Never Stop Learning

A good writer never stops learning. Whether it be from your own mistakes or by taking part in workshops and attending conferences. It’s not only your craft you need to hone but also your marketing skills. Technology provides us with so many opportunities these days and we need to learn how to make them work for us.

A group of Perth writers recently got together – thanks to the fabulous organisational skills of Claire Boston – for a marketing workshop run by Glennys Marsdon. Now I’ve attended a few of these in my professional past and was convinced I couldn’t possibly learn anything new. Well, I am very pleased to tell you…I was wrong! The day flew by and my head was filled with new information, new understanding and a better grasp of social media and internet marketing. Not only was Glennys an excellent presenter and speaker, but the interaction and input from the writers around the table was gold.

We had a mix of new and established writers, all happy to share advice, experience and encouragement. We had such a marvellous time that the delegates from the course in the next room wanted to abandon ship and board ours! Can’t say I blame them really 😉 We did a lot of talking, giggling and laughing out loud. Aroma did a roaring trade in coffee and I’m fairly sure the WA State Library is still recovering from the onslaught of sixteen authors wandering through the shelves of books with stars in their eyes. There may even be a hint of a story involving The Librarian with the Dragon Tattoo in the making…so a huge thanks to Claire, Glennys and RWA Member Grants for making this workshop possible.

One of the best decisions I made for my own writing was to work as a freelance editor for the last four years. I have learned so much about structure, rhythm and story-building from editing. The more I edit, the more ‘unconsciously competent’ I become with my own work. I can recognise and correct mistakes before I make them or, at the very least, pick them up before it’s too late. Now that’s not to say I’m an expert because I have a lot more to learn yet and I always will have. I’ve barely scraped the surface on my learning and writing journey.

Here are a few more ways I keep up with changes and learning opportunities in the writing world:

• Romance Writers of Australia Membership
• Face to Face Critique Groups
• Email Critique Partners
• Beta Readers
• Workshops
• E-Learning
• Conferences
• Contests
• Coffee dates with other writers

And most importantly:

• Write, write, write!

Regards, Juanita 

Links in this Blog:

• Glennys Marsdon
• Claire Boston
• RWA Member Grants
• WA State Library