Finding Your “People” Online

As promised in my previous post, I’m rolling out a brief (and profoundly incomplete) survey of online writer’s networks, social networks and resources. Browse the list, check out the sites, then run your own searches and see if you can do better.

No matter how far down the long tail your interests lie, you'll probably find a network (hopefully, more than one) that seems like a gathering of long lost friends. And after you and your friends bond, come back here and tell us about the group so the rest of us can join the party.

Fiction & Poetry Resources
Writers-Network is a free creative writing community for writers and poets. You can post poems and short-stories, read the work of other writers. “We welcome writers and poets of all levels, from all backgrounds.”

Fiction Factor is a portal covering a wide variety of genres (with spinoff sites dedicated to Romance, Horror, Sci-Fi, and other popular categories). Billed as an ezine, articles address topics from the nuts and bolts of writing fiction to publication & marketing strategies. They have an active writer’s forum with thousands of members.

Freelance Writer's Resource
Freelance Writing Jobs is a fabulous resource and community for current and aspiring freelancers. The awards say it best: Top 10 Blogs for Writers: Top 5 finisher for all four years, SOB: Successful and Outstanding Bloggers Award, Preditors & Editors Truly Useful Site Awards, Writers Digest 101 Best Sites for Writers, 2006, 2007, 2008. ‘Nuff said. Go there!

Screenwriting Resources
The Scriptwriters Network (founded 1986) is a non-profit run by a community of writers and industry professionals. Their worthy mission: “The Network serves its members by enhancing their awareness of the realities of the business, providing access and opportunity through alliances with industry professionals, and furthering the cause and quality of writing in the entertainment industry.”

InkTip is a portal that links entertainment industry buyers with writers. They claim an average of 1 script produced (not optioned) per month. This is the real deal and it gives writers who don’t live in L.A. the chance to get their work in front of producers and directors. It’s worth a look.

Other Resources
The Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network (SPAWN) is a resource site for publishers, artists and writers.

WritersNet is a community-driven reference site for writers. Very much a work-in-progress, it has some useful directories of writers, publishers, literary agents, and editors.

Duotrope’s Digest is a writer’s resource site, featuring a free membership and online submissions tracking service, updated weekly with new information from publishers seeking a broad spectrum of fiction pieces.

Preditors & Editors is a site devoted to listings of links to a wide range of sites covering fiction writing. They also provide “buyer beware” warnings about agents, publishers and others out to separate desperate writers from their hard-earned money. The site is truly and ugly baby (it harkens back to the bad HTML smash-ups of the early ‘90s), but the service they provide to the writing community is invaluable.

Enhance Your Social Skills
Social Networking is an enormous phenomenon online. Think LinkedIn, Facebook, and Ning. Ning is the brainchild of the co-inventor of the first web browser, Marc Andreessen. Quoting their site promo: “Ning is the social platform for the world’s interests and passions online.” Browse Ning and you’ll find fan-generated communities covering sports, politics, hobbies, and the arts. And among all these wonderful groups, you'll find writers gathering as well.

First, check out Writer’s Café, a community for writers who want to share their work with readers and writers. It must be working pretty well because there are over 50,000 members according to the site administrator. Then go to Ning’s top site, click on “Discover Ning Networks You’ll Love” and start browsing for more writers groups or even a knitting community if you feel a need to purl. Better yet, pick the writing topic you’re passionate about and start your own network.

Make contact. Just Think Differently.