How you interact with others will have a HUGE impact on your careers
- Join your first writing group ASAP and join as many as you can
- Find other authors who might help you
- Go to Writers conferences – You can meet people who can help you. They might tell you where a conference is and you may meet someone there (agent publisher)
- Remember, you will get a lot of useless information
- But also remember, you will get some great information as well.
Note: The above are Jon Gibb’s main speaking points, with my rambling opinions attached.
Jon Gibbs is the author of one of my son’s favorite books: FUR-FACE, which was nominated for a Crystal Kite Award.
Jon is an Englishman transplanted to New Jersey, USA, where he is an ‘author in residence’ at Lakehurst Elementary School. Jon is the founding member of The New Jersey Author’s Network and FindAWritingGroup.com.
Jon blogs at jongibbs.livejournal.com
Website: www.acatofninetales.com
Jennifer M Eaton 
Great advice! I went to my first conference this year and I think it was the single best thing I’ve done in terms of taking me up the learning curve of what the business is like these days. Plus, I met lots of great people who I still talk to over email. 🙂 Joining two local writing groups has been wonderful too.
eeee! I’d better start doing some of these! But I barely have time to sleep!
Worry about your grades first.
Gee — Do I sound like a Mom or what?
Writing groups? Oh no! Yet another activity to shoehorn into the day/week. Help me, I’m drowning! 😉
Yeah, but at least this is “chum time” and will help keep you focused.
I don’t know what I’d do without my writer’s group. Not only do I get propped up when I need it, sometimes I hear the awful truth.
I have a writers group for socializing, and a critique group to slap me around. Both very important groups to keep around.
Yes, yes and yes again!
My writer’s group has been wonderful and I highly recommend them. I also love writer’s conferences. You meet so many other writers, new and established. Conferences are always a lot of fun, as well as great learning experiences.
I have not been too one yet but it sounds like fun
I love my writers’ group. A committee I belong to, Wine Writers and Words is putting on our second workshop in a couple of weeks–these are the kinds of things that make writers inspired
Oh dear, I’m not in any writing groups and I don’t go to writers’ conferences! My only writing interactions are online at the moment. I’d love to go to a good writers’ conference, I’m sure they must have them in London…
They probably do. It’s not the kind of thing widely advertised but they are probably there