I’ll be presenting a talk on “Writing to the Rule of Three” at the Portland chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers on Monday, June 29th. While my hometown of Eugene, OR doesn’t yet have a chapter, there are certainly enough Christian writers in our area. At any rate, I’m excited to be talking to fiction writers in the Portland area. Why would I drive I-5 for two hours, hope I find the meeting, speak for an hour and drive home? The answer is simple: networking.
A student asked me a similar question recently. He was invited to hobnob with a bunch of editors in his genre and his wife wasn’t sure the trip to Michigan was worth it just to rub elbows with strangers. Money wasn’t an object.
My belief is that you should never turn down the chance to network, even if there is no immediate benefit. One never knows when a meeting with someone you want to sell your stuff to or learn from will pay off. I’d hate to be the one not remembered from a meeting because I wondered if it was worth my time to network.
Writing Tip for Today: Networking comes easaier for some writers than for others. If you are the shy writer, you may have to work on your ability to “work a room,” get noticed or even have the nerve to speak to an editor or other writer. Try these three tips.

• Be interested in learning about other writers. Ask them questions, not to tout your accomplishments, but as a fellow sojourner on this writing journey.Be genuinely interested in the person you are talking with. You aren’t networking only to sell your books. You’re staying tuned in to what is happening all around you. No one likes a blow-hard, but ask anyone a genuine question about their lives, and chances are, they’ll open up and ask about your writing.
• Try mentioning to everyone you meet (even the grocery clerk) that you’re a writer. Get comfortable with saying, “I am a writer.” It’s not boastful, it’s the truth.
• Practice this and perhaps when you have the chance to speak to or rub elbows with that editor/agent/author you’ll be able to network more naturally.

This coming Monday, I hope to learn a lot about some of the fiction writers–and I hope to see you there too.