writer groups

Quick Link: Ten Ways to Enjoy Networking With Other Writers (However Shy You Are)

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Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Social groups are something that I have to work at, and to see me you might not know how hard I struggle meeting people for the first time. If you are like me,  Ali over at Aliventures feels our pain and gives us her insight on how to manage meeting other writers while being an introvert. My go to is #6 in her tips. I always try and prepare questions to ask people, because if they are talking about themselves, I don’t have to talk. ; ) What are your tips?

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Female teenager covering her mouthTen Ways to Enjoy Networking With Other Writers (However Shy You Are)

Monday, February 29, 2016

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I don’t think I’ve ever come across a writer who was a full-on extrovert. Most of us tend towards the introvert end of the spectrum. And many of us struggle with networking.

Let’s face it, anyone who wants to spend lots of time alone with their thoughts, and who prefers to communicate those thoughts by words on a page (or screen), is going to find social interaction at least occasionally challenging.

I’m certainly no exception. While I’m not painfully shy, I’m not a naturally outgoing person. I feel awkward about meeting new people and striking up conversations.

I get on OK with more structured situations, like speaking in front of an audience, but I find more casual one-on-one chit chat with strangers a bit of a challenge.

When I do get out and about to meet other writers, I find it enjoyable, but also tiring: I need time alone to recover.

And yet – I want to get to know lots of fellow writers! It’s great fun, and really encouraging, to chat to other people who love what I love. It’s also useful to know people to pass clients on to, people who might beta-read for me, and so on.

A quick note on “networking”: I know the word “networking” can seem cold, like you’re playing some sort of numbers game. (I think for us Brits, it can also feel a bit American.) To me, networking just means getting to know people who you can help, and people who might want to help you in return. It’s not about amassing a collection of business cards, or “working the room”.

#1: Understand You’re Normal

Read the full post on Aliventures

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Are Your Family and Friends Sabotaging your Writing Dreams?

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This post, by Anne R. Allen, originally appeared on her blog on 11/17/13.

Writers participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) may discover that friends and family aren’t entirely enthused by your decision to disappear into your computer for a month. (I have a secret suspicion that Chris Baty invented NaNo in order to escape those painful family Thanksgiving dinners.)

But at any time of year, some people in your life will find it difficult to relate to your passion to write. A few will even sabotage your progress, often subconsciously, but sometimes with the deliberate intent of steering you onto another path “for your own good.”

Kristen Lamb wrote on her blog this week about a minister of her church who told her she “had a better chance of being hit with lightning than becoming a published author.” And that she “needed to be an adult and pursue a ‘real’ career.”

Squelch.

What’s a new writer to do?

One thing that can help a lot is networking with other writers. That’s where blogging and social media can be helpful. Kristen’s “WANA tribe” (We Are Not Alone) is a community where writers can find mutual support. Another is Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writers Group, which he wrote about on this blog a couple of months ago.

Online or in-person, writers’ groups can be a godsend. I’m lucky enough to live in a town with a fantastic writing community called the SLO Nightwriters. It has members at all writing levels, from fledgling first-timers to New York Times bestsellers. National organizations with local chapters like RWA, SCBWI, and Sisters in Crime can also provide welcome support.

A good writing group will also save you from the mistake so many new writers make: asking friends or family members to read a work in progress.

 

Click here to read the rest of the post on Anne R. Allen’s blog.