the sense of accomplishment when you succeed.
- "I don't have anything interesting to say."
You'd be surprised. Have you successfully completed a difficult project? Are you the resident "expert" in something? I'll explore this in more depth in the Second Law.
So, to sum up the First Law: You must overcome your initial inertia. Any number of excuses and rationalizations can be used when you’re afraid to try something new. Rejection is painful, but, if you don't even propose an article, you are guaranteed not to publish anything. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Second Law: Apply A Force To Get You Going In A New Direction
Once you decide to get started, you have to take the next step. Does your library have a newsletter? Are you seeing calls for conference presenters on the e-mail lists you subscribe to? Take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves.
There are undoubtedly projects that you've worked on that went well. Use them as a springboard for an article. Let people learn from your successes...and your failures.
As another entry into publishing, there are probably subjects in your library on which you are the local expert. You know where to find the best resources on a given topic. You just found that new web site that no one else knew about. You know where to find all the song lyrics to old television shows. You have a unique hobby. Chances are that, if you find something interesting, someone else will, too. They might not even know about the topic until you write an article or present a program on it. This line of thinking led me to a topic for both programs and articles.
I've been interested in languages since high school, and The Lord of the Rings was my favorite book. One of my main draws was Tolkien's creation of a number of languages for the elves, dwarves, and other beings that populated Middle-earth. So, I decided to propose a program for the 2005 Ohio Library Council Annual Conference on imaginary languages in literature and movies, which I thought was a really interesting topic.
Of course, I wasn't sure anyone else would think so, but I took a chance - and it paid off. The program was accepted, enthusiastically received, and several people encouraged me to write an article based on it. Since then, I have presented the program twice more and have written two articles on the subject. One article was recently published in The Linguist, the official journal of the Institute of Linguists in the UK; the other has been accepted for publication in VOYA. The lead for the British publication came from someone who attended one of my programs. You never know where your next opportunity will come from. Keep your eyes (and your e-mail box) open.
So, the Second Law simply states that, to head off in this new direction, you have to apply yourself to taking risks, to taking advantage of all opportunities, and to not being afraid to try.
Third Law: The More You Do It, The Less You'll Be Afraid To Try It Again!
Newton's Third Law of Motion states that for every reaction, there's an equal and opposite reaction. The same goes for the Laws of Publishing. Once you're finally moving in this new direction and you've gotten something published, you will become more and more encouraged by the positive feedback you get. Just as importantly, you will learn from your rejections and mistakes. The more you write, the more you'll find that those initial feelings of inadequacy and ignorance will become feelings of competence and ability.
And, people will soon be coming to you for advice on how to get articles published!
Don Boozer has been a professional librarian since 1999 and currently works in the Literature Department at Cleveland (OH) Public Library. E-mail: donald.boozer@cpl.org.