WRiTE CLUB bouts
begin next week and I guess you could call last week and this week the eye of
the hurricane. Things have been
relatively calm around here during that time, especially when you consider the
events leading up to it and what is on the horizon. I say calm, but really that
only describes activities I’m actively taking part in – it doesn’t come close
to describing my mental state. Psychologically, my mind is stuck inside one of
those centrifuges astronauts use to train for G-force abuse, at the point where
the blood moves away from my brain and I’m on the brink of losing consciousness.
In between recovering from a month of A-Z
Challenge…and fortifying myself for a three month sprint towards another WRiTE CLUB
championship…my agent is also putting MOVING FEAR out on submission.
Yeah…boring is a foreign
concept for me right now.
During the time just before WRiTE CLUB
begins and all during the contest, I am forced to become acutely aware of the
role social media plays in everything. In order to foster participation and
spread the word about the contest, I use a barrage of Twitter and Facebook
posts to keep the engagement level high. I also watch for post by others so I
can appropriately thank them for their support.
It’s much like promoting a newly released book – without $$ signs at the
end. The end-goal is to be on everyone’s lips, that way your news remains at or
near the top of the page. If nobody is talking about you…that’s when the scroll
wheel comes into play.
I find it interesting how life…digital life that is…is sliced
and diced…trimmed and transformed into snippets intent to draw the maximum
amount of attention. On one hand it makes everything so much more efficient.
The impact of every word (or image) is magnified ten-fold. On the other, it is
so easy to miss an important tidbit if you’re not looking at the right time. At
times it’s like trying to take a sip from a firehose. Thus both Facebook and
Twitter have come up with tools to aggregate and group the information most
important to YOU…which makes it even harder for a newbie to break into the
rotation.
But spouting negative comments about how social media
engineers predictable results for those who are smart enough to utilize its many
offerings is not the way to go. I say
you must embrace the flow! You owe it to your endeavor…whether it be a novel…a
passionate cause…or a contest meant to offer a leg up to aspiring writers.
Taking a staunch stand against technology (or perceived social irresponsibility)
will not serve you or your work well.
Take a spin on the scroll wheel for the team! :)
Congrats on going on sub! Good luck to you :) Also, remember to let me know when you need me to help out with WRiTE CLUB. Can't wait for it to start!
ReplyDeleteThat's what is aggravating about social media. You could post something important, but many in your target audience may not be looking at that the time or may just scroll right past it.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations and good luck with your book! :)
How exciting! And that reminds me... I need to email you soon ;)
ReplyDeleteSo much going on as usual. Congrats on getting that book out there. Fingers crossed for you. Looking forward to The Write Club again. That's always exciting.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on sending your baby out into the world. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThat's why it's important to chose your social media well. I went with blogging first, Twitter second.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your manuscript going out on submission.
How exciting that your work is being submitted! Thanks for hosting the Write Club again. I know you put a lot of work into it.
ReplyDelete