Category: Writing (Page 12 of 12)

Social Media Icons

I’m A Writer, But How Do I Tweet?

October 26, 2015 /

Social Media Icons

For some writers, social media is one of those do-I-have-to? commitments. It might seem like one more distraction from your writing, one more unnecessary to pile onto all your necessaries. I’ll admit it–I used to feel the same way. I guess I just never saw the point in it. Could Facebook or Twitter actually make me a better writer?

Well…no.

But even if you’re this generation’s Hemingway, no one will buy your books if they don’t know you exist. That’s where social media comes in. It’s the best form of advertising a writer can ask for: it’s free, you can do it yourself, and it’s a great way to get a direct line to fans and other authors.

Before we continue, let’s take a step back. I learned what I know about social media marketing from working at a company called TeamSnap. We produce an app that condenses everything a youth sports coach or parent needs into one place. So if you need to know who’s coming to the next game, when and where that game is, and who’s bringing what refreshments, you’ll want to try us.

I help run the social media accounts for TeamSnap. Basically, I post the day-to-day content, answer questions folks might have for us, and drive traffic to our marketing site. It’s a very unique company and I’ve learned a lot about social media marketing from my coworkers.

One thing I’ve learned: people are brutally honest on social media. As a marketer, that’s good information to have; if people are upset with your product, they’ll write angry statuses about it.

It’s the same thing with your book. If you’re an author, the people you should be pleasing most (after yourself and your mom, of course), are your fans. So if you’ve got a character in there that everyone hates–the Jar Jar Binks of your novel, if you will–your readers will tell you. In your next book, maybe you can kill that character off, or write him out of your series by inexplicably giving him a position on the intergalactic senate…

Furthermore, having a direct line to other writers is something that didn’t really exist before Twitter. Let me tell you a story: I happened to tweet about a guy named Paolo Bacigalupi, who you might know as the author of The Windup Girl, which Time Magazine named as one of the top 10 fiction books of 2009. Here’s my tweet:

And here’s the response I got (which I was not expecting):

Yeah. This is why I like Twitter.

Don’t think of social media as some stupid thing people spend all their time on. Well, it can be. But it doesn’t need to be. For us writers, social media is a medium through which we can discover potential readers and fellow writers. At its best, it’s another tool in the toolbox (you’re welcome, Stephen King).

So get on Twitter or Facebook and give it a shot.

And feel free to follow me on Twitter here.

Sound Wave

Podcasts for Writers

May 25, 2015 /

Sound Wave

Being a writer can be really lonely. In fact, the great Neil Gaiman recently compared writing to death, so that says a lot about the process. When you spend your time in a room by yourself, it can be tough to avoid the feeling that you’re all alone.

Sorry. That got really sad, really fast.

Anyway, if you’re a writer and you’re feeling lonely or maybe even a little dead, try listening to a writing podcast. Nobody writes in a vacuum, so it’s encouraging to hear what great writers are doing, what’s going on in the industry, and how you can improve.

These are three of my personal favorites, and, since I’m a bit of a nerd, they’re mostly oriented for a speculative fiction enthusiast. It is known.

The Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy

This is probably my favorite podcast to date. Hosted by writer David Barr Kirtley, the Geek’s Guide has amazing guests each and every week. Just to name a few: George R.R. Martin, Philip Pullman, Margaret Atwood, Chuck Palahniuk, Neal Stephenson, Ursula K. Le Guin, David Cronenberg, and Felecia Day.

Kirtley’s also an excellent host. An accomplished short fiction writer, he knows his stuff when it comes to fantasy, science fiction, and geek culture in general. One of his best moments as a host is episode 145 with Kazuo Ishiguro. At the end of the initial interview, Ishiguro turns the tables and interviews Kirtley on all things speculative fiction. These are two very smart guys going back and forth on where speculative fiction fits into literature and why it’s not always accepted by the mainstream. It’s a very cool moment.

Speculate!

