Author: Nicole Luttrell

I'm a speculative fiction writer. That means I write about dragons, ghosts and spaceships. Sometimes I write about the ghosts of dragons on spaceships.

Book Review, Nightblade

A few months ago, I started reading indie books to review.  I really love the whole concept, you know?  Self publishing, being like an indie band, selling copies of books out of our trunks.  Still flat broke but with some die hard fans.  I mean, how cool would that be?

For the longest time, I’ve wanted to start posting reviews of books I read.  Lots of things have prevented that.  Time constraints were a big issue, of course.  I just don’t have enough time to read as much as I want.  And I read a lot that isn’t indie, of course.

Then there were the books themselves.  I really didn’t want to write a review of an indie book that I really hated.  That seemed cruel.

But then!  I just finished an indie book that I truly enjoyed.  Then I read some traditionally published stories that I wanted to share with you all, too.  So I’m going to start reviewing books on Paper Beats World.  My hope is that I’ll be able to do two a month, and I really hope a lot of them will be indie books.  But I make no promises.

Anyway, the indie book that changed my mind is called NightBlade, by Garrett Robinson.  It is the subject of Paper Beats World’s very first book review.

This was a really fast paced fantasy story about a girl named Loren.  She’s a pretty miserable young woman.  Her parents are horrible to her, seeing her only for what she can do for them.  But she’s got little more than a fantasy of being a thief to sustain her until a mage stumbles into her village, tailed by lawmen.

Now,the book isn’t without it’s flaws.  The secondary characters like the father and village boy who’s in love with Lauren are pretty one dimensional.  Other characters, like Lauren herself, aren’t though.  While I do question her desire to actually run off with some stranger, she’s interesting.

All in all, I liked Nightblade.  It was a fun read, even if it didn’t do more than that.

1

Said Is Not Dead!

I’ve been seeing this phrase around the internet recently, and I’ve got to tell you, it’s pissing me off.  “Said is dead.”  Have you seen this?  I really hope that it’s just a trend, and it dies a merciless death soon.

Said is a simple word.  He said, she said, they said.  I like simple words when I’m writing, and I’m not alone.  Steven King and I might not agree on outlines or how many sex scenes a horror story needs, but we do agree on this.  At least according to his book On Writing, which should be on every indie author’s reading list.

I understand that there are a lot of reasons people want to use more complex words, especially in transition.  You might think they’re boring, or that maybe your line of dialog wasn’t clear, so it needs a little help.  Maybe you just want to show off how smart you are.  Here, though, are five reasons why you should reconsider.

You should always use the right word for the situation

For example, the word very. (This is about all simple words, not just said)  I hate the word very when used in description.  The sun was not very bright.  It was blistering, it was sparkling.  He had never seen a brighter sun.  The writer who uses very in description is being lazy.  They are half assing it.

But, your characters should be free to use very whenever they please, so long as the dialog rings true for them.  If “the sun is very bright today,” sounds like what your character would say, then let her say it.  The same goes for any simple word.

If a simple word will do, it’s probably best to just use it

Especially if it was the first word that came to mind.  That is most likely to be the most natural, and most comfortable word.  Which means that it’s less likely to jar the reader.  If I read a line with the word pejorative, for instance, that’s jarring.  I know what it means, but negative would have worked just as well.  Now I’ve got the chant from that Simpson’s episode where Homer is accused of pinching the baby sitter’s bottom because she had candy stuck to her.  Totally great episode, but now I’m not thinking about your story anymore.  Complex words, when not needed, confuse laymen and distract word nerds.

Using complex words doesn’t mean you’re talking down to your readers

The New York Times is written to a fifth grade reading level.  Let’s just start with that.  So if such a well known big name newspaper is aiming there, you shouldn’t feel bad at all about writing to a similar level.  But always remember that simple words do not equal a simple thought.  Think of Steinbeck, author of such books as Of Mice And Men and Grapes Of Wrath.  Do you consider those books condescending?  Me either, yet the language is the very simplest.

If you’re writing for kids, don’t listen to me

I have a pretty impressive vocabulary, because I watch Simpsons and read Calvin and Hobbs.  I am not making that up.  My monsters are even better than I was at their age, because they read Calvin and Hobbs and Series of Unfortunate Events.  I love children writers who use great stories to teach difficult words.

I, however, am not writing for kids, so I really do not care to expand my audience’s vocabulary.  I would settle for teaching people to use the words they already know better.

Finally, the number one reason to use simple words

Your job as a fiction writer is to tell a story.  Your job as a non fiction writer is to convey information in an entertaining way.  Whatever words you chose should help you do that, not distract from it.  Just use said, and tell the damn story.

