by Michy Lynn

Created on: February 05, 2009

Writing is a solitary job. While you may have to deal with editors, publishers, publications and the like, most of this communication is short, electronic (email, etc.), or brief phone calls and then you spend hours doing research, writing and editing, mostly alone.

Since many writers work from their home either full time or part time, or else are on the road to do reporting, there's not a lot of connection with other professionals in their field like many other careers do. Because of this, it's time consuming and difficult to stay abreast of developments in writing, the changing landscape of the literary and freelancing world, or just to be able to discuss issues pertinent to writers.

That's where networking comes into the picture for writers. Networking for a writer is essential to both sanity and career. In any field, you want to stay abreast of the competition's moves. You also want to stay in touch with other people who understand what the freelance writing life is like, share, compare and vent.

There are several ways to do this.

The first way is to read articles written by other writers about writing. There are some publications geared specifically for writers about writing, and these publications will give you hints and tips, hot topics in the industry, current issues pertaining to writing and writers, and also information about where to go for more information and collaboration.

The second way is to join a writing group, particularly a local one where you can meet once a week or once a month with other writers in your local area. These are often held at big chain bookstores, the local library, or perhaps a local coffee shop. Check with any big chain bookstores or call your library to see if they know of any groups like this. Not one in your area? Why not start one?

If in person meetings are not your cup of tea, consider online groups or writers' forums. These groups use various methods for networking and collaborating with other writers from all over the world. Some are email based groups, while some are online/web-based groups, while others offer both options. Google groups and Yahoo! groups have search features to let you narrow down the type of group or main topics of interest, such as freelancing, fiction writing, novel writing, etc.

Online writing forums are another way to go for networking and connecting with other writers. Forums offer a great way to connect, and the advantage to a forum over email groups is that forums can have many different forum topics in their own threads, consolidated on one webpage, for easy and quick access to many different topics.

Most of these groups and forums are free online, though some do charge a fee. Those that are free are often supported by advertising. Some of the in-person meetings or groups may be associations or require membership that also charges a fee. It's up to you to determine if the group provides enough value to pay a fee, or if searching for a free group or writing forum is more to your needs.

Writing doesn't have to be a solitary undertaking if you can find the right writing group or writing forum for your needs. If you're looking to network and connect with other writers or are trying to break into writing as a career, these writing groups and writing forums can make a huge difference in your success and how quickly you achieve writing success.

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