Friday, April 16, 2010

N is for Networking

One of the hardest things about writing for me is the glaze that falls over people's eyes when I start to talk shop.  Somewhere between talking about story blocking and mentioning conferences, they seem to always need to be somewhere else...like, now.  Ah, the solitary life of a writer, right?  Not necessarily.

I've come a cross some wonderful networking sites for writers over the past few years. Some of which I'll share with you. Ning is a site that allows you to create your own social network. I'm part of a group of called Scribblerati; a collection of writers that share their work and post informative articles. Another relatively new site is called Writeropia they have progress charts, market listings, lots of great stuff. Its still under construction, but what I see so far is great.

I know a lot of you participated in National Novel Writing Month or Nanowrimo's Script Frenzy. I've made some great connections signing up to buddy with another writer for encouragement.   Or better yet, join a national writers association like RWA, Writers Guild of America, or American Christian Fiction Writers.  They have forums where you can connect with writers by genre, ask questions of "experts", or just chat.  WGA has a great article on how stupid serial killers actually are in their Murder 101 article. It was fascinating. And of course, I can't forget all of the great poets we have on the challenge.  Writers-Network is a huge site for poetry. They have reviews, spotlights, even a forum.

The way to network that is the most fun though, is the writer's conference. There are so many to choose from. Whether you write paranormal fantasy, Christian romance, or you're a travel writer...there is a conference for you.  Two places to look for a conference worth your time and money are, Terry Whalin's Blog and Shaw Guides.  The reviews are honest and informative and will help you find the right conference to meet your needs. 

I hope you all have fun perusing the links and making connections. Its always nice to find a group of people that share your passion and insanity as an author.
Until next time...Go Write! 

Photograph by scragz, Uploaded on January 25, 2006. Photograph by Grzegorz Lobinski, Uploaded on May 9, 2009.