The Internet: Crystal Ball for the Aspiring Novelist

Day One of the San Francisco Writers' Conference, and it took the first ten minutes of the first presentation to jumpstart my enthusiasm and boost my confidence. There's a contagious fervor that is a direct result of being with in close contact with so many creative and passionate minds. If you're like me, a person who writes but has never been to a conference, I would strongly urge that you go. There's a marked difference between the passionate writing you may do in the safety of your own personal cocoon and the rest of the literary world.

There are four workshops per session, meaning a choice had to be made. Tough to do, since all the speakers are wonderful and all the topics are great ones. Curiously, the one underlying theme that seemed to be woven through the seminars I attended was the importance of the Internet in the life of a serious writer. A writer's online presence may not only provide the hook to new readership, but may also lead to the hook-up of agent and contract.

I learned that I've already done many of the "right" things: I have an online presence where I write seriously, I blog, I have a personal site (under construction, yes, but moving it along is my top priority now). I've cultivated a posse of fellow writers, readers and editors who have played the role of cheerleader, nagging mother, confidante and teacher. I do the social network thing on Facebook and MySpace, and am trying to navigate Twitter and LinkedIn. I link and cross-link like crazy.

However, it wasn't like I'd been there, done that, I know it all. There were some ideas tossed out there that never crossed my mind.

One is the use of YouTube. YouTube for writers, you say? Isn't YouTube for inane videos of cute kitties and a place for delinquent teenagers to post evidence of their latest crime spree? That's what I thought too, but short video clips showcasing a writer or work adds a new dimension and may get the buzz going. The creative possibilities are certainly bouncing around in my head today.

Another writing possibility that I'd never heard of is cell phone books. No, not phone books with the numbers of other cellular users, but actual books a user can subscribe to and receive chunks of daily on their cell phone. This phenomenon is an all-out craze in Japan. Writing for the cell phone likely takes some adjustment, since the format is smaller.

It's not just the cell-phone serial. Savvy writers and publishers are exploring ways of using the Internet as more than a marketing tool but for publishing as well. Already many books are available for online consumption and harnessing the full power of the Internet as a publishing force is still in its infancy. Just think, instead of reaching just those few who purchase hard copy books, the aspiring novelist or writer can reach a worldwide audience.

Writing is no longer limited to a lonely, isolated space where it's just you and your keyboard or notepad. As with other areas of modern life, the Internet will be a key component in the life of a career writer.