Speculate! was my introduction to writing podcasts, and a good one at that. Hosts Brad Beaulieu and Greg Wilson work very well together on the air and they’re definitely knowledgable on the subject. While they don’t get quite the same number of high-profile guests as Geek’s Guide, their show is still pretty awesome. And, even if you haven’t heard of everyone on the show, it’s always nice to discover someone new.

Every once in a while, they also do roundtable discussions on particular books. These are great for writers because the hosts break down the author’s style, analyze entire passages, and even talk with the authors themselves. If you’re looking for in-depth writing discussion, you’ve found your podcast.

Writing Excuses

Though I’ve listened to this one the least among the three, I like it a lot already. Hosted by Mary Robinette Kowal, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, and Dan Wells, each episode is a fun and insightful fifteen minutes. That’s right–where Geeks’ Guide and Speculate! run about an hour, Writing Excuses episodes go for just a quarter of that time.

The official tagline of the podcast explains the runtime: “Fifteen minutes long, because you’re in a hurry, and we’re not that smart.” They’re pretty darn smart, though. They cover any topic a writer could think of, from agents to outlining to world building to critiquing. Each episode ends with a writing prompt too, which is fun when you’re looking for ideas, which is, like, always. 

In conclusion…

Podcasts are really cool. The ones listed above are excellent resources for information on the publishing world, the speculative fiction climate, and just about anything to do with writing. They’re perfect for those days when you need a little inspiration. Plus, they’re free. And you don’t have to be a writer to love free stuff.

Go listen!

…

P.S. Does anyone know of any other good podcasts for writers? I’m always looking, so if there are any you particularly like, please let me know!

Getting Rejections is Like Eating Vegetables

May 18, 2015 /
Vegetables

I apologize in advance to vegans, vegetarians, and anyone who actually likes vegetables.

“I don’t like green food.”

That’s me, age seven or so. This was my go-to excuse for avoiding peas, lettuce, cucumbers, celery, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts–especially Brussels sprouts. The only vegetables I’d eat were tomatoes, and I’ve just recently learned that they’re not even vegetables–they’re technically fruit. (I still don’t believe this.)

So, yeah. When I was a kid, I did not like vegetables.

As I grew older, though, I understood why my parents gave me the veggie treatment. They’re not the flashiest, sexiest food out there, they don’t leave you with the sugar-high of a chocolate chip cookie, but vegetables have the nutrients and nourishment everyone needs to stay healthy.

…

I received a rejection letter today. It was from an online magazine which I’d carefully selected, one that seemed to be a perfect landing place for the short story I was shopping. “Hundredfingers” is the name of that story. It’s only about 2,500 words, yet from first draft to last, I’d estimate I’ve spent over twenty hours on this piece.

Here’s a paraphrase of what I got in return:

Thank you for submitting to our magazine. Unfortunately, we won’t be publishing your piece. Thank you for your time, and we hope you submit again soon.

That was my rejection letter, which is essentially the same rejection letter every other magazine offers.

So, yeah. I do not like rejections.

But for writers, getting rejected really is like eating your vegetables. How else would you grow? How else would you become the thriving, successful writer you’ll be in ten years? Rejections might leave a bad taste in your mouth–but they’ll make you stronger than you’ve ever been.

…

When I was a senior in college, I thought I was going to be a pro writer in no time. I’d been writing a thousand words a day, I’d been getting excellent feedback on my creative work in class, and I had a short story that was the greatest thing since Sandkings (truth: it wasn’t that good).

I spent the next six months of my life shopping this story around. I went to all the big markets: F&SF, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Apex, Lightspeed. I was expecting a heavily-frosted layer cake from these magazines, one with the words “Congratulations, we’d love to publish you’re story!” written in blue icing.

I didn’t get a cake. I got brussels sprouts.

At first, I was devastated. I questioned whether I should be writing at all. Was I good enough? Did anyone but me care about my work? Why was I even doing this?

