Never Do Today...

...what you can put off until tomorrow.

Sadly, my favorite thing to tell my husband when it comes to laundry, cleaning, making dinner, etc. doesn't really apply to writing - especially if you are still waiting for that ecstatic call from a publisher.

If anything, always do today what you could potentially put off until tomorrow. We've talked about writer's conferences, CJ wrote about how to market your writing before it gets published and I hope you're catching on that the two things you need most to make it in the writing world are: 1) Contacts (not the seeing-better kind), and 2) A hard work ethic.

"But what about talent?" you shout. "My third grade teacher said I had the best creative writing papers in the whole class!"

Yes, you need talent. You need the stamina to sit in front of a computer screen debating whether you should write in present tense or past tense for hours on end. You need support from family and friends. You need training in writing and you need to be open to changes. You really need a skin that could be compared to Plexiglas - especially when the rejections start piling up.

But, mostly you need contacts - people in the publishing world who will kindly befriend you.

And here's how to make them:

1. Don't try to make contacts.

And that's all I've got for you. Picture it like this: Remember the short-shorts guy on Made of Honor who would never leave the other guys alone and was just annoying?

You do not want to be like that. And setting out for a writer's conference with the only intention being to get other people's business cards so you can email them incessantly is not the way to go.

Instead, go to conferences. Be open to whatever God has planned for you - whether that's sitting with the staff of the conference or with the keynote speaker. Talk to people and be genuine - don't be the annoying writer who can only talk about their work and what high praise they've gotten from their family and friends. Instead, listen to others. Be considerate. Do your homework on publishing houses and don't be afraid to ask questions.

And friends will come. Some of the sweetest friends I've ever made in the whole of my writing career are the people on the staff at the first conference I went to. And we're still friends! They've done more to encourage me and help me in my writing than they'll ever know. Take advantage of making online friends. Is there a writer you really admire? Send him or her an email and let them know you are hoping to be published one day yourself and ask them for any advice to get you started.

Writing is not easy nor is it a quick way to a career. Ask any of us Scribble Chicks and I think we'd say if you want to make money, you'd be MUCH better off finding a very different job. Because writing is a job - especially if you want to get published. It's hard work and, very often, heart-breaking work.

But there are those moments. That moment when an editor calls or emails and lets you know they're offering you a contract. That moment when you hold your first book in your hands and see your name right there in print. That moment when all those sweet friends you've made and celebrated with over the years get to celebrate with you this time!

And that makes all the hard work, all the lonely days in front of a computer, all the lunches that are more like trips to a snack bar, all the conferences you've been inspired and confused at, all the Starbucks you've ingested in search of one more chapter that much more worth it.

So, what are you waiting for? :) Start saving up for that conference! And start praying now that God will guide exactly the right people into your path. :) And always, always know that BJ, Betsy, CJ, Christa and myself LOVE getting emails from you!