When You Need To Empower Yourself
I received a tweet on Twitter regarding this affirming, inspirational audio. Use it when you need to empower yourself.
What I Won’t Tweet About
So, I admit it. I’m really getting into Twitter and interacting with a diverse group of people. Frankly, there are some things I just refuse to tweet about.
Now, when I say “diverse”, I mean professionals, fellow artists, companies, and as I’m fast learning, younger people living at home with Mom and Dad issues. For the most part, the tweeting is mature and slanted toward marketing. That’s fine. Occasionally there’s a post about the dog wetting the bed and what an awful hangover someone has. Here’s what you will never read in my Twitter updates.
- Anything political other than a no-brainer stance. No matter who you voted for, you’re going to alienate 50% or so of your readers. Can you really afford that, especially with this economy?
- Anything personal. There are some things I won’t even tell my husband let alone blurt into cyberspace.
- Negative stuff about work. I’ll take my venting elsewhere.
- Bodily stuff. Enough said.
- Religion. To me, this is so intensely personal, so private. It’s getting to the core of who I am as a person. Why would I want to shout it out on the street?
So there, I’ve said it. Happy tweeting!
Don’t Say That
One of today’s post on LifeHacker hit home today, “30 Cliches You Should Basically Avoid“.
Annoying cliches seem to have everyone’s knickers in a twist from Oxford University to BBC’s online magazine. As writers, we know this is taboo. A glance at the lists and yes, those are actually very annoying if truth be told. (That’s a pun, if you read the lists.)
So that got me thinking. What cliches burn my butter? Here goes.
- I’ve got a full plate already
- 24/7. (We get it! We get it!)
- Let’s do lunch. (How about let’s go to lunch?)
- Thinking outside of the box
- Physically, as in he physically has to do it. (An annoying habit at my workplace)
- Team player (Don’t get me started.)
- Drink the company Kool-Aid
- Take one for the team
- Take it in the shorts
Those are some of mine. Hey, what can I say? But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. What are some of yours?
Twitter Your Thoughts
Forget Facebook. Forget MySpace. Twitter is the buzz.
How fun is this? You’re working on your novel and all of a sudden you’ve forgotten how to conceal the sound of gunshots. Will a pillow suffice? Could it really be backfire from a car? Tweet your question to your fellow writers and presto, grab a potato and you’re back to the writing.
Mysteriousissue–Mysteriousissues was one letter too long–is my handle on Twitter. I’m new using this profile, but I’m slowly making contacts in my field. It’s a great thing to be in touch with others that like to write. It’s an opportunity to learn about new websites and blogs. I even use it to direct message my husband with a shopping list. So many uses.
Twitter has been compared to an online cocktail party. Listening to the background chatter of the people following me, I think that the analogy couldn’t be more true. I mingle here and there, adding my two cents now and again. And I too, share good sites I’ve stumbled upon, blogs and tidbits. It’s just plain fun.
Of course, like all things there’s the good and bad. Spammers. Is there anyway to avoid them? Verbose tweeters. A few are fine, but don’t give me a rundown of your entire day. Me-itis. A very common condition, sure to cause loss of followers, a bad reputation, diminishing DMs and replies, loss of hair, hearing and a insatiable desire to eat canned peas. Well, you know what I mean.
If you haven’t tweeted, give it a try. There’s a whole new world out there.
Photo by trekkyandy
Put Your Characters In the Spotlight With Squidoo
I’m a huge fan of Squidoo.com, not only as one who creates lens, but because of the lens themselves. They’re fun to create and read.
SquidooWho isn’t a new feature. For a published fiction writer though, it can be gold. What are lens, you ask? Lens are like static website, a mini site if you will. You choose a topic of interest. It can be anything–a movie you like, a sport, a hobby, even a person. You write about it. You can add modules like Flickr and YouTube to add media. You can even add moneymaking modules like Amazon or eBay.
The SquidooWho is a feature that allows you to create a lens about a person. You name your person, claim the lens, and a pre-populated lens is created for you. Of course, you can modify that to whatever you’d like. I said a person, but I didn’t specify living, dead–or a character from your book, maybe?
Say you have a character that grew up in the Chicago area. He’s a big Bears fan. He likes dry martinis, but only with vodka. He loves the blues and has a secret obsession for bodice ripper novels. There you go. Give your character a face and a voice.
In this case, you could add modules for Amazon, featuring some of his favorite artists. Or you could feature those novels he likes. How about some info on the Bears? Maybe a list of his favorite vodkas. The possibilities are endless. Of course, there is the big prominent sticky note with a link to buy your book too. Now, doesn’t that sound like a great way to get to know you character and market? How Web 2.0 is that?
Working Through the Tears
Some days, writing is so tough. You just have to struggle, working through the tears.
I put off editing a scene from my novel. When I first wrote it, my fingers flew across the keyboard. I typed like a mad woman, tears streaming down my face as I wrote.
I wrote from the heart, drawing from deep within myself to create a very painful, but necessary, scene. At that moment, I felt like a true writer.
Since that time, I’ve avoided editing that scene again. I’m well into my revisions and refining. My husband has read my book and offered some valuable critique. I can’t put it off anymore. To fully understand the last part of my book–and to successfully edit that portion–I need to go there.
I’ve never had this same feeling when painting. I paint personal scenes, scenes that have meaning for me, but this feeling of emotion with writing is so new. As an artist, you learn–sometimes all too quickly–that paintings sell, some don’t. That’s okay. You try a new venue and try your best.
With writing, however, I feel my emotional investment much higher. Rejection, I fear, will cut deeper. This is especially so after writing my emotional scene.
I write because I want the story in my head to exist. I want to invite others to this world I’ve created. And, I suppose, I want them to understand. Photo by S1Ivers Family
The Ending of Picnic at Hanging Rock
Awhile back I wrote about rediscovering a movie from my past, “Picnic at Hanging Rock”.
I rented the movie from Netflix. Then as now, the movie captivated me. The scenery. The score. The acting. Beautiful.
So much mystery surrounded the original story. True? Not true? At the time I mentioned the mysterious 18th chapter that author, Joan Lindsay, published posthumously. So, being the curious type I am, I located the ending.
No, no spoilers here, but a word of caution—don’t bother. My goodness, it was so totally against anything I might have hoped for with this movie. Did the author draw herself in such a corner? I’m convinced now that Joan Lindsay is having the last laugh.
To my readers who did their bit of detective work as well, I humbly apologize. Photo by Looking Glass
Get the 101 Book Now!
While You’re Surfing
Get free online storage with Dropbox
Get 20% Off QuickBooks Pro Small Business Accounting Software + Free Shipping + Free Learning CD
Toodledo.com is a powerful, online to-do list. Keeping track of all your tasks will help you avoid disorganization, stay motivated and be more productive. Check it out.
Articles
Writing Samples
For Writers and Readers
Extras
BookSwim
