What Social Media Should I Keep (or Do People Even Blog Anymore?)

Many years ago I read how writers need a social media presence and I jumped in one hundred percent. I joined Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Google+, Wattpad, probably a ton of others I don't even remember now, set up this blog, set up a website and promptly felt overwhelmed. I wasn't going to give up, though. If social media was what I had to do to be successful, than I was going to do my best!

Fast forward to today, and a lot has changed in my life, and to my perspective on writing. I've learned to view my writing "career" as a journey and while I'm on this journey I better be enjoying myself or I won't keep going. There has to be a balance between ambition and acceptance, or I end up with paralyzing anxiety that prevents me from writing.

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I have been evaluating all of my social media accounts and trying to decide which are worth spending time on and which I should let go of, because I don't have time for writing, cultivating all the social media accounts I've developed in the past and living the rest of my life.

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Part of why I wanted to resurrect this blog site is because I miss the ability to connect with people. Blogging seems to allow the most opportunities to share full thoughts and ideas and have a decent discussion (if others will engage, of course.) Some of the friends I made blogging are the ones who are still talking with me today, and are the biggest support to me as a writer. 

On Twitter I see so many new writers looking for connections, for someone to talk to about their experiences and so excited about their beginning writer's journey. While I'm not some amazingly published writer who meets the standard measures of writing success, I would still like to be able to offer, through this blog, a place for people to find inspiration and motivation along their way.


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Twitter happens to be the social media site I have maintained over the last several years, because it is where I found some real friends whom I am very fond of. We bonded over Shakespeare and I can't imagine not checking in and seeing how everyone is doing. The nature of tweeting is to be short and sweet, and this is a plus. It's a good way to connect with lots of people in a shorter amount of time. Now if only it would stop being so angry over there!

After all the issues we've learned over the past two years regarding Facebook and privacy violations, I don't really spend a lot of time over there. I do maintain my author page, though, and try to post periodically. I view Facebook more as a delivery system than a place to cultivate relationships.

I am planning on closing my Wattpad account. I haven't been successful over there since Finding Meara released and I think the only reason the release went as good as it did was because of the family and friends who gave it the first boost so it was actually visible. I don't have the time now to devote to developing a reader base on Wattpad and write new stuff, too. It's kind of like when your hair gets too long and you need a trim. Wattpad is a place I feel I can trim and not miss anything.


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Please keep in mind, though, that the main point of this post is that I am making my decisions based off what I feel fits my desires and needs best. I'm not pushing myself into a cookie cutter design of social media presence just to make sure my bases are covered. I'm designing my social media presence around how I think I'll get the most enjoyment in the process and offer the most to my potential readers. 

And finally, just because I don't think a site works for me doesn't mean it won't work for you!! That's between you and your own personal journey. I wish you the best of luck with finding what makes the best sense to you and will give you the most satisfaction.

Have a great week!

What does your social media presence look like? Have you been more active in the past, or are you just starting out in the social media maze?

Things You Might See While Playing Pokemon Go - June Edition

Hi!  Or maybe "Surprise!!" would be a better beginning!

I don't think you want me to go into why I'm posting now or why I haven't posted in so long. Let's just agree to move on from here, shall we? Let me just blow off the dust around here and we can get started!

Quickly, let me update about Through the Fairy Ring. I had every intention of putting the story on Wattpad and leaving it there, but I've since changed my mind. While I have finished editing it once, my lovely author/editor-friend Suzi Wieland has kindly done a final copy-edit for me. Once I get the last check done I'm going to be releasing it on Amazon. So, all the places that say Through the Fairy Ring is coming soon are once again correct. Sorry?

I plan to post blog posts every Tuesday evening. I have a plan for a blog schedule, but until I actually post weekly for a while, I'm not going to waste your time talking about it! Look for links on Twitter and Facebook, if you aren't subscribed or a follower here.

OK! Let's talk Pokemon Go (also known as "the game that has obsessed my husband and me.") I've played off and on for several years. In April we adopted a new dog (Revan) and I began playing Pokemon Go again because, of course, a large dog needs lots of walking. I got hooked into the local Pokemon Go community and started doing raids and battles, and now I know more about Pokemon than I ever thought I would have. I love the game! I just wish they would come up with more research quests, because I'm almost done with them all.

Anyway, as I walk all over I see interesting things, and decided I would like to share them with any of you who want to take the time to look at my pictures! Without further ado, here is some of what I've seen this past month while playing Pokemon Go!

