Writers Have Problems

Writers have problems.

Big surprise, right?

Well, the life of the self-employed and self-motivated can be very much different from going to an office at given hours. Freeing in many senses, but then there are the other problems.

For example when a writer is confronting emotional issues ranging from simply not being in the mood to depression or just reacting to distractions like a dog fixated on squirrels, it can signal lots of problems or merely a bump in the road.

If you find you’re hardly ever ‘in the mood’ to write whatever you have before you maybe you need to rethink this whole writer thing. Perhaps it isn’t for you after all. No harm, no foul, just think about it.

If you’re incredibly easily distracted it’s another problem to think about. If there are problems going on in your life maybe it would help to deal with those first or even to go see a counselor of some species.  If there are ALWAYS problems going on in your life that prevent you from writing, then really, seek some kind of help.

Though personally I have to say I find writing can help with mental blips. Going into another world of your creation, using focus, putting words down in neat rows can help to get you moving forward. It may not be easy to just start writing and it might be crap what you throw on the blank page, but it would well be of great help in getting past those blips and bumps.

Another problem writers have are impediments to our writing. I mean things happen, right? Your kid broke his leg and you have to run him to the emergency room. No writing today. The way things are going with climate change maybe a forest fire is heading your way. Maybe no writing for a couple of weeks. Maybe your computer crashed big time. God knows how long it will take to get it fixed. Maybe YOU broke your arm and are having a helluva time typing. Six to eight weeks to heal. The dog got bitten by God knows what – run for the vet! Hmmm.

Okay, okay, things like that are hard to dodge and they can get you off track for a while, but think about it, are you letting other, smaller things intrude on your writing time, all the time? Like the neighbor dropping over, or the phone ringing, or paying too much time to texting? If you want to continue writing you’re going to have to get the upper hand and take steps to ensure your writing time is protected.

But you’ve been told this before I’m sure, in many ways, on many blogs so I won’t go into detail on that subject.

Writers. We have problems. We are problems. If there’s a writer in your life be patient, supportive and maybe occasionally lock us in a little room where we can do nothing else but write. Your efforts will be greatly appreciated!

Writers & Readers Websites Wednesday

This one's for the writers out there and for the curious readers who love to learn what goes into putting a story together.  It's Stephen King on Wordplay - writing about creating imagery.  It's a fairly lengthy article as online posts go - but well worth the read.

Three Observations On How to Add Punch In Your Writing

Okay, first, as writers, we (at least most of us) know we need to flavor our writing with sensations that go beyond sight and sound. We add things like the aroma of chicken grilling, the smell of tangy perfume, the feel of a too-heavy gold chain dragging against the back of a neck, the feel of a chilled breeze ticking up one's back beneath a jacket or the really sour taste of overdone lemonade to add life to our writing. You know, stuff everyone experiences, maybe notices.

But, when writers are reaching for more, and it's true, editors just love more than the five senses we're used to providing, consider body language. Remember, all the extras we add as subtle touches in storytelling don't just add to the setting, but fleshes out your characters as well.

Body language is a great resource for writers and you never hear anyone commenting on it. It just is if the writer injects it smoothly.

How about a character sneaking a smoke where it's forbidden. Cupping his hand over the cigarette, whether he telegraphs he knows he's breaking the rules and is embarrassed, avoiding eye contact, or if he's arrogant and defiant, staring down those who notice him smoking, it telegraphs how the character feels, tells the reader something about his inner workings. Take some of your research time and read up a bit on body language. Then apply.Your writing will take an expansive breath.

Another thing to consider when adding depth to your story is people. You know, the characters you're writing about. We people are a strange lot. Our behavior is rational only some of the time. When you think about it, how often have you taken stupid risks or done something you're at a total loss to explain? 

You've probably heard "truth is stranger than fiction". Well, it is. You, I, all of us do strangely unpredictable things at one time or another with no rational explanation. That's a bit at odds with convincing your reader to go along with the suspension of disbelief thing. So the other side of that coin is believability. It's a high-wire act. You don't want to be cranking out boring fiction, focused on absolute rational behavior at all times.You don't want to lose your reader.

So here's the thing. The weird behavior patterns of us human beings (great fodder for writers and fun to read about) are actually just that - patterns. Others of our species can relate to or understand much of our strange and irrational behavior - heck, they've done it too!

