This could be painful. . .

Yikes!! I'm taking care of a feverish seven year old today and trying to fight off my own possible cold, but overall, things are good.

It's Friday, which always suggests unknown and exciting possibilities. I'm hoping my kid is feeling better by tomorrow; his best friend is having a birthday party and they've done nothing but talk about it all week.

Writing is a big part of my world these days, so forgive me if it gets mentioned every few days (or every few hours for my real life friends!!). It's even more so lately, because I am trying to meet a couple deadlines.

I've been seeking and getting really good advice from professional writers and artists and each agree that it's not enough to produce quality product. Professional writing is just like any other business, is a who you know game, less so than what you know.

That's fine; it's the same in my current career, so I'm trying to get myself into this game too. I know there are other aspiring writers out there, so I'll share a couple pearls of advice that have been offered up to me:

1) attend at least one writer's conference each year.

The value in this is not just an opportunity to improve your craft, but this is a major networking opportunity. Typically, authors, editors, agents and publisher's are congregating in one place. What better place to introduce your project and even receive feedback? I just registered for one in my region, hence my deadline.

2) join a writer's group.

it's a way of getting others to give you direct feedback on your current projects and assistance in working out plot or just picking up new ideas. I'm still searching for a writer's group in my local area, but I found a really good online writer's group. It's just been a full week, but I'm already benefiting.

3) write something daily.

Even if you feel yourself getting stuck on your current project, continue to write anyway. Whether it's a blog post, a haiku, a journal entry, SOMETHING! Ideas or inspiration can come from anywhere. Perhaps you just need to step away and gain a new perspective.

4) professional writing is a BUSINESS.

Get to know the business side of things and know it well. There is currently a big market out there for self-publishers. But as with anything, there are scammers out there too, so be certain to read the fine print. If you're seeking representation from an agent, be certain to read their ethical guidelines and learn the business standard in terms of fees and such. Some of them aren't right, either. If you decide to go the traditional route and seek publication from one of the major publishing houses, be certain to research their submission guidelines. Failure to follow even one of their steps could result in your work ending up in a mile high slush pile.

5) Seek out and enter contests

This one is kind of a companion to #1 and #3. If you seek to write daily, your work will continue to improve; by entering contests, you open your work up to possible feedback from your peers, which may also help to improve your writing. And if you start winning contest, then you gain the benefit of name recognition, which may push you even closer to your goal for publication.

Ok, had to get that out. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming. . .