3

My Goal has Been To Entertain

So, today is a pretty important anniversary.  Paper Beats World is officially, today, a year old.

Honestly, a year ago I didn’t have any faith in my ability to get this far.  Full disclosure, this is not my first blog.

When I was a high school kid I started a political blog, like I had any idea what the hell I was talking about.  I kept it up for about a month, and had one follower that I think must have followed literally every political blog on  the internet.  This was the early 2000’s, so it was possible.

About two years ago, I started a blog called Mad Mod Moms, a blog dedicated to modern mothers.  I blogged under the pen name Mad Hat Mom, shortened to MHM on all of my posts, and worked with my real life best friend who is also a career mom like me.  That didn’t last.  Neither of us had the time, really, and neither of us really wanted to write about parenting that much.  Maybe we would have stuck with it if we’d had any followers, but no one, it seemed, cared to hear what the Mad Mod Moms had to say.

So it was with great fear that I started Paper Beats World.  I don’t know that I would have if not for that fateful phrase my little monster said to me, over a year ago now.  For those of you who haven’t yet read my very first post, “I am a writer,” this is what she said.  “I want to write when I grow up, like as a hobby, like you.”  Thus began my year long tirade against stamp collectors.

I started because I wanted to not only make myself feel like more of a writer, but also help and inspire others to feel like writers too.

I kept going because of you.

Right from the start, you have all been so amazing, all of you who read me.  You like my posts, comment, follow me on social media.  I hope that you’re getting something good from Paper Beats World, for all the good that you have poured into my life.

Over the past year, I have learned so much.  Today, I want to share what I’ve learned with you.

People do not like it when I change themes too often.

I notice a dramatic drop anytime I change the theme of Paper Beats World.  Like crash and burn drop, for at least a week.  So I try to avoid it.  Besides, I like the theme I use now.  It showcases the posts, and that’s what you guys are here for.  I hope.

Free programs help

When I used to look at other people’s blogs, I’d get so jealous of their graphics.  I was sure they must have some intense software or mad art skills to pull that off.  I was also sure that I would never have a way to make those.  And newsletters?  No, no way, not going to happen.  Those sorts of things were for writers with way more time/money/friends with computer graphics degrees.  But then I discovered Canva and Mailchimp.  With them I, for free, make super awesome graphics and put together a really neat newsletter.  It’s just amazing what’s available to use out there.

Schedule Everything!

Because life happens.  As I am very fond of saying, we don’t write in a bubble.  I have, multiple times now, run into emergency situations that prevented me from posting.  But I didn’t miss a beat, because I had already posted everything for the week.  Now with Buffer I can do that with Twitter and Facebook.  I love it.

People in countries will read me

Hello, everyone in Russia, Australia and all the other super cool countries that read me!  You are a constant surprise and an endless source of joy.  It reminds me every day that I am a citizen of planet Earth, not just America.  I love you guys.

No one is going to click on ads on my site, and I don’t care at all

I really don’t.  My first collection of short stories will be done soon, and that’s what I want to do to make money.  Not selling adspace.

One person can make my whole life light up

Some days, I get a like on a post.  Some days, I get a retweet, or a like on Facebook.  And some days, I really need that.  So thanks, guys.  Thanks for this past year, and here’s to many more to come.

Stay tuned.