The dog who started it all! May I present Revan, the sweetest dog with the craziest eyebrows. He's a shelter rescue who is our perfect dog. So happy he joined our family!

There are all kinds of murals around town. This month I chose to share the birds, because I love birds. We have all kinds of aviary variations that either live here or migrate through-including laughing gulls, blue jays, cardinals, chickadees, doves, grackles, orioles and many more I don't know the names of, but love seeing every summer.

Sandhill Cranes are very big here. They migrate across this area each late February and March. They're an amazing sight to see, and hear. Their call is a sweet warbling.

Just some pretty flowers at one of the two colleges we have.

This is one of several fountains we have in town. It's a Pokestop in a cute little park in the middle of  the main part of town.

We've been getting some amazing thunder and rain storms.

Last week several ancient trees were blown down all over town due to high winds which accompanied the rain storm. I'm so sad at the loss of the trees.

Which did you see first ? The spider or the face?

Another one of our fountains. I love that they light up at night! This one changes colors and water flow, too. It's fun to watch. Below is a more dramatic photo of the same fountain.

That's my pictures for this month. I hope you all had as fine a June as I did. :D

Guest Post: An Editing Process of My Own

I'm very fortunate today to share this guest post by long time friend, critique-partner and editor, Suzi Wieland. I met Suzi through blogging about nine years ago and was lucky enough that she's stuck around to help, encourage and inspire me. She does fabulous line and copy edits and has a great sense of humor that comes out in her editing comments. It's always fun to see what she has to say when I get edits back from her. Without further ado, here is Suzi!

Trying to Figure Out How to Edit

I started writing in 2010. It seems so long ago, and I’ve learned a lot, but I still feel like I’m learning. A while back I realized that not only do I love writing, but I love editing. Except not editing my own work. I like editing other peoples’ stories, and a couple years ago I started working with some great women at CookieLynn Publishing, where I do line and copy editing.

Beta reading and freelance editing has helped my own writing so much, but it still feels overwhelming at times. But now, eight long years into this writing thing, I’m finally starting to feel like I’m figuring out my own editing process.

I can write fast and I don’t edit as I go, but that means my editing takes longer. In the past I’ve spent so much time editing, with no rhyme or reason. I read through it and revised. Read through again and revised. Repeat, repeat, repeat... with no order or nothing specific I’m editing for. I just do everything at every step. I don’t want to spend that much time editing anymore, and I want to streamline things and be more efficient. Everybody needs to figure out what works for them, but this is how I’ve been doing it lately.

After finishing writing, I’ll probably hand it off to a beta reader, and I won’t look at it again until the reader gives it back. I think it’s important to put a bit of space between you and your manuscript before diving into editing again, give it some fresh eyes.

So once the beta reader returns the story, I’ll do my first revision, including adding things like more description and emotion, which I sometimes lack. I’ll make sure all my plot issues are worked out and add more if my characters aren’t fleshed out enough. I’ll hit those big story things.

Then I’ll print the manuscript out and edit it on paper, including looking for redundancies, where I need to show instead of tell, and where I need to further develop (or cut) scenes. After I’ve made those changes, I’ll do a big search and destroy of all those unnecessary words (like JUST and REALLY and THAT and so many more) and I’ll find those filter words (like KNEW and FELT and others). I have a big list of things I need to look at, so this is where I’ll check those things off my list.

The next step is to read it on an e-reader, which I do out loud. Reading the story aloud really helps me catch stupid typos and those things that just don’t flow right. So this revision step is about how it sounds out loud but also the grammar and punctuation.

If it’s a story I’m self-publishing, my next step is to do my paperback on CreateSpace and get a proof copy, which I’ll read through again. From that I’ll format my ebook for publication, which would be my final read-through.

It seems like a lot of steps, but at least I have an order to doing things and I feel more confident about the process. This strategy is still new to me, so I will probably be adjusting as I go, but having a plan is much more efficient way to edit.

Do you have a certain editing process that you follow? Or is it an endless stream of revisions with no point, like I used to do? Also, do you like to edit your own work or is it a necessary step to publication that you hate?

Suzi has been writing since 2010 and just recently published a horror novella called Shallow Depths. She is currently working on adult thriller and horror projects, but has many contemporary young adult stories she might publish someday too. In her non-writing time, she works as an editor for CookieLynn Publishing and mostly chases after her kids and dog.