Writers are by nature people who live inside their own heads. It's a very comfortable place to hang out. You can imagine all things are possible and you don't have to talk to anyone. I have the writer's studio in my head nicely furnished with everything I could want, including a cozy fireplace and a bottomless cup of java.
However, if you are serious about your writing business you're going to have come out of that room sometime and TALK to somebody. Doing this face to face may seem daunting (I sure think it is), so I'm offering a way to ease into this whole networking thing without breaking a sweat. Oh yeah, now I've got your attention.
The title of this piece poses a question to which most of us would reply in the affirmative. After all, we e-mail our friends and business associates, Google for information, read blogs (perhaps even follow some), and Amazon is our favorite marketplace. That's great, but lurking does not a network make. Can you honestly say you post regularly?
I personally love the idea of online networking. I have a full-time job, a family, and I'm working to build a writing business. I don't have time to go hang out in a coffee shop and chit-chat. I need to be selective about how I use my valuable networking time. The other advantage of networking with people online is that I can not only laser-focus on topics of interest to me, but I gain access to resources (experts) all over the country and the world. That's the beauty of the web; the global village is rife with opportunity.
This is the challenge I have posed for myself: find five online writers networks or groups that cover topics of interest to me, join them and take an active part in the discussions. That's right; I have to join the dialogue.
And lucky you, you get to follow my progress through the course of this year. Win or lose, I'll share my experiences with you. I am hoping that the irresistible lure of your innate curiosity will lead you to check out some of the resources I locate, take advantage of them and prosper. Join me in exploring the online writer's community and let's see what riches we may find.
Just Think Differently.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Time to Take Action
I was skimming through a magazine recently and came across their "Weekly Horoscope" column. One listing in particular caught my eye. It doesn't matter exactly when I read it, for this isn't about astrology or seeking guidance from the stars. Nor does it matter which sign--Cancer, Leo, Virgo, or Pisces--because the advice given could just as easily apply to us all. Here's what the "oracle" said:
"You can study, be coached, and be encouraged, but at some point, you just have to take action. Release the need to get it right or do it perfectly the first time around. If you're not risking rejection or failure, you're not fully living."
There comes a time for every artist, regardless of medium, when they need to haul their creation out of the dusty workshop and into the light of day. Just get it out there. For a painter or sculptor, that might mean showing a few pieces at a local gallery. For a writer, it's time to submit!
Hear those howls? The submission process can be a scary thing for many writers. How do we know the story's ready, we ask ourselves, stomachs churning. The answer doesn't seem quite as straightforward for us as it might be for other artists. After all, one last tap and the sculpture is done. Not so, with a novel or memoir.
Words are different. Words are nebulous things. So fearing our words still aren't quite right, we continue to futz with our manuscripts--sometimes endlessly.
We delete a couple of words here, insert a clever little phrase over there. All the while, we're promising ourselves that as soon as we've finished this one tiny adjustment, we'll send the whole thing off to the publisher. Tomorrow, always tomorrow. Just one last little thing!
The only problem is we can never just insert that one clever little phrase and have done with it. One revision always leads to another when we're futzing, but none of them ever seem to bring us any closer to getting published.
Why? Because exchanging this word for that one, or changing this comma to a semicolon (and then back again), will make absolutely no difference to the publisher reading our work. Deep down inside, we all know that. Once in his hands, he'll either like our story or he won't. He'll offer to publish it or he won't. All the futzing in the world isn't going to get him to change his mind, but still we persist.
So, what's really holding us back from submitting our work? Why do we continually tie ourselves in knots trying to write the perfect story? Fear. Fear of rejection. Fear that not everyone in the world is going to love our work as much as we do. How unrealistic is that? Do you love every word that's ever been written in the course of human history? Of course not!
The truth is that you don't need every publisher in the world to love your work. You only need one. So what if the first publisher you try doesn't like your story, or the second, or even the third? It doesn't matter. You only need one! And that one could be out there waiting to hear from you right now.
So, stop futzing! It's time for action. Don't let your fears paralyze you; reach for your dream instead. Just Think Differently.
Karen Gilb
"You can study, be coached, and be encouraged, but at some point, you just have to take action. Release the need to get it right or do it perfectly the first time around. If you're not risking rejection or failure, you're not fully living."
There comes a time for every artist, regardless of medium, when they need to haul their creation out of the dusty workshop and into the light of day. Just get it out there. For a painter or sculptor, that might mean showing a few pieces at a local gallery. For a writer, it's time to submit!
