Writing is Hard, Writing is Easy

Things I've learned the last few months, in TL;DR version:

• Writing is hard.
• Writing is easy.
• Writing conferences are expensive.
• Writing conferences are helpful.

Learning to (Re)Write

I've taken a long hiatus from this blog, in part because things have been so busy, but also in part because I was thinking long and hard about what I wanted to do with this space.

Just Do It ... or, Trust the Editors!

When I started this blog, I wanted it to be a combination of a writing blog for myself, as well as something new writers could read to see how one breaks into the craft. I've learned quite a bit since beginning the process, and today's entry I think is about one of the most important lessons I want to pass on to others.

When should you submit?

And how do you know where to send your work?

Setting Goals

I want 2013 to be a year of goal setting. I started January with a vague idea in mind of what I wanted to accomplish with my writing. Now I know that setting concrete checkpoints are important. They help drive you, provide you with a schedule, and let you see when you achieve success!

The Other Creativity

I freely admit writing is not my most instinctive creative outlet. I'm most formally trained in and naturally inclined to music. I started plunking notes on a piano before I began play school. My parents eventually realised they'd have to send me to lessons or I'd keep up my passionate, nonsensical compositions into adulthood. Lessons and I had a mixed, convoluted relationship, but the end result is that I play piano quite well, and music is an integral part of who I am.

The Importance of Networking

The Event Circuit

One of the most important things you can do as a fledgling genre writer is attend events. These can be conferences, conventions, festivals, whatever floats your boat. The important thing is that you meet others in your trade, particularly the professionals to whom you will be marketing your wares.

First Steps

I remember the very first story I wrote, or at least the initial one ingrained in my memory. We had a computer and I was probably 7 or 8 years old. It was about a TV show I loved as a kid. Probably a page long, at the maximum. I wish I had kept it, but I distinctly remember deleting it years ago out of embarrassment, thinking "man, I wrote something awful when I was young."