I mean there's love, sex, obsession, weird habits. Love and sex are always basis for irrational behavior. Weird habits like never showing up on time or being obsessively punctual can easily serve as fodder or unsettling decisions, irrational anger or a host of other reactions. The obsessed can become single-minded which can lead to absolutely horrible judgment. Control freaks can have fatal consequences. You get it, more grist for the writer's mill.

Plainly, characters afflicted with human weirdness must either find redemption or with grit teeth cling to their habits to the very end. The oddity of a character's behavior is not only fascinating in your story, but it grips the reader, making him or her wonder what's coming next, why that character is reacting that way and if they'd do the same.

Inject the weirdness of human behavior into your storytelling and create sparks. It applies to all writing.

And readers, tell me if I'm wrong, but aren't you more interested, more transfixed by a character with some behavior, some quirk, that can lead to disaster or salvation? Consider stories and gripping characters you've known and get back to me on that.

And there's the third and last point I'm going to  make today. I mentioned it in another blog post and it bears repeating. You can't write delicately. You can't put restraints on your writing so you don't offend someone. Write what moves you. Don't avoid a topic because it's a darker one like incest, racism, occult or whatever you find to be the dark side. And don't put self-imposed restraints on the way you write. Let it all go. Write with abandon, feel what you did when you were a kid; the freedom of attacking almost everything with abandon.

Turn yourself loose, your readers will thank you - won't you readers?

Give Your Writing Punch - Make Your Reader Believe!

Today's advice is pretty basic, but I think it needs to be pulled out and examined again anyway.  How many times have you as a writer been told to 'show' don't 'tell'. 


Well I wrote a blog post on that some time back so if you've read that (and you still can by going into my archives here) then you know where I stand in general on that statement.  Yes, there's a lot of legitimacy to it, but not exclusively.

That said, let me tell you there needs to be action in your writing. I don't necessarily mean blowing things up or crazy chases, but action, movement, things happening.  It can't simply be two people talking to each other. It can't be you, the writer, describing everything you 'see' in the story without creating sharp dialog and throat-grabbing scenes.

So, consider this. If in your narrative you state John Smith is a brutal, homicidal maniac with wind-whipped scraggly hair and ice water for blood, but he loves his cat, your reader  may buy it or more likely may well think, 'yeah, sure."

On the other hand if you take a different approach if you set the scene (and remember books are built out of scenes, one stacking on another) in which John is striding down a wind-swept beach, the sea mist wetting his hair into scraggy dreads twisted on the wind while he carries a knife tucked up his sleeve so we see only the glinting silver tip, the reader becomes involved. 

If you continue with John until he trips over a guy in the sand, whirls on him, stabbing him with the suddenly hand-held knife, then kicks him in the ribs for good measure when he's down, the reader is gripped by this study of violence and accepts the ice water in John's veins.

And if John casually tucks the knife away and retreats to his cottage on the beach where his cat awaits to wind lovingly back and forth between his legs until John scoops him up in a loving embrace and the cat purrs like a fur-wrapped jack-hammer, well, now the reader believes! And, in believing, the reader wants more and reads on, turning the page.

So you've got them believing and reading.  The next step is a readable novel. Keep those scenes stacking, building and keep painting your word picture with strong, simple, natural sentences. Occasionally a story requires a longer, more involved sentence, but generally, to hold attention, KISS - the old Keep It Simple Stupid. 

Because - if you're creating descriptive and powerful scenes, you don't want to wander off into what was long ago known as 'purple prose'.  Few things can distract the reader and distract him or her from the crisp, potent images you create as fast as that stabbing scene with John enveloped in a lengthy and flowery passage about the lyrical beauty of the sea and sand.

If you must put that lyrical, flowery bit in, do -- then brutally exorcise it from the manuscript at final edit. No excuses, do it.

Writers Websites Wednesday - The Other Side Of The Story

I stumbled across Janice Hardy's blog, The Other Side Of The Story the other day and I must say, I like it. She offers over 500 articles on writing fiction along with online resource links, guest posts and of course info about her and her books. Lots of tips and helps in those articles and guest posts. Definitely worth a look. 

The Well Written Path

Have you ever noticed what creatures of habit us 'people' really are? Oh, we try to fight it, we try to deny it, we give it a bad name saying we get into ruts.  Writers can be even worse.

But realistically, if you use it properly, routine is a good thing. They give us writers a path to follow and create a rhythm to our lives that leads to accomplishing things like writing books - you know, actually finishing what you began writing.
 
