Writing For HSM – Stepping Off the Ledge
“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take that first step.” Martin Luther King
I have been writing all of my life.
It began in second grade. I wrote a silly poem, but my teacher liked it so much she had it published in the school’s little newsletter. Obviously in an adult world this is no big deal, but to a child, it’s a special achievement. So, in a sense, the very first thing I ever wrote was published. I was a very busy child growing up, yet still wrote all of the time as well — mostly poetry, as I love the English language, and finding words that rhymed and still made sense held a special allure for me.
As an adult I’ve published a short story, a children’s book and a book of spiritual poetry in the past fifteen years. None of them sold much or gave me any income to speak of, but it isn’t about the results; it is the process that is important and fun. I write because I love it. Always have. And, at almost sixty years of age, I don’t think this will ever stop.
When Norse approached me about writing an article about my club in Home — the Grey Gamers — I was delighted. I talked to some of my members and put together the article in about two weeks. It was fun and something I never thought Home would do for me: namely, give me an outlet to write. I had only seen Home up to that time as a place meet new people, to talk to my friends, organize fun events and play an occasional game together. Writing that article opened up a whole new world to me, both in Home and in real life.
Grey Gamers having some fun.
When the article was published in January of this year, it was a great accomplishment for me. I hadn’t published anything in over two years, and it was very gratifying to know that someone liked my words. Norse asked me to come on staff for the magazine; at first I wasn’t too sure I could do this at all, because I knew that Norse had a very high standard of both production and quality, and to be able to come up with even two articles a month about Home was daunting to say the least. I didn’t know what I would write about, or if I would be able to write like this, as this type of journalism was completely new to me.
But I decided to give it a try. I closed my eyes and jumped off of the literary ledge with both feet and I have never looked back. It was tough at first, I admit that; I had to come up with new ideas and turn them into stories and articles, something totally foreign to me. Then I started thinking about Home and what I saw there that either needed improvements or what I loved about it as it is, and the ideas just started to flow into my mind like a break in the Hoover Dam. Now, when I look back in retrospect, I’m amazed that Home has provided me so much wonderful inspiration that I have been able to produce almost forty articles in eleven months. This is something I never thought I could ever accomplish, and I owe it all to the faith that Norse and Terra have placed in me.
Faith is a funny thing; it can accomplish things that you never thought possible. This is what I wanted to accomplish with this article: if you love to write and also love Home in all of its myriad forms, come and give this magazine a try. Have a little faith in yourself and your abilities to write. As a contributor you are not held to the responsibility of producing two articles a month like those of us on staff are.
There are a lot of you reading this right now that have thought about this and wondered if you are good enough to join the rest of us in this endeavor; you are. All you have to do is believe it as well.
What would have happened if I had said no when asked to write for HSM? I can’t imagine not doing it at this point, and I believe that my life would have been that much poorer if I hadn’t taken that risk and stepped off that ledge. As the saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Yes, it is true that your attempts may not get published at first; you may be a diamond in the rough that needs a bit of polish before you can produce what is necessary. I know that I was. My first articles needed a lot more polish than the ones I now produce, but working on this magazine is a wonderfully enriching learning experience for all of the writers involved.
All that is required here is that you love Home, have a positive attitude, that you use constructive criticism when it is necessary, 
and that you believe in and are passionate about what you write about. There are articles here about not only games and the social aspects of Home but also some that have been written just for fun, like our April Fools and Halloween articles and Olivia and Kassadee’s funny tongue-in-cheek pieces and satire. Anything goes here as long as you are respectful and willing to be edited.
We have a mentoring program here as well — something I don’t believe any other Home publication has offered to their readers and authors. I’ve helped a few of my friends become writers here, either through encouraging them to try or by mentoring them when they needed it, and it worked. They got published and are now enjoying being a part of this incredible experiment we call HomeStation Magazine.
Norse recently wrote an article detailing how far we have come as a publication in only a year. We all work very hard to keep up the standards we have established here. That doesn’t mean we don’t have room for improvement, and I hope that you will decide to help us do just that by adding your unique voice to our pages.
If you are interested in becoming a part of this remarkable ride we are on, feel free to contact the magazine, or just throw caution to the wind and submit something. There is a submission tab on the front page to use for just that. The editorial staff doesn’t bite, I promise — though they may crack a whip once in a while (private joke).
Give us a try. This magazine is by the people and for the people of Home, and we look forward to your participation.
December 19th, 2011 by Burbie52 | 5 comments
Burbie52 is a 62 year-old published author and founder of the Grey Gamers group within Home. Born and raised in Michigan, she has lived there her entire life, with the exception of a twelve-year residency on the Big Island of Hawaii. She enjoys reading and writing, as well as video games, especially RPG's. She has one son in his twenties.
Well, William… are you listening?
The paradox of HomeStation’s editorial standards is that they scare off as many prospective writers as they attract. In this internet age of blogging we live in, a growing number of writers have never been professionally edited — or edited at all, for that matter — so they don’t understand the process.
At HSM, the editor’s job is to make the writer look as good as possible. Editing is handled privately, and this is a team that supports each other. Yes, there are standards which you won’t find in other media outlets (such as minimum word counts, to name one basic example), and this can be daunting at first glance.
So was learning to drive a car. But, in time, it became second nature, didn’t it?
HomeStation is a platform for mature and literate discussion of Home, Sony gaming, and the industry in general. It presently averages between 5,000 to 6,000 unique visitors per month. But it is only as vibrant as the artists and writers who bring it to life. This project exists to serve the community, and it is a remarkable group that does just that. Terra and I are both tickled pink to open up the article queue behind the scenes every day and read the latest thoughts from our team writers and guest contributors.
If you think about it, the number of community journalists covering Home is actually a fairly small fraternity — particularly for a virtual society which has, at the minimum, hundreds of thousands of regular participants. It’s certainly an opportunity to be heard.
But you have to come see for yourself.
Indeed, the initial steps of having an idea, putting it to paper (or, in our modern age, MS Word) and actually submitting it can be quite daunting. And while HSM’s standards may be higher than other publications, they also make for a better read – and, ultimately, make you a better writer.
To any aspiring writer: Don’t be afraid to write and submit. The staff at HSM will not only help workshop your article, but also allow you to see what the process of submission looks like (sort of…HSM is far, far kinder than any other place which I’ve been published, heh heh). Just do it…the editors don’t bite (all that hard) and it’s great to see your name in lights, so to speak. And, more importantly, you may submit something which will make a reader laugh, think, or go ‘hmmmmm’. And that’s what it’s all about.
Very nice article, Burbie. Since I was in high school I’ve wanted to write, but being dyslexic I always had doubts about my writing abilities. I have never been published nor have ever attempted to be, until I decided to jump of the cliff too and enter the HSM writing contest. I am delighted that I did, even though I still struggle internally with confidence issues. Norse and Terra are excellent editors and are constantly supportive of your efforts as a contributor to the magazine.
I also extend a hand out to writers and would be writers to voice your unique perspective of Home at HSM.