You Gotta Have Friends
Jenna Petersen
Writing is something we all must do alone (well, unless
you write with a partner, but for the purposes of this article let’s forget
about that for the moment). We sit
down at the computer, stare at the blank page and pray for the words come…
alone. We market our finished work
with query letters and partials and full manuscripts and wait… alone.
Even when we’re published and working with a team of professionals,
much of what we do is done alone.
However
at the Emerald City Writers Conference I was reminded of something very
important: the power of sincere
networking. It was something I knew
about in theory, I’d read about it in articles in the RWR and other writing
resources, but until I entered the Bellevue Hilton at 4:30 pm on Friday, October
12, I hadn’t really realized what that meant. And now I do and I’d like to share it with you.
Since I joined RWA I’ve been an active member of the
RWA national links. I’ve also
continued to grow The Passionate Pen until it’s become something of a resource
to the romance crowd (to my amazement, I assure you).
Finally, when I became president, I founded the washprez Yahoo! Group so
that my fellow Washington State Presidents could keep in touch and share
information. All of these things I’ve
done with only the hope that I could help people out and share information.
What
I’ve received in return is not only incredible, but more worthwhile than I
ever could of imagined. When I
walked into the Emerald City Romance Writers Conference on Friday, I walked into
a circle of friends as well as colleagues.
I entered a room full of people who hugged me, said they were so happy to
finally meet me, and shared food and good conversation with me.
It
didn’t occur to me until Saturday night that this is the power of true
networking. When I heard the word
“network” in the past somehow I saw it as a little less than sincere.
You know, people sharing coffee while they tried to drain the information
from their companion like vampires and then moved on.
But what it really means is making friendships, talking to people with
true common goals and trying your hardest to help them out.
I saw the first kind of “networking” this weekend, but I also saw the
second. I experienced the second
and came out with the greatest of appreciation for what we as writers and
friends can do for one another.
I’m
not saying you have to put your entire heart, soul and resource list on the line
every time someone asks for it. But
if you have the time and the inclination to help a fellow writer, I think you’ll
find you get back that kindness tenfold. Even if you’re shy, that one comment you make on a link
could make you a friend and a cheering section for life.
I had a terrific time this weekend. I met with authors I admire (and only drooled a little) and listened to workshops where I was taking notes as fast as my fingers could write in the little yellow notebook I was provided. But what stands out in my mind the most and will stay with me the longest is that romance writers, published and unpublished, are the greatest group of women to be friends with. And all you have to do to experience what I experienced this weekend is to put yourself out there and offer what it is you wish to find.