It's pretty damn tough, finishing writing a book.  Heck, it can be tough just posting this blog each week.  But if you get in the habit, if you create the routine in advance you'll breeze through the writing you wish to accomplish, get it done without the struggle common to so many.

And how do you do that; set a schedule, get things done? Well, the way I accomplish it is to set a time to write and stick to it. Give myself a goal and an assignment in my writing to accomplish each day and get it done.  Focus. I keep short lists of that day's writing-associated tasks by my computer. If I run up a self-imposed or outside-imposed deadline and something doesn't get done, that becomes the first thing on the list for the next day's writing assignments.

Part of the secret is to make writing part of every day.  I've found over the years if I attempt to clear a calendar day just for writing, if I make it a big deal, if I put a lot of pressure on myself to 'write' for that day, then progress is stunted and the words I produce are not as good either.  It's much better if I have my own little assignments for myself each day. Motivation can surge and evaporate. You have a book you want to get written, you're enthusiastic one day,not so much the  next.  If you have routines, schedules, little things in place to help keep you on your path and moving, you'll be much more likely to sit down and write.

A few years ago I had a student I was teaching in an online romance writing class and mentioned the idea of routines. She Emailed back that one of the things she did was to actually ritualize her writing time. She sat down, lit a candle, paused to clear her mind and then began. When she was done she blew the candle out.  Symbolic, no? It's a matter of incorporating into your day what you want to do. You might grab a cup of coffee, turn on your favorite creativity-inducing music and begin writing, then end with washing the cup. A quick entry in a journal to warm up might be your routine. Whatever works.

When I was a 'part-time' writer and held a full time job during the day, my ritual was to come home, eat a quick dinner with husband, take time to wash dishes, then skip TV and head over to my desk to write for two hours. Weekdays only. Weekends were 'us' time for me and my husband (only exception was if I got a plum assignment and there was a pressing deadline).

So put writing on your 'to do' list, give yourself an assignment, your overall goal and that smaller goal of what you want to accomplish in that small bite of time you've set aside for your writing and maybe ritualize it with some routine that signals you're getting down to writing.

Oh, and one more suggestion.  It can be tough to get rolling, get those ideas to flow when you first sit down at your computer to write so, when you're about to finish for the day, when you're still enjoying that flow of creativity in what you've written, that's the time to decide what you'll write the next time. Jot a few notes right there on the screen at the end of what you've written so you'll know what direction you were headed in and what you want to accomplish next. Make it a habit, yep, another routine.

Most writers know that finding time to write can be one of the hardest things to do. But, believe me, the more you do it, the easeier it will be.  And creating habits and routines to keep yourself on the writing path will be one of the best things you've ever done.

Adventures in Writers Rejections

Adventure?! You say, almost shriek at me.  Where's the adventure?  It's frustrating, depressing, demoralizing.  

Rejection isn't anything but bad, bad, bad.

Well hold on there a minute, partner, I respond.  I disagree and I've been published and rejected many times so I do have a platform from which to spout forth my opinions.

You just have to look at it the right way. It's hard to swallow at times, the feedback you might get from a publisher, editor, agent...and remember, Editors are busy people and most of the time don't send any real response so if one of them did it could be because they see potential in your work, or because you're so out in left field they're trying to help you fix your mistakes. Either way, they're trying to be helpful. Stop a moment and appreciate that. Learn from it.

For example, if you do your homework before submitting you'll avoid such form letters  as, "too short", "too long", "we don't accept unagented material", "we don't accept simultaneous submissions", "this is outside our genre". I mean why waste your time and theirs by not following the instructions they provide for authors?

You can prevent a response such as "numerous grammatical errors" by proofing your work thoroughly or hiring someone to do it for you. If you're going to do it yourself you better find some online grammar help or take a few courses to polish up your skills. This isn't like the 'old days' when some famous author or another tossed a haphazard heap of paper on an editors desk and strolled off leaving them to fix all spelling, grammatical, etc. errors (if that ever even really happened at all). That's your job.  Do it and do it well.

If you get a response from an agent such as "we aren't accepting new clients at this time," it could mean a lot of things.  The agency could be overwhelmed with clients.  It might be restructuring, deciding anew on what genres to represent or even about to go bankrupt and fold (I was repped by an agency that went belly-up many years ago and it wasn't fun).  This kind of response doesn't mean much, especially about the quality of your work, just move on and try another agency.

