This month’s newsletter is all about career. Do this, prepare that, learn how to do something else. You’ll be reading about all kinds of good advice. Some of you might actually follow it, and you’ll be ten steps ahead of the pack if you do. But for those you closer to newbie status and staring down the long, long, really long road to PAN, you might ask: why start building my career just now?

The very first thing a fledgling writer should do to support her writing career is to become a writer in her mind.

And in the very question itself lies the answer. But first, let me answer directly: why start building a career just now? Because it’s never too soon to start, because managing your career takes almost as much effort as establishing your career, because like any career, you must multi-task. Take your pick. They all make sense.

But consider the question again. Why bother with career building just now? Implicit in the asking is a deeper question, and that is: WHY BOTHER WITH CAREER JUST NOW BECAUSE, IN MY MIND, I DO NOT SEE MYSELF AS A “REAL” WRITER.

Think about it. I existed for years as a closet writer. Sure, my friends in RWA knew my deep, dark secret, but I did not tell the outside world. It was a huge step when I came out, but in coming out, my whole attitude about writing changed.

My point is that the very first thing a fledgling writer should do to support her writing career is to become a writer in her mind. Don’t feel ready? Wet your feet in a safe, non-threatening environment. Here, among your friends of HBA. Submit newsletter articles. Newbie status is no excuse for not trying. Write about where you are now, what you are struggling with, and especially what’s going well for you. Those folks behind you in skill level will admire you. Those of equal skill will share their own stories, and those ahead of you will remember their own tragedies and triumphs. Through this sharing, we are all enriched.

Enter contests. You will gain valuable feedback, perhaps final, someday win. You will also learn to develop a thick skin. When you bleed on page and someone cuts you, it hurts, but we’ve all survived, and you will, too.

Volunteer to serve the Chapter. An outstanding way to establish strong bonds with your fellow writers, but more importantly, it prepares you like nothing else can for the business side of writing. Keep telling yourself that writing isn’t only about pounding those keys.

Why bother with career just now? Because writing IS a career and managing a successful career takes practice and knowledge. Learn it, love it and see if your writing just now doesn’t flesh out as a result.

Ann Peake is Houston Bay Area's first PRO Liaison. When she's not mentoring and serving her HBA constituency, she writes gripping fantasy novels with strong romantic elements.

Copyright © 2005 Ann Peake. All rights reserved. Used with permission.