Old People Writing for Teens, IV

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Sage

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Cheering you all on!
That's because I rarely tweet. Though I did today.
 

Erin

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*hugs* Smiley. Sorry to hear about your grandmother.

Twitter takes some getting used to. Even if you're at the prepublished stage, you should start building your following. Same with Facebook if you use Facebook. My twitter following has steadily increased since I started talking about Wicked Paradise in May when I signed my contract. I get new followers every day and I only tweet about once a day and maybe a few retweets. Plus, the more people you follow the more followers you will get.

The first place to start is here. Let's follow each other!
 

E. S. Lark

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I have very few followers, but I don't tweet much either. I usually only tweet if I'm working on something with writing sprints or to share links to my latest blog post.

I rarely follow others as most who follow me (randomly that is) are just waiting for me to follow them back to increase their followers. It's a popularity contest, but I use it for the few readers I might pick up who use it as an update of sorts.
 

JKRowley

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Smiley, people just want to read what you have to write. Like that Field of Dreams movie, you must write, followers will come. LOL.

I have three followers on my blog, which doesn't get enough attention from me. I have many more Twitter followers, which gets more attention from me. I like to use it as a bookmark. If I tweet a link to an article I like, I can find it again.
 

SkyeOhWhy

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Hello everyone! :hi: I hope your WIPs are all going well. I added 5K to my wordcount today, so feeling cheerful.

It also helps to feel some sunshine after a looooong winter.

I bought a packet of sunflower seeds the other day; I'm keen to plant them and welcome in the spring. However, I just read the packet and realised they're "giant" sunflowers (up to 2.5 metres!) Oops! I hope the neighbours don't mind if some sunny faces poke up higher than the garden fence...
 

lisalulu09

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LOL about the sunflowers, Skye! :D

I now have 33 followers. I've only been tweeting for nearly a week, I think.

My blog, however is dead and I don't know how to revive it.
 

Smiley0501

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Yay for 5k, Skye!!!

And yeah I agree, Twitter is about tweeting and putting yourself out there. I do hate the people who only talk about one thing though(promoting their book). I try to participate in convos, I think that helps. Although I had 156 followers yesterday and am now down to 151. ???

Also thank you to whoever said they were sorry to hear about my loss. My grandma was really great (a baker,a swimmer, a storyteller), she never finished high school or got to college but she took classes in her later life (in her 60's and also early 80's) at the local community colleges where she lived. She also read A LOT, was a part of book clubs and even kept a log of what she read and what she thought of it. I miss her a lot. But she was 89 & just so, so depressed/ready to go. But they say-"You're never really ready even if you think you are"
 

justbishop

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What do you mean by "only talk about one thing?", Smiley?

Can't speak for Smiley, but I've unfollowed authors (self-pubbed ones tend to be worst about this) for tweeting nothing but like, lines from their book, links to reviews of their book, pleas for me to buy their book, etc. I get that Twitter is a great promotional tool, but the point of using it as a published author (IMO, at least) is to make people feel like you are an interesting, accessible person.
 

lisalulu09

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Oh, I wouldn't do that. I would find it more fun to tweet about what I'm working on (minus spoilers, obvs.) and the writing life. And if it becomes my main platform, life in general.
 

Dorothy

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*hugs* Smiley. Sorry to hear about your grandmother.

Twitter takes some getting used to. Even if you're at the prepublished stage, you should start building your following. Same with Facebook if you use Facebook. My twitter following has steadily increased since I started talking about Wicked Paradise in May when I signed my contract. I get new followers every day and I only tweet about once a day and maybe a few retweets. Plus, the more people you follow the more followers you will get.

The first place to start is here. Let's follow each other!

Following you :)
 

Dorothy

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My tweets are mixed. I let people know when I have a new blog post (I interview other authors), I talk about writing or revising or publishing, I retweet interesting stuff other writers or readers/reviewers tweet, or I talk about random things that are happening that are usually kind of funny.
 

lisalulu09

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Random funny/inspirational tweets are great tweets/retweets. :D
 

lisalulu09

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So how is everyone's writing going? I just went past the 2K mark! :D
 

Dorothy

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I couldn't get any writing done the past two days due to work + evening meeting on Monday + work + Parents evening at daughter's school tonight. Maybe tomorrow though.
 

casualrungal

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Hey guys!
I've been in a bit of a writing slump. I'm having trouble figuring out what my style is, and whether I should try writing more adult-oriented fiction. Right now I'm working on converting about 50 pages of my WIP into 3rd-person past, to see if that makes things better.

In more exciting news, I sent out 5 queries last night for the MS I finished in June (though I was never totally happy with it), and I got a full request this afternoon! My first ever! I know how this usually ends (in a big, fat R), but if I can get some feedback out of it, I'll be a happy camper.

Hope everyone's Tuesday is going well! It's awfully cloudy and grey in the NY-area...
 

Scribble Orca

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Congrats on the request for a full.

What do you think your writing style is - how to do you define it?

Hey guys!
I've been in a bit of a writing slump. I'm having trouble figuring out what my style is, and whether I should try writing more adult-oriented fiction. Right now I'm working on converting about 50 pages of my WIP into 3rd-person past, to see if that makes things better.

In more exciting news, I sent out 5 queries last night for the MS I finished in June (though I was never totally happy with it), and I got a full request this afternoon! My first ever! I know how this usually ends (in a big, fat R), but if I can get some feedback out of it, I'll be a happy camper.

Hope everyone's Tuesday is going well! It's awfully cloudy and grey in the NY-area...
 

casualrungal

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Thanks, Orca. I think of writing style as a writer's watermark - the way you can tell that something is theirs, just from reading a few pages. Or at least, that'd be the gold standard. But my own style is really lacking - and that's a critique I received in a writing class that really stuck with me. I think that in 1st person, my characters tend to sound whiny and blah. It's a little better in 3rd person, when I can make observations about characters in my own voice and not worry about "acting" like another person. (BTW, does anyone else ever feel like writing in 1st person is a bit like acting? And I'm a really sucky actress! haha)
 

Sage

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Cheering you all on!
Yay, your first full request! That's the best one! And a request out of five queries is an excellent sign for your query
 

FMAnderson

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I much prefer first to third. I've though about completely rewriting my novel in first person.bI think third has its uses and might be nessesary for some works.

I know my style is distinct. I've got a funny and strange way of making quirky casual observations and poignant moments. I've also got fast reading sections where action gets intense. Those intense moments are probably my best writing. I want to improve my writing of subdued sections.

I got lots of areas to improve on, but my voice is pretty strong. I'd take more strengths mechanically over a strong voice any day.
 
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