A response such as "This type of story has been done to death," doesn't mean that particular publisher has done it to death, but rather they perceive the market to be saturated. Not much you can do about this but go back in and rewrite; find a new angle to your story; make it fresh.  Yes, you can do another vampire book, but find a whole new way to do it. Get away from the 'same 'ol, same 'ol'.

If you're a blogger or you tweet about your writing or anything else that gets you out there and builds you a following you'll impress a publisher or agent, especially if you're doing it well.  There are lots of small publishers out there who can't afford to promote new authors, so if you do the promotion, let them know in your query letter that you're set up and ready to move should they chose to publish your book. If your writing is good to begin with, this could be the nudge that moves your book to 'sold.'

Remember these days too, self publishing is an option.  It's still frowned on by traditional publishers, but little by little it's expanding, especially on the Ebook front. It may not be for you at all, but it's worth giving some thought to. But remember, should you chose this route, it doesn't excuse you from good grammar, good spelling and good writing. If you don't put out a good book people aren't going to come back. And a truly bad (in the sense of loaded with typos, misspellings, punctuation and grammar errors) will make your name stick in people's minds for all the wrong reasons. 

Whether submitting to publisher or agent or considering self publishing, a well-written, well edited piece of work is a must. No short-cuts. 

Now get out there and remember to enjoy the adventure.

Writer Terrors

Writers are a unique lot, and each one different from another.  I was reading a post at LinkedIn this morning where writers were discussing what the dominant personality of a writer is.  The discussion rambled off in several directions coming up with all sorts of answers which, of course, pinpoints the problem in defining authors/writers. There is something a little bit different about us, it's true, but exactly what IS it? 

Hmmmm.

Here's the thing.  On the page we can be quite firm, even downright aggressive, but in person it's a different matter.  While a writer might do wonderfully one-on-one, a real chatterbox, many times in a crowd that fizzles fast. Withdrawn comes to mind.

Writers are often tapped to give talks or perhaps lead a workshop or read from their work.  Well, for the introverted writer, and that seems to be the dominant paradigm, that can most definitely lead to nervousness or the possibility of a outright  nervous breakdown. The writer does war with the fact that he or she really doesn't want to do any public appearances at all, and yet the publisher wants those appearances to happen or the writer simply realizes that in order to publicize a book and get readers, promotion, which means public appearances, is a must.

So, today, I want to give some friendly advice to those introverted, nervous-breakdown-prone brother and sister writers out there.  If you're sitting in a chair, chewing your nails, sweating and feeling like your heart is pounding against your ribs and you desperately want a drink of water, but are afraid to have it because you just know you'll need the bathroom about the time you step in front of all those people, waiting to give a talk or lead that workshop, or give that reading, (whew that was a mouthful) here's a thought. 

What do you think is going to happen?  I mean seriously, what do you expect to happen?

These are people interested in what you have to say, there is no right or wrong. They wouldn't be here if they weren't interested. Do you really think one or more of them is suddenly going to be possessed by the 'exorcist', have his head spin around and spout fire from eyes nose & mouth? And you can always use the ancient trick of thinking of them as naked. Head-spinning, fire-spouting naked, so they're no threat.

Godzilla isn't going to bound through the door and squish you to paste on the stage either. King Kong isn't going to break his restraints and come charging through your hall. You aren't going to die. Barring natural disaster such as earthquake, volcano or flood you're going to be fine. Right?

So, it's all good, right?

You can actually take a breath and do what you need to do, make that public appearance. And you know what?  You can, in fact, have fun with it. I'm not saying you're GOING TO, I said you CAN.  And it may take several appearance for you to sort it all out, relax enough and enjoy yourself.

Engage the people in your audience and you'll end up having fun - or at the very least feeling more composed and less shaky. So here's how to get started.

Be honest with your audience when you first arrive. Tell them you're nervous to the point of sweating through your clothes.  Most people shy away from public speaking - they'll understand and be even more empathetic.  

Ask them to shout out if  you're muttering a bit and ask you to speak up. You might offer a short Q & A segment the beginning of your talk, in addition to one at the end. Relate to your audience as new friends and speaking will not only get easier, but might turn into something you enjoy.


