Fake It 'Til You Make It - You Become What You Do
Jackie Hosking
What an exhilarating exercise it has been; having to come up with interesting
things to write about each month. I don't mind admitting that I have found myself somewhat panicked, at times, as I opened the cupboard to find it bare. During one of these
Mother Hubbard moments I rejoined an Australian based Yahoo!
writers' list in the hope that the members might be able to
answer some simple networking questions and thus provide me
with another article.
Here's the question I asked:
I'm new on list and I was wondering if I could ask you
all a question. I write a monthly column about
networking for writers. Would any of you be willing to
share your networking stories? Things like groups that
you belong to, courses that you might have done,
newsletters that you subscribe to, interesting websites
etc. I'm mostly interested in Australian content but if
you have found something useful overseas please do
include it.
Here's the funny bit,
only one person replied and I knew him both on line and in
person, at least we'd met a few times at 'writerly'
get-togethers. But it was his response that gave me my topic
for this month's chat.
With his permission, I have summarised what he had to say:
Networking is not
a Dirty Word. As a writer, I've found there are two
broad applications for networking. One relates to the
pragmatic, the nuts and bolts business of learning to
write, of competitions, critiques and markets. The other
aspect is rarely discussed but, in my humble opinion,
far more important. I'm talking about 'Big N'
networking, and I'm talking to 'Big W' writers.
Many years ago I found myself involved in a Network
Marketing scheme. One of the keys to their system was to
encourage you to 'walk the walk.' If you see yourself as
a successful writer and then behave as one, you
subconsciously open yourself to opportunities and
influences that you may otherwise miss. As with
everything else in life, a positive attitude will take
you a lot further than a negative one. Create a little
fantasy and run with it. Design a book jacket and see
how your name will look on the spine. Hang out with
other writers and discuss 'the business.' Try to find
people who will challenge you.
The very process of having work rejected is a very
important part of networking. You are making yourself
known, and learning what is not acceptable. It's never a
waste of your time, unless you chose not to learn
anything from the process.
Finally, you might think that there's nothing to be
gained from, say, attending a workshop on
characterisation if you write non-fiction. Yet it is at
events such as this that you will frequently meet people
who can really help you, and more importantly, every 'writerly'
activity you attend is a not-so-subtle reminder to your
subconscious that you choose to be a writer.
David Reid is the secretary, along with his wife, for
Geelong Writers Inc. You can visit Geelong Writers Inc
at
www.vicnet.net.au/~gwriters
After reading David's
response I was immediately reminded of something I'd read
years before - before I'd ever dared to admit I was writer.
It was a chapter from a book by Richard Carlson Ph.D.,
titled - DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF… and it's all small
stuff. Chapter 70 is headed, Remember that You Become What
You Practice Most. And that is the crux of this article. You
can't BE a writer until you DO a writer and you must
practice every day.
Phew! That's a huge weight off my chest now I can get on
with passing on some goodies that I discovered this past
month. I mentioned earlier that I joined an Aussie Yahoo!
list (here's the link if you are interested:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Australian_Writers_Online/
) where I met a person whose generosity astounded me. He is
an author and a programmer who enjoys writing and sharing
his programmes for free - absolutely free! I am not a
programmer, I am not even an author (no books yet) but I do
know a good manuscript tracker when I see one.
Part of "DOING" for a writer is submitting your work to
be published.
The more you submit, the
harder it is to keep track of what's where. A good
manuscript tracker will make this task a breeze so when I
found one being offered for free, I was pretty excited. He
has lots of other programmes for writers as well, all free -
here's his link:
http://www.spacejock.com
Well, that's about it for this month. Your homework - find a
writing workshop/event in your area and go to it - go on -
DO it!
Until next time, happy doing.
Your writing buddy,
Jackie
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