Dancing Word Writers Workshop

with Randy Ingermanson

May 7, 2005

 

Hosted by Anne McDonald

Dancing Word Publisher

*This chat has been edited for clarity.

Anne McDonald: Let's get started. Ellie, would you open us in prayer then I'll go over protocol and introduce our guest.

Ellie Schroeder: Lord, we are thankful that we can meet here in your name today, and we thank you for bringing Randy into our midst. We pray that you will help Randy teach us what we need to learn, so that we may go forth and be the creative geniuses you intend us to be. Bless each one here we pray. In Jesus Name, Amen

Anne McDonald: Amen. Protocol Reminder: When Randy opens the floor to questions.... please type ? for questions, ! for comments and ga when you are finished typing.

Tonight, I'm thrilled to introduce writer extraordinaire... Randy Ingermanson. He's going to give us some insights into getting published. Randy, welcome.

 * AZAnnie turns the floor over to Randy

Randy Ingermanson: Thanks, Annie!  As always, it's a delight to be here. I'd like to talk about that pesky roadmap thing tonight. Some of you might have read my article on my web site about "Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Author!"

I'll give a reference here: http://www.rsingermanson.com/html/freshman.html

The basic idea is that everyone is on the path to getting published. Like being in college. Not everyone stays in college all four years.  But those who do, graduate. Sometimes it takes more than four years.  I only took about 12 years.

But if you hang on long enough, and keep doing the work, eventually, some publisher somewhere takes a chance on you. Then you're in the magic realm and you become a millionaire. Oops, I get one lie per evening and that was it.

Anne McDonald: lol

Randy Ingermanson: Anyway, depending on where you are in your career, you should use a different strategy to move up the ladder. I strongly believe in networking, but not in the usual sense. The usual meaning of networking is to get to know people in order to exploit them. I hate that idea.

I prefer to think of it as "notworking," Kind of like grace. The idea is that you get to know people in order to help them. Maybe you will and maybe you won't. Maybe they'll in turn advance your career, but they probably won't. But at some point, something wonderful happens, when everybody is helping everybody else. Someday, it's your turn and you get published.