Search engines are like shotguns, you can cover a lot of territory with them but the results can be indiscriminate. Bah-dum! Thank you, thank you, we’ll be here all week. Be sure to try the buffet.
My quest for online writers' communities confirmed that just because you build a resource site for writers does not mean anyone will be able to find it. Bottom line: I need better search terms or writers' site owners need some lessons in SEO.
A few of the search terms I used (with and without apostrophes in various locations): writer's networks, writing networks, writers social networks, writers online groups, fiction, freelance writers and freelance writing. It would be an understatement to say that finding the right search terms is challenging. Wading valiantly through a plethora of sites pitching writing seminars, online degrees, and vanity publication (yawn!) I found my way to some gems that made the journey worthwhile.
I will admit that I have a bias toward sites that appeal to my personal and professional interests. So take a look at some of the sites I recommend and then pull on your waders and go searching for yourself. It may take some time, but don’t give up. Even a couple of great sites can inspire and invigorate you. They might even provide pointers to put money in your pocket. Stay tuned.
Find them and bookmark them. Just Think Differently.
Showing posts with label writing business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing business. Show all posts
Monday, February 22, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Are You a Cyber-Savvy Writer?
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.
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.
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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