I was reading a blog today about how to be successful at writing. One opinion was you have to make contacts. The other was write the best piece you can, submit carefully, and pray. At my day job, social networking is king. It's who you know and your relationships that get you promoted. However, there is a cavet. You have to be good at what you do as well. Yesterday a new chair was announced for our Diversity Team (which is a big deal). It was a woman who has joked with me that we are the two up and coming's and it's a race to see who gets promoted first. I got the senior level three months before she did. Now we are both on our paths to supervisor. We both are on this D team. She was picked to be a chair. I wasn't.
Now, I know I'm busy. I have a huge project that is coming up in November. I have residuals from the cancer issues. I write and edit the company newsletter. But that's not why they picked Helen. They picked her because she was visable.
She attended the off site events. She marched in the parade, moved the boxes for charity, and cheered on the Pinewood Derby car. She was doing.
Now, my takeaway from this is being involved. Yes, conferences are nice because you meet editors, but are you doing? Are you in a writers group? Are you giving back?
I haven't been as much as I know I should be. I've been letting my distance and my health issues get in the way of what I really want. I goal for the moon then wander around the planet looking for pieces to a spaceship, hoping they will fall into my lap.
The Cheshire Cat gives Alice some advice in her wanderings. When she said she doesn't know which path to take, he tells her if she doesn't know where she is going, either path will do. Sometimes I'm too much like Alice. It doesn't much matter where I end up.
With that I have to go wander the desert for 31 more years to find my path....
Lynn
