So, you'd like to be a writer. Here are some quick suggestions that will help you develop your identity as a writer.
- Join your campus literary magazine or submit to it regularly. You've got to start by putting your writing out there.
- Join your campus newspaper or ask how you can submit op-ed or guest articles. This will help you with writing for and building an audience.
- Become a tutor. Helping other people with their writing will inevitably help you improve your own.
- Whatever genre of writing you're interested in-read a lot of it! It's difficult to be successful without a model. Read more to find models of the kinds of writing you'd like to emulate and eventually make your own.
- If you're serious about becoming a creative writer (fiction and nonfiction, memoir, short stories, novels, creative nonfiction etc. then you should heavily consider applying to a conference, workshop or residency where writers will give you advice on your work. Here's a list of several free or reduced priced residencies. Here is a list of writing workshops/conferences
Ok, you might wonder: what are conferences, workshops, and residences? What's the difference between the three? They are all similar in nature and often used interchangeably. Personally, I'd say the difference is usually about scale.
Residences are usually opportunities to be "in residence" to a location where you can have time to produce a creative product. Residencies exist across several fields within the arts and even outside the arts. Their length can range from a week to several weeks, months, or even years. Residencies can sometimes include programming or workshops where you exchange or present your work with others. Residencies usually engage a small number of people, approximately three to fifty.
Conferences are usually very large-scale events where multiple workshops or presentations happen simultaneously. Due to their large-scale nature, conferences are rarely longer than one week. They are usually three to five days. They can have hundreds or thousands of people-so be strategic when you think about who you'd like to engage.
Workshops are usually interactive and similar to being in a class. Workshops can range from a few days to a few weeks. Any longer, and the workshop would have to start offering some recognized educational credit.
Residencies, conferences, and workshops do not typically come with educational credit. They are great for networking, receiving feedback on your work, and offering a pathway to publication.