 

Contemplating Writers' Truths - all 9 of them

I was ruminating this week about inspiration and what it takes to get it together to write a story, a novel, short story, whatever.  What is it that gets us going, keeps the juices flowing and inspires us to keep going until it's done?

So I thought about it, asked some friends, and here are a few of the things we came up with.

1.  Inspiration?  Take a long hot shower or a good soak in the bath.  The subconscious is your friend and the muse can't be wrestled to the ground.  Even washing dishes or driving around can open the gate to inspiration.  Do something that lets you relax and unfocus from your primary job of writing.  Breathe.  Allow inspiration in.

2.  Keep a notebook handy.  Really, not just an iPhone or some such that you can talk into though of course that might be good.  But a real notebook.  Something you actually have to physically write in.  It helps solidify ideas and lets others begin to flourish.  Really, trust me.  Good idea. You might be amazed to see where those randomly written down thoughts take you later.

3.  One friend advised, be weird, allow your strangeness to come through.  Your friends and family probably already think you are that just because you're a writer. So ask the big, complicated questions Muse on and embrace all that makes you different.

4.  Here's another one - drive your main character crazy.  Whether it's a he or a she, a romance, a mystery or science fiction.  Give your hero lots and lots of obstacles and a killer of a past. The more frustrated and harassed your hero, the more conflict, the more conflict the more engrossing the story.  Go for it.

5.  Read. A lot. Everything.

6.  Read your own work aloud and listen for the rhythm.  Your ear will pick up something that clanks.

7.  Develop your vocabulary.  No, larger words aren't necessarily better, but words that tell your story the right way are. Follow Hemingway's example.  Keep it simple, but make it right.

8. Keep it short.  If it's already written, shorten it some more.  Refer to number 7 above.

9.  Listen. Everywhere.  All the time.  Want crisp, on the nose dialog?  Then listen to people talk.  Become a practiced eavesdropper.  Develop your listening skills and fine-tune the way your characters talk: their accents, their words, their cadence. 

So we came up with 9 simple truths to help writers out. I know, I know, there are no doubt many more, but I hope among these you'll find a bit of truth to keep your writing going and improve upon it. 

Writers Websites Wednesday - Free Online Screenwriting Programs

Into Screenwriting?  Then you might want to check out these online screenwriting programs at 5 Free Online Screenwriting Programs  and let me know what you think.  Some are simply free, some are free to try, then later buy 'pro' version. 

So How's the Weather, Writers?

We don't think about the weather much usually, it just is, unless it's doing something particularly violent. In fact we don't think about it to the extent that we may not put any of it in a book we're writing.  How many times have you read a book and not even noted the weather? 

Now you say, it's not important really, and in the end, literally, that's probably true, but it can add a very powerful element to your writing, provide sensory texture and contribute to the mood you're creating in a scene. With a bit of practice and a light touch you, the writer, can foreshadow coming events or enhance a character's emotional response.

Weather can be a powerful backdrop to the action in the novel you're writing.  But, that said, caution must be used.  Weather can exert a pressure on your character that is otherwise invisible. It can be used to project symbolism into a scene, and it can add conflict. It can be a natural barrier to your character moving forward or act as an excuse, a delay, an obstacle.

BUT, and you'll notice that was a big but, the weather shouldn't become a 'central character' in your book unless it is a very unusual book indeed. You don't want the weather to overtly tell emotion with weather cliches like a raging storm above a fight between lovers or the old cryin' in the rain cliche.

And remember there's lots of weather for you as the writer to play with - not just rain.  There's heat and cold and wind and sleet and snow and ice and sun and cloud and tornado and blizzard and hurricane...well you get it. If it can add color and life to your story, use it, just be sure you bring it along and don't just stick it in where you think it would be cool. A well-written story is intricately woven, you can't just stick things in willy nilly.

So, as one example, what can weather add to your story?  Well, what are the possibilities?  Let's say a storm is approaching. 

Rain is likely, but there's a lot more.

There's lightening.  The sight of it can be amazing, forking and branching, or a single bolt hitting the ground.  It can travel amongst the clouds.  It can be a single strike or it can be repeated with strikes hitting nearly one after another seeming nearly continuous.

But there's more.  There can be smells associated with rain.  The freshness of it falling on grass and trees, the electrical/ozone smell and burning that can accompany a lightening strike.  The heat a nearby strike can generate. Lightening can kill or stun a person it strikes, drop him or her like a rock or toss them a great distance.  It can splinter a tree, burn a patch in the grass or sizzle overhead like a passing UFO.

