Strategies for 2011

While looking back and taking stock, I realised something. 2010 may be my worst year in terms of productivity. And the best in terms of networking.

What is the essence of my writing experiences in the last one year? Biggest enemy of truth is broad generalisations. Still the gist of what I learnt from last year is as follows.

-In the initial part of your writing career, you should concentrate more on writing than on networking. Because even if you make some breakthroughs in terms of networking, if you cant back it up with adequate numberof alternate ideas or well developed treatments to your outlines, you may kill your contact. Once you burn a contact because you were not adequately prepared, even if you go back to that person with a better idea, things may not work out because first impression is the best impression. So don’t rush to present your ideas to valuable contacts. First take your time and develop it well. As some one said, the advantage a first time writer has is that of time available to develop the script to the next level. In the mean time, you should network. But it should be more about relationship building than about pitching.

So in light of certain experiences, I have decided that in the first 6 months of 2011, I would not be actively trying to pitch my ideas.