Drowning in Social Media Or Really, the Freaking Thing Stole all my Words

So.       Does Absence Really make the heart grow fonder?

You must be Really fond of me by now.

Yeah.

I do have a whole lot of reasons for being ‘gone’ from here.   I really was gone from here with family emergencies and things that life throws at you that there’s no choice but take care of.

But life goes on, doesn’t it.

So.  Anyway.    I will try to do this better.     Especially given the Social Media class we recently spur-of-moment attended. — More on that later.

But I am, like most writers I know, trying desperately to get the book I am working on Finished.

Well, as I keep telling some other writer friends, give up on waiting until you get it perfect, it’s never going to happen.  You are constantly growing as a writer - at least I sure hope you are!

So get it as good as you can today.   As good as you can, at this moment, make it.

Everyone is stretched in so many different directions these days.    As a writer trying to write, And do social media things, puts even more tasking on us and our time.

Maybe even on our words?

Does anyone else feel like that?    

That you’ve used up all your words either in writing on your manuscript or on your social media stuff.

I was going to name this post something simple - I admit it - bland.  

Social Media and Writers

But somehow the title just came out.

Drowning in Social Media Or Really, the  Freaking Thing Stole all my Words

Maybe it’s just all the other life stresses but felt like there were only so many words crammed in my head and, well, once I had used them, nothing was left over for anything else.  I had to choose.

Which makes me think of a great tweet I saw -

 @janetzipper: What you choose to do everyday will either move you forward or keep you where you are. #motivate #success

So today I moved forward a little.  I think.    But then I haven’t written anything on my book today either.

How ‘bout you?

Any tips on how you balance it all?    How you manage to move forward?

Writers Doing Social Media in 7 Minutes

The 7 Minute Rule  -  so says David Henry Sterry, other half of The Book Doctors and Arielle Eckstut.

     ‘How to build your social network/platform without getting lost in the time suck’

The 7 Minute Rule for Social Media

How to build your social network/platform without getting lost in the time suck

That’s what he says.

And for those who have met them, heard them, at the James River Writers Conferences [in Richmond, Va.], you know how smart they are.

And I Think they are coming back to the Conference this October too!

Just saying you might want to sign up and come.

The Conference registration opens in June — so coming up soon.

I do admire David and Arielle both, they are savvy and smart, and dynamic.   

[Not to mention raising a Great daughter.]

I also have bought both a print version and an e-book version of their book, 

The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published - How to Write It, Sell It, and Market It…Successfully

And my print version is marked up and filled with post-a-notes.  And resides in stack of books on my night table.

Doesn’t mean I still won’t whine about all this.

I mean I Do Try to do everything!    And know I should be doing more.  But if I get less sleep than I do now I believe my husband just might revolt.  Not that he’s not somewhat right that I should get more sleep.   [No, he is not correct that we do not need more books, have no room for more books.]   But there just seems to be so much that Needs to be done, Should be done [you Know those are the Awful voices in your head], Has to be done, and then of course, there’s the ones you want to do.   Sigh.

There’s the whole of that list that applies to the personal part of life, as well as the whole of that to apply to the professional side of trying to be a writer.   Double sigh.

And I’m behind on things that I have to get done before Thursday’s James River Writers June on the James.   If you are in the Richmond, Va. area buy a ticket and join us.  Fun event.  And helps JRW bring all the great things to writers.

For more casual meeting of your tribe as David talks about in his post, come to the JRW casual meet up of Writers Wednesday, June 12.

For more info’ on Thursday’s June on James and / or Writers Wednesday next week, or even the JRW Writing Show at end of month — not to mention information on the great Conference in October, be sure to check the JRW web site.

And now I think that's been more than 7 minutes, so gotta go!

Find us.  Find your tribe.  Come out and connect.   We can all whine about David’s 7 Minute Rule for Social Media

Social Media and Platforms

Yes, those strikes of terror into the psyches of writers everywhere.

Since, like Scarlet O’Hara, I’ll think about that tomorrow, I only have vague queasiness now. Although when it does cross my mind — I almost put minds, since like most writers I seem to have more than one, helpful when there’s something boring going on you have to sort of pay attention to and other mind can be plotting character demise. Nothing to do with who you are listening to I am sure. Right?

But if I really let the social media and platform things come into view, terror is lurking at their elbow with an evil grin on their black formless faces.

Yes, I have a twitter and…. Oh, come on, I don’t even get here to update this blog as much as I ‘should,’ you think I’m over frolicking on twitter or something?

Not to mention it’s Spring. In Virginia. Did you not read my previous post - I’m not frolicking anywhere. Until all the pollen goes away anyway. Okay so according to the allergist mine never goes away, just sorrtta bad and worse. So I don’t really frolic. Sounds like I should though doesn’t it. Maybe we should all frolic. Let’s talk.

Yes, the other thing about having writer minds, they go off in different directions, a lot.

So back to social media and platforms.

If you are thinking about it - freaking out or not, you might want to check this post out for quick synopsis and talk about the different venues and tips and such.

But he doesn't cut anyone any slack on well being a slack-off really - in my case, the allergy and terror thing -- most of us disguise it with 'have no time to do it' ploy. And no, he doesn't buy it, and holds up his busy life as example. Don't you hate it when people 1 up you? Or have such worse busy lives? It's really hateful when it forces you to take stock of things before you are 'ready.' Sigh. Oh, well, other things call right now that need doing Now, so I'll just have to be 'Scarlett' again. Tomorrow is another day. And I'll figure it all out then.

And for certain friends of mine that will get this - You will Like the title of the blog -

MY NAME IS NOT BOB

Even tho' it's not in same context it still made me ******Grin************