It took about six months for me to come to terms with my rejection, but when I did, I realized how awesome it really was. Because I actually looked back at my story, this time through a critical lens, and I found glaring hole after glaring hole. I fixed them, I gathered feedback from friends, family, and my Editor-in-Chief (my girlfriend), and I made changes. Big changes. I sent my story out again.

Three months later, I received an email. My short story had been accepted for publication.

…

Rejection is tough to swallow. It’s tough to spend hours and days of your life on a piece, to fall in love with your characters and pour over that one sentence that just doesn’t sound right. It’s so tough to work so hard, only to receive a generic rejection three months later.

But it’s necessary.

Because if you’re a writer, a real writer, all those rejections will only make you want it more. If all you ate was ice cream every day, it wouldn’t be much of a treat. Likewise, if every piece you wrote was published every time, you’d lose the fire you need to keep writing that next one. That better one.

So don’t stop eating your vegetables. Don’t stop getting rejected. I promise I’ll keep doing it as long as you do.

But not brussels sprouts. Never brussels sprouts.

My Recent Experience Without Internet

April 6, 2015 /

WiFi

 

Last week, my girlfriend Sara and I were watching some sweet NCAA action when our Internet decided to take a snooze. We did a lot of screaming, and then pouting, maybe a little crying. Finally, we just gave up and went to bed.

For the next few days, the signal continually and sporadically came in and out, which got pretty annoying while I was trying to send emails. I grabbed my trusty iPhone and called up customer support (because when one piece of technology isn’t functioning, you should always use another. And they say Terminator will never be reality…)

The representative on the other end informed me, of course, that our Internet was working just fine. “Also, it says here that you’re eligible for a free account upgrade for no extra charge. Would you like me to go ahead and get you started on that?” I thought it was odd to start a sales pitch after a customer complaint, but I guess I admired his persistence. Still, the answer was no.

I got off the phone, and I looked out my window with newfound wonder. It was like when Neo took the red pill in the The Matrix. No longer did I have to be plugged in all the time, keeping track of short story submissions or the NCAA Basketball Tournament or who’s being eaten on The Walking Dead. For once, I could spend a Sunday doing something other than web surfing.

But, disappointingly, the first thing I did was go for my computer.

Oh well. I guess old habits die hard. But, without Wikipedia and MagicTheGathering.com on hand, I instead went straight to Scrivener and opened up my latest project. Sure, I was still on the computer, still worshipping the Apple God, but at least I was writing and not wasting time. In fact, I think I did some of my best writing in recent memory.

Afterward, I really did put down the ol’ computer and picked up a book. Sara and I always read before bed, but sometimes we don’t have enough time, or we’re too tired, or we elect to watch that extra episode on Netflix instead. We read for hours, though, and it was really awesome. (If you haven’t checked out George R.R. Martin’s Dreamsongs collections, please stop reading this article, go down to your nearest bookstore, purchase it, and read it. If you purchase an eBook copy, shame on you–you’ve missed the entire point of this blog.)

I’m thankful for the Internet. I’m thankful that there’s a place on there for my fiction, which I will now unabashedly hyperlink here. I’m thankful that I can get news stories and see what my friends are doing in real-time, and watch videos of Nicolas Cage threatening to kill old ladies. The internet is an awesome thing.

But unplugging (sort of) for a while allows you to cut down on all those inane distractions. Don’t get me wrong–I’m not on my way to Walden Pond anytime soon. It’s just that we don’t always need to be connected to the net.

And now the Internet’s back and stronger than ever (five little semi-circle Wi-Fi waves, baby), and I’m sure I’ll be back to looking up pirates and Elder Dragon Highlander decks.

But I’m glad I had the experience, at least for a little while, of existing without the internet. And next time I sit down to write, I might even be so bold as to shut the Wi-Fi off altogether.

Just don’t quote me on that, though…

Newer posts »

Disclosure: Some links on this site may be affiliate links. This means I earn a commission on sales made through those links, while you pay no additional cost. Just another way to support indie authors like me!

© 2026 Kyle A. Massa

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