The right opportunity in the right hands

June 30, 11:22 AMWriting ExaminerTiffany Colter

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    When speaking with people at graduation parties, picnics and social events this summer it is likely that the conversation will shift to various topics. One that seems to come up quite frequently at graduation parties is that of “what do I do now?”

     Last weekend I attended such a graduation party. We were talking about options after graduation [job, college, technical school, specialized training] and some of the responses made me think about all of you. It seemed that people saw OTHERS with more opportunities then themselves.

     Why do we always think it’s the “Other Guy”?  I’ve come to conclusion that it is because many people are not prepared to seize on opportunities once they materialize.  Times of economic downturn is when successful businesses “retool” their machinery, rethink their business plan/structure, and prepare for the next wave of success. They don’t focus on the next three days but rather on where they can go from here to grow in the next three years.

     It is really a matter of the right opportunity in the right hands. It is about reading the books and doing the writing you need to do to improve. It is about making the connections at writer’s conferences that will put you in the minds of editors and agents. It is about building the readership of your blogs, articles or websites through consistently strong content that will make you a RESOURCE for others.

     Let’s look at a nature analogy. You know there is a process to a plant. You don’t go to a park and toss a few tomato seeds on the ground, go home and fuss that you don’t have tomatoes.  First, it isn’t your property. You need to cultivate land at your home [or a box on your balcony…whatever]. Likewise, you don’t build readership by spamming comments on every blog you’ve ever read then watch google analytics wondering why your numbers don’t jump.

     With the same tomato you would not plant the seed and ignore it. You would water it and use fertilizer. Likewise, you need to continually develop your craft. You need to always build up your marketing skills and learn from individuals who know the industry.

     A common complaint among the people I coach or do editing for is that they’ve seen something written by a published author that is inferior quality to their own writing. Sometimes this is an individual blinded by ego, other times they are completely correct. The difference is the person has taken the time to establish themselves and foster a relationship. They are known to the editor. They are ready when an opportunity presents itself.

     They were once where you are now. The only difference is time. You have time to build craft, create platform, develop relationships, deepen plots, strengthen characterization and improve dialog. Now is the time to prepare yourself to be the hands that can take advantage of an opportunity.

It isn’t a matter of the haves vs. the have-nots. It is a matter of the haves vs. the haven’t-dones.  That means it’s only a matter of doing.

     So get it done. Start by seeing if you could write as an examiner for a topic you’re passionate about. Build a readership. And put me down on your application. Examiner rewards us for finding great new talent and I’ll know when you join so I can read your articles.