As the second day of my first writer’s conference coasted toward a stop, my head was spinning. I’d spent 12 hours listening to editors and successful authors describing the art and science of professional writing. Looking back, I think I was searching for a formula. Surely these successful writers could tell me how to build a career, write well, overcome my fears, and construct stunning sentences, all in a few simple steps. But alas, as I searched through my full backpack – no magic beans. Unlike Jack’s trip to market, I returned to my room empty handed.
So I plugged in my laptop, and read through a few emails before finding some much needed rest. In my search for wisdom, I’d discovered an online writing community in the far away land of Cyberspace. Maybe they could direct me toward the secrets I thought I needed. Surely there was a goose out there somewhere what would lay nothing but golden writing contracts.
Maybe it was because I was tired, and my defenses were worn down. Not realizing my own inexperience, when I read of a fellow future wordsmith in search of advice, I waded in and retold some of the wisdom I’d gleaned just a few hours earlier. 
Senior editor Len Gross had challenged a room full of writers with these words: “As an acquisition editor, we are unjustly accused. People often say that editors are too inclined to say ‘NO’ when we consider a new book. That’s not right. As an editor, when I get your manuscript or proposal, I’m not inclined to say no. My first answer is ‘NO!’  As a writer, you have to give me a reason to say ‘Yes.’”
He spent the rest of his hour defining four of five ways writers can give editors, such as himself, reasons to say “Yes.” I passed along his wisdom, and then traded the glow of my laptop for a pillow. Tomorrow would be an equally busy day.
The next evening, as I dutifully read through the day’s email digest, I discovered a direct message in response to my comments. The editor of a small Canadian writer’s newsletter wanted to know if I could take the advice from editor Gross and turn it into a 600 word article. She wasn’t offering magic beans or a golden goose, just a small payment and my first byline.
That night I slayed my first giant, and as I write these words, I realize that maybe I found my fairy tale in a dorm room on the Wheaton College campus 10 years ago. There are no magic beans for writers, only words. There is no golden contract goose, only silent hours in front of my laptop, shouting down the drone of an inner critic. My beans are words, characters and metaphors and a well crafted story is my reward. Today I am freelancing full time. I learn and earn a little more each month than the last, and teach other wayfaring writers to follow their dreams and write their own tales.
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Timothy Burns has written professionally for 9 years.  Timothy’s work explores cultural and political social trends, and how they collide with Christ-centered values. His writing spans Christian living, apologetics, and the hidden benefits that surface through personal trials. He’s the founder of Word Weavers of West Michigan, a thriving Christian Writer’s Guild writing community that meets bimonthly across West Michigan. He specializes helping writers draft compelling book proposals, and teaching writers how build their platform with integrated social media tools and marketing campaigns.
Feel free to connect with Mr. Burns via email, web site, or drop in on a writer’s group meeting if you’re in the area.