The first time I drafted this post I had no problem writing it. I’ve been a member of two writer organizations and almost joined a third (narrow escape there); I served as treasurer for an RWA Chapter, worked on three conference committees, ran several dozen workshops and conferences, and raised over ten thousand dollars in donations and goods for my organizations. I’ve also used my influence to help fellow members in various ways, from recommending their work to editors and agents to teaching workshops and participating in critique groups.
When I decide to join something, I don’t simply show up or do the bare minimum. I get involved.
I waited a long time for the opportunity to work in this industry, and to meet other writers like me. When I was told that joining writer organizations was imperative for a successful career, I believed it, and I joined up. I went to the luncheons and the workshops and the conferences. I met other writers. I got involved, and I did my part. I was enthusiastic, generous, supportive, and outspoken. Remember that last word, that’s what really did me in.
For my efforts, which I felt were considerable, I spent thousands of dollars, sat through a lot of useless workshops, ate dozens of lousy meals, was treated with contempt and indifference, bought a lot of signed books and writer junk, made innumerable enemies, sold zero books, received no career benefits whatsoever, and ended up almost quitting the business.
Here’s how I feel about those writer organizations now: If you gave me a choice between walking into one of their conferences, or a room full of a thousand angry rattlesnakes, I’d really have to think about it for a minute.
When you’ve wasted money and been treated badly by writer organizations, it’s easy to bash them and the people responsible for them. Most days, I take great pleasure in it. But after I wrote my first draft of this post, I realized that I do belong to a writer organization, one that has no name and most people don’t know about, and — seeing that I was a very active, involved member of it — I should really talk about that instead of the usual horror stories.
If you choose, as I did five years ago, not to belong to any traditional writers’ organization, you face some challenges. If you want to win writer organization awards, you’ll have to pay extra money to enter the competitions that are open to non-members, or do without. I’ve been watching these awards for the last ten years and the majority are awarded to members, not non-members, so that may also be a consideration. Same thing with socializing with other writers – it costs extra for non-members to go to writer organization conferences, so you’ll have to pay up or not go. If you want to join a critique group of writers in your genre, you’re going to have to hunt for them yourself. Finally, if you want to network and make connections, you’ll have to be a little more creative about that, too.
Or maybe not. Maybe the answer to all your problems is sitting right in front of you.
Every writer, no matter who they are, what they write, where they live, how much money they have or what career-stage they’re in, has access to the greatest dues-free writer organization of all time: the internet.
If you want to meet other writers, attend a workshop, join a critique group, make connections and find information on practically anything, there is no better, bigger or more cost-efficient organization than the one right in front of your nose. All it requires is your participation, which you can do from the comfort of your own home, in your pajamas if you like. For nothing but the cost of your ISP (and if your local library has computer service available, you don’t even have to pay for that.)
The great thing about the internet as a vast writer organization is the enormous convenience. It’s there when you have time for it, and it waits around for you when you don’t. It provides you with countless search engines, how-to sites, blogs and chat rooms to help you find what writing- or publishing-related stuff you’re looking for. Professional author, editor and agent blogs keep you up-to-date about the biz, offer advice and instruction, and even just a place to hang out and talk shop without having to fork over dues, attendance fees, or slap on make-up and squeeze yourself into pantyhose (a benefit for which I give thanks every day.)
There are always online contests run by writers, agents, editors and other Publishing professionals that provide constant opportunities to get your work in front of someone – something you also don’t have to travel or pay for. Now, entering a contest run by an agent online isn’t the same as meeting said agent at a writer’s conference, but I think it’s better. In person, you’re selling yourself first and the work second, and if for some reason you blow the first impression, naturally it’s going to reduce your chances. Online, you’re selling only your work because the agent can’t see you. He doesn’t know you’re in a wheelchair, or you’re funny-looking, or you have a rash or allergies, or you’re having a really bad hair day. All he sees is the work, which in my opinion is the only thing he should see.
For those of us who are older, handicapped, socially inept, clumsy, or simply not particularly outgoing or personable, joining any writer organization is an ordeal. The great thing about the internet is that we only have to interact where and when we feel comfortable doing so. We can talk on blogs and discussion boards by posting messages which we have time to edit and read over (try doing that in person.) We can interact privately, through e-mail, private list-servs or instant messaging, which is an additional safeguard. We do have to be more careful in some instances when we’re having public discussions for obvious reasons, but it’s a lot easier to think about what you’re saying before you hit the “Publish this comment” button versus trying to make up for a verbal slip in person.
The internet gives us access to writers all over the planet, something no single writer organization or conference can do. At any time I can chat with friends in other countries, even the ones on the other side of the planet in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. I’ve learned so much from these writers and they’ve helped broaden my view of publishing from a national to an international perspective. I’ve met wonderful non-American writers online who have been my friends for years and have contributed so much to my writing life. Without the internet, I would never have met 99.9% of them, because very few can afford to travel to the U.S. to attend writer organization conferences.
I don’t have to limit my friendships, either; online I am friends with writers in every genre and at every stage of their careers. All of the friendships that I made during my writer organization membership days have mostly evaporated since I quit, I think because the friendship was only extended because I was part of the group. Here on the internet everyone is welcome to be part of the group (even the not yet published rabble so many writer organizations are determined to keep out of their ranks.) To join the writer organization of the internet, you don’t have to be published. You don’t have to be important. You don’t even have to be pretty. You just have to show up and join in.
There are two last benefits to choosing to belong to the writer organization of the internet: 1) no one runs it, and 2) you decide what, where and when you want to participate.
Every writer organization I’ve belonged to has a long-established pecking order, and people who are more concerned with politics, cronyism, campaigning for awards, being in charge and wielding power than in actually taking care of the membership. No one is in charge of the internet; no one makes any rules it has to follow, and no one has any control over it. No one can tell you what to do or how to think. The internet is the only writer organization where you are in charge 24/7.
If you don’t want to sit and listen a bunch of SF writers bicker about a television station changing its name (yeah, they do stuff like that) you can walk out of a conference, but you have to kiss goodbye the thousand dollars you paid to attend it. On the internet, you just close the page and go somewhere else where writers are having a discussion about plotting or characterization or something else that actually matters to you.
As to how effective the internet is as a writer organization, that’s really up to you and how much you’re willing to do with it. Everyone predicted that my low mid-list career would take a swan dive when I quit all of the writer organizations I belonged to back in the day. Since quitting and focusing on what I could do with the internet on my own, my sales have defied those predictions and have been steadily climbing every year for the last five years. I used the time I’d been wasting on writer organization conferences, luncheons and workshops to instead write books, study how to improve my work, and make friends with like-minded writers.
Everything that writer organizations never did for me, I found on the internet. And if you’re looking for a place where you do belong, I believe this is where you’ll definitely find it.
Graphic credit: © Yellowj | Dreamstime.com