Hear those howls? The submission process can be a scary thing for many writers. How do we know the story's ready, we ask ourselves, stomachs churning. The answer doesn't seem quite as straightforward for us as it might be for other artists. After all, one last tap and the sculpture is done. Not so, with a novel or memoir.
Words are different. Words are nebulous things. So fearing our words still aren't quite right, we continue to futz with our manuscripts--sometimes endlessly.
We delete a couple of words here, insert a clever little phrase over there. All the while, we're promising ourselves that as soon as we've finished this one tiny adjustment, we'll send the whole thing off to the publisher. Tomorrow, always tomorrow. Just one last little thing!
The only problem is we can never just insert that one clever little phrase and have done with it. One revision always leads to another when we're futzing, but none of them ever seem to bring us any closer to getting published.
Why? Because exchanging this word for that one, or changing this comma to a semicolon (and then back again), will make absolutely no difference to the publisher reading our work. Deep down inside, we all know that. Once in his hands, he'll either like our story or he won't. He'll offer to publish it or he won't. All the futzing in the world isn't going to get him to change his mind, but still we persist.
So, what's really holding us back from submitting our work? Why do we continually tie ourselves in knots trying to write the perfect story? Fear. Fear of rejection. Fear that not everyone in the world is going to love our work as much as we do. How unrealistic is that? Do you love every word that's ever been written in the course of human history? Of course not!
The truth is that you don't need every publisher in the world to love your work. You only need one. So what if the first publisher you try doesn't like your story, or the second, or even the third? It doesn't matter. You only need one! And that one could be out there waiting to hear from you right now.
So, stop futzing! It's time for action. Don't let your fears paralyze you; reach for your dream instead. Just Think Differently.
Karen Gilb
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Getting Down to Business: A Serious Writers' Series
This is the official kickoff of our series, which will focus on topics for writers who are serious about the writing business. We have chosen six themes that are central to the success of a business and we will tailor our research and articles to address its unique (or not so much) aspects.
Getting Down to Business Series Themes:
Getting Down to Business Series Themes:
- Business Basics (business & marketing plans, goals and performance measures)
- Marketing (Web presence, contests, submissions, PR)
- Networking (Online networks, writer & publishing organizations, conferences & events)
- Writing Categories (Fiction, non-fiction, freelance & copywriting, blogging)
- Tools of the Trade (hardware and software for writers, books & articles, project tools)
- Publishing (traditional publishing-agent/editor, self-publishing, e-publishing)
We intend to cover topics relevant to our themes, but not in linear order. After all, life doesn't happen that way. Rather, the story will unfold as episodes from each of the six story lines, providing readers with a variety of interesting perspectives to consider.
Karen will lead off with the first shocking article on a hidden truth she discovered in the local Pacific Northwest writing community. You won't want to miss it!
Just Think Differently.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
New Year's Pact
Despite the apparent vacuum of activity on this blog, I’ve been putting in “chair time” working on my projects and keeping my commitment to treat my writing like a business. A big step in that direction was a worthwhile hour or so with my colleague Karen Gilb, exploring our dissatisfaction with the lack of organization and drive we see in other writers and ourselves. Oh yeah, we are so guilty, but that’s going to change!
We made commitments to each other that we would 1) support each other in our efforts to professionalize our writing careers; 2) research and exchange information about how to market, sell and make money as writers in the 21st Century (traditional publishing isn’t the only way to do this!); and 3) we would chronicle our findings in this blog.
Even if you aren’t an aspiring wordsmith, much of what we learn should be useful to you if you have aspirations to improve your productivity, break through your self-imposed assumptions about how the world works, learn new things and rediscover the power of the beginner’s mind in overcoming life’s challenges. In addition to this theme of “getting’ down to business,” I will be posting other tools, thoughts and resources that are of general interest to contortionists who are giving themselves a good kick in the pants on the way to success and happiness.
Just Think Differently.
We made commitments to each other that we would 1) support each other in our efforts to professionalize our writing careers; 2) research and exchange information about how to market, sell and make money as writers in the 21st Century (traditional publishing isn’t the only way to do this!); and 3) we would chronicle our findings in this blog.
Even if you aren’t an aspiring wordsmith, much of what we learn should be useful to you if you have aspirations to improve your productivity, break through your self-imposed assumptions about how the world works, learn new things and rediscover the power of the beginner’s mind in overcoming life’s challenges. In addition to this theme of “getting’ down to business,” I will be posting other tools, thoughts and resources that are of general interest to contortionists who are giving themselves a good kick in the pants on the way to success and happiness.
Just Think Differently.
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