Network

Photo by futureshape

It can be very intimidating introducing yourself to someone new, especially if the person is someone who you look up to. Recently I watched a video of a talk given by a social psychologist. In her talk, she spoke about faking it until you become it. While many of us get nervous to network, it would benefit all of us to just pretend that we are not. Eventually, as the psychologist said, you will begin to realize that you are no longer faking your confidence, but that you have actually become confident.

Networking is important in any profession, but writers should take special interest in the people around them. Writers are used for many things and you never know what kind of response you will get if you put yourself out there. Sometimes it is just the word itself that holds some anxiety for people, but an easier way to get a handle on this anxiety is just to realize that all you are doing is having a conversation. Get to know the person. Chances are that if you find some common ground they might want you in their network of contacts as well. And if they don't, who cares? All you can do is give it a shot and see what will happen. 

So the next time you run into someone who you find could prove to be an interesting contact for you to have, introduce yourself and be friendly. Making a good first impression can make networking simple and fun. Just make sure that you have anything you might need handy in case the person wants samples of your work emailed to them. And make sure to keep in touch.