Rain itself can be gentle or pounding, slashing or drumming. It can pool and flow or it can sprinkle and soak into the earth.

Thunder can roll, howl or sing through the trees. Or a breeze and the gently falling rain can quietly rustle the leaves of the trees and patter on the ground at their feet.

 

All of this can contribute to the mood of your characters and test the writer abilities in you.  Some people fear storms.  Some are exhilarated by them. Lightening is insanely fast and often fills people with a sense of impending doom or fear or awe.

 

Think about the weather next time you write.  Don't hesitate to use it to add contrast to your story. It can add color, flavor and tension. Think about it. A dark mood for a character could be made to appear more intense when contrasted with a beautiful sunny day, perhaps especially with one where the sun sparkles off the snow on the ground as it does outside my window right now. Or the opposite, a feeling of joy can be damped down by a frigid wind or darkly overcast day spitting icy slush. And that can foreshadow a dark day to come.

Think about the weather, play with it when you write.  Don't make it your star (again, unless you're writing a very unusual tale), but let it pose as backdrop, emphasize emotion, contrast with what your characters are going through.  Trust me, it'll add a lot to your stories.

Writers Websites Wednesday - The Writer's Resource Directory

The Writer's Resource Directory is just that ~ a resource.  Now I'm not going to say it offers everything, but it does offer a bit of everything.  Information on writing, conferences, associations, articles, agents and more.  Definitely a Resource worth exploring.

The Writer's Path - Help & Resources

 

As writers our strengths and weaknesses are many.  We tend to put on a good show in an effort to let the world know we're ready for anything (whether we actually are or not).  We all learn a lot along our writing path and as a result tend to think we know a lot, our learning process having created an aura of blissful ignorance about just how much we do know.  Until one day, comes the realization that we actually have a huge amount that we don't know. 

That's the dark, scary place to be.

You might feel frustrated, angered, shocked, even feel like giving up writing altogether.  In fact, many do.  And for some that isn't a a bad thing.  If it isn't for you, it simply isn't.  There's nothing bad about that.  In fact it could be  good, discovering what you don't want to do and have no interest in learning. You tried it, you don't like it. Time to move on.

Because, being a writer is a life-long learning experience. If you're in, time to take that next step forward.

How can we turn our weaknesses into strengths?  How can we stare down the dragon and continue on that writing path?

All right, we all want to minimize our weaknesses, perhaps to not even admit them to ourselves, but that's not the way to move forward. Drag it out, examine it, learn from it and keep moving forward. There are lots of places to ask for help and/or to seek it out.

There are two distinctive types of writers (there are undoubtedly more nuances and sub groups, but two main groups).  There are those who are very solitary and those who can benefit greatly from interaction with other writers.  I don't know which you are, but you do.

If you can benefit from critique groups, writer's groups, if exchanging ideas with other writers and hearing their criticisms of your work is something that will help you, then seek them out. 

There are many online. You can check out Absolute Write  or Backspace or Critique Circle try Ladies Who Critique to find a partner, or google up some more.  Or, if you're more of a face-to-face, hands-on sort, you might try to track down a local writer's group who meet on a regular basis giving you 'deadlines' by which you read others' works and they read yours.  Check library bulletin boards, the local paper, groups like women's clubs, etc.

The more introverted writer may do better with an online group or not at all.  Your choice.

Reading can be a great help to the new or aspiring writer as well as the established professional.  There are lots and lots of articles out there, newsletters too where you can pick up tips on strong writing techniques.  You can visit my little bookstore that grows nearly daily as I find great books and other materials on writing for writers at Writer's Emporium   Get what you need there or peruse,  make a list and head out for your local library.

The trick is to locate your materials and dive in, avoiding too much time lost online when you could be reading or writing. It's easy to get lost online and fun too - so watch it.

One thing that is good, even for us introvert types, is attending the occasional conference.  Got a favorite genre?  You can find a conference for that! There are lists of them online and a bit of googling should turn up some near or far that would be just the thing for you to attend. And you'll be able to mingle with other writers, editors, agents, publishers and more. Work at being less of a wall flower and plunge in. 

Oh, and don't forget to network on such sites as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.  Introvert types can be a little less out there using that media and still make connections.

Write, rewrite, read and learn.  That's what it's all about.