Staying Connected to Writers: Blerp, Twitter, Facebook & Other Social Networks
June 16, 2009 at 10:24 am jdimos 1 comment
Because of their creative and overly romanticized pursuits, many now think that writers and authors lead solitary lives, disconnected from other writers, pecking away at their keyboards in some kind of tacit, no-holds-bar competition with each other, the phone off the hook, never once needing (or appealing) to others for a little inspiration.
Today, however, that’s hardly the case. Social networks like Facebook, Myspace, WritingRoom, not to mention applications like Blerp.com, Twitter, even text messaging, now allow writers to interact and maintain contact with each other from around the world. What does this mean for writers? Well, for starters, you can count on more support from fellow creative individuals to help motivate you when finishing your manuscript. Plus, you can always jump online for a break and comment on an interesting discussion thread that may just awaken the creative beast slumbering inside you.
Even now, as you’re reading this blog, you’re participating in the great connection between writers around the world, clicking through the communities that may turn out to be your saving grace in moments of writer’s block or research in forums where you can ask about any number of current events and topics for your book.
Be sure to check out the reading communities as well, such as Shelfari, goodreads and LibraryThing, where you can manage your personal book catalog and engage readers in your target audience. Finding out what readers look for in books within your genre can be incredibly useful and help guide you as you finish writing your own, incorporating their suggestions and their expectations into your own poetry or prose.
The Point: Writers and authors aren’t the hermit crabs we might think they are. Stay connected to your network for inspiration or support, and stay energized about writing your collections and manuscripts every day!
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Entry filed under: In the News, Reading & Writing, Writing. Tags: authors, blerp, blog, connected, discusions, Facebook, Goodreads, LibraryThing, manuscript, Online communities, poetry, prose, readers, Reading, Shelfari, social networks, text messaging, Twitter, writers, WritingRoom.
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donnadmunro | July 22, 2010 at 12:00 am
I agree that today’s writers need to network via the web, particularly if they have published a book. You never know who will find out about it and then tell others (and so on and so on). The point is well made that we aren’t all hermit crabs, and we can’t be either. If we don’t get out and live a life – what do we have to write about?