What's it like being a writer in the digital age

This week I'm passing on what I learned at the WIC 2010 I attended at Loughborough on Saturday.

Keynote speech by Graham Joyce


He gave an entertaining and practical view of the writer’s life and the state of the industry. He drew our attention to the fact that we were attending a Writing Industries Conference. And like any other industry, learning our trade and using all the tools at our disposal is vital.

Any would-be or practising writers need to understand the nature of publishing, writing and associated business that's being changed by the technology and possibilities of the digital age.

His advice to writers was to diversify their income streams because it was becoming difficult for writers to generate enough income from a single source now. Being able to connect with readers through the medium of social networking sites would play a part in that..

He praised the determination of writers to apply themselves to the work of writing but suggested that thinking they could only write one type of work, i.e. the traditional novel was limiting both their experience and their income.

This was the first writing conference I'd attended and coming as I do from a background of business writing, I found the level of practicality and commonsense about writing being an occupation very reassuring.