I am one day into the second intensive HARDCOPY weekend and this time, it is all about the industry. Agents, editors, publishers, contracts. This is the scary side of publishing that we all wish we can one day be a part of. We have to go through these gatekeepers and obstacles before the world can see our work. It is something that many creative minds struggle with. And yet, chatting so some of the speakers yesterday I was reminded of one simple fact; they are just, people.

With this in mind, I am looking forward to today’s seminars focused on (strangely enough) effective networking. We will learn the ins and outs, and the how tos of politely approaching agents and publishers. But it is not all about networking with the professionals. Over the past few months, we, the participants, have formed a network ourselves and for once writing is not a completely solo activity. We have talked about the process, read each others work and made suggestions on improvements. And isn’t this a valid form of networking in itself?

Before I leave for the day, I would like to share a quote which is on my pin board; I’m not telling you it is going to be easy, I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.

#hardcopyAUS