National Federation of Press Women
Find Your Writing Niche:
Christmas and Holiday Gift Ideas
Join In, Join Up
People will be asking you for gift suggestions now, and here is one for writers, especially beginning writers: membership in a writers’ group. The groups mentioned below aren’t strictly “press” and aren’t just for women, so check out their Web sites to see where you fit.
I was pressured into joining Illinois Woman’s Press Association (www.iwpa.org) when I lived in that state because my editor was very active and “kind of” required her staff to join in. It’s one of the best decisions as a writer I ever made.
IWPA is an affiliate of National Federation of Press Women (www.nfpw.org), so I joined that group as well. When we moved to North Carolina I became a member of North Carolina Press Club, (www.ncpressclub.com) also an affiliate of NFPW.
Advantages:
- Contact with other writers
- Contact with editors and publishers
- Writing contests, both state and national, in a multitude of categories
- Annual state and national conference
- New friends across the U.S.
Membership dues and requirements vary, so a lot depends on your interests and your benefactors’ budgets, but serious writers belong to recognized state and national organizations.
Check to see if your state is an affiliate of NFPW. If not, consider organizing one.
Next time: Romance Writers
