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