Friday Speak Out!: Celebrating Success, Guest Post by Kaila Weingarten, M.S.

photo credit: rrmhtmt on flickr

So how does it feel to finally be accepted into a real publication? Validated, for one. Excited and a bit nervous, too. You know the feeling when you hit a big number birthday-and you feel like “That’s it? I thought when I turn ____, I will be grown up. Is that how thirty feels?”

Well, that is sort of how I feel now. That is how I get accepted? I am I really legit? Do I really know what I am doing? Of course, I do. That little voice in the back of my mind tells me to continue writing. However, it’s nice to finally have the proof.

After thirty plus emails, five months (from initiating the idea until acceptance from the editorial board) with my baby born in between, more than fifteen hours, and over four thousand words, my article is ready to be published in a professional early childhood magazine. As both an educator and writer, this has been my goal and dream for a long time. Actually, make that a very long time.

I am a voracious reader, and writing has been a part of my life since I learned how to write. My diaries still make an amusing read, and discovering school compositions bring back fond memories. I won some local writing contests as a child, and write often in my adulthood. Whether for my job (notes, policies, articles for parents) or as freelance jobs, writing is something I savor. It is a treat when I can sit down and write. However, I was waiting for the real thing, which for me meant seeing my name in a big publication--a “grown up” one. I am finally here.

Now the wait starts--it can take twelve to eighteen months for it to be published. I am not partying until the check is in the bank. However, I will keep my champagne glass ready, and a bottle of wine in the fridge. And I definitely will keep on writing!

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Kaila Weingarten, M.S., is an avid reader and writer and a big proponent of high quality, early childhood education. You can view her linkedin profile at: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kaila-weingarten/30/994/90b

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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!
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