2

What to Do When You’re Stuck

What do you do when the ideas don’t come?  When you stare at a blank page, and there is nothing inside your heart or your brain to put on it?  This is something that every writer must face at least sometimes.
What’s worse, for me at least, is when I’m looking at a story, and I just have no idea what to do with it.  The parts that are there are good, they are so good!  But they don’t click together, they don’t make sense, they don’t mesh.  I hate that so much more.
One way or another, if you’re stuck, you’ve got to get unstuck.  I can think of nothing worse.  It’s like all the color goes right out of my life.  Now, I know there are a lot of home remedies for curing writers block.  It’s kind of like hiccups, everyone’s got their own weird thing that works for them.  (Mine’s sugar, pured right on the tip of my toung, then drunk down with warm water.)  So I’m going to try to avoid the cliches like go take a walk or wash your hands.  Not that those things don’t work, I just bet you’ve probably heard them enough.  In fact, if your like me, the next person who tells you to take a walk while suffering writers block is likely to get knocked in the jaw.
Read through your idea book
That’s always my step one, and why I have an idea book to start with.  I don’t need to think of something new, I’ve already thought of a whole little purple moleskin book full of ideas!  I just have to start from there, and see where they take me.  This only works if I’m stuck for a short fiction idea, though. If I’m stuck in the middle of a book, I have a different tool.
Read your story notes
Because you forgot about something.  Some sub plot that you wanted to explore and you haven’t gotten to yet.  Maybe there’s a character that you meant to expand on, a relationship that was supposed to go north or south but instead has broken even.  At very least, your first notes represent your first splash of inspiration for your story.  Don’t discount that.
Go somewhere else
I like coffee shops, personally because sometimes I’m Captain Cliche.  But usually the first sign that I’m suffering from writers block is when I start cleaning during my writing time.  When the call of the dishes is louder than the call of my pen, I need to get out of the house.  It doesn’t matter where, but I need to get out.
Plot Bunnies
A plot bunny, if you don’t know, is an event in your story line that spawns other events by necessity.  Like if a character gets pregnant, or dies, or there’s a natural disaster.  Anything that causes other things to then happen.  Just don’t forget the first law of plot bunnies; just because you write it doesn’t mean it has to stay.  If it’s a dumb plot line that doesn’t fit with the rest of your story but it did get your pen moving again, then it served it’s purpose and it’s time for it to die.  Better one plot bunny than the whole story.
Free write
Alright, so I know this is my cure for everything, but there’s a reason.  It really does cure everything.  I think it works because I know I’m going to throw it away.  There’s no pressure with free writing.  I don’t even put it in a book, except for my morning pages.  Usually I scratch it out onto a loose leaf page and toss it when I’m done.  So if you’re stuck, just get your pen moving, and thow it away later.
Find a contest with a theme
When I look onto a blank page, the possibilities are endless.  Thats…frustrating.  There are so many directions to go, and I sometimes can not make a decision.  If I have a theme to work with, I have a starting point.  I have a direction.  Some of my best work has been inspired by theme contests.  I didnt’ win the contest, but I got the story published elsewhere.  So, I won in the end.
Read writing forums
I love talking shop.  You could probably tell that, what with the writing blog and all.  But I love listening to other people talk shop too.  Sometimes I just need to feel like a writer, surounded by other writers, talking shop like it’s just any other job.  I think sometimes I get caught up in the whole ‘artist’ mindset.  I’m creating!  I’m inventing!  That’s super and all, but sometimes it’s crippling to think like that.  Sometimes I need to see it as a job that needs done, so that my Western Pennsylvania blue collar ‘you go to work with a broken arm because that’s what you do’ mentality kicks in.  Childhood conditoning to the rescue.
Read in general
Okay, this one might be a cliche, but it bears repeating.  If I can’t write, I read.  My tastes vary, but I usually find myself reading young adult fiction or horror.  Short story collections are another favorite of mine.  Anything that reminds me how good a good story feels will do.
Take a day off
Go explore a cave, or walk the dog, or visit the zoo, or sit at the park by the fountain.  Take your bullet journal, but don’t feel compelled to write.  If you haven’t take a break for awhile, that could be why your stuck.  Your brain needs a break just like any other part of your body.
Think about what might be blocking you
Here’s what it comes down to for me.  Usually, writers block means the story isn’t working for me.  If it doesn’t work for me, it’s not going to work for anyone else, so that’s a problem.  I need to figure out why it isn’t working.  More times than one, that has lead me to toss out whole quarters of my books, whole rough drafts of short stories, and once a whole half of a manuscript.  But if it’s not working, it’s not working, and it’s better to scrap the whole thing and start over than to try to make a square peg fit into a circular hole.
I hope that you are never faced with writers block, but you probably will be.  Hopefully, you aren’t stuck there too long.
2

The Importance of Keeping a Journal for Writers

Not long ago I got that Erin Condron planner I’ve been wanting for about a year.  I was so excited, snoopy dancing around the house.  It holds so much information!

It also held my weekly and daily to do lists, moving them out of my bullet journal.

Now, to be fair, that leaves a lot of things still in my bullet journal.  Here’s a small list of what’s still there after six months.

  • Lists of movies I want to see, books I want to read and songs I want to download.
  • Short story ideas.
  • Notes for Woven
  • Lists of things I want to do every season.

That still leaves all sorts of room, though.  After all, that cuts out my daily, weekly, and monthly goals.  That takes the vast majority of my journal.

Well, I needed to fix that.  I have been really bad about keeping a personal journal my whole life.  Try as I might, I will keep a journal for a day or two, maybe a week, then stop.  But now I’ve got all these lovely journals lying around.

So I’ve been keeping a journal for about two weeks.  And I’m realizing something.  I should have started this a long time ago.  Here’s what I’ve learned after just two weeks of consistent journal keeping.

  • My attention to detail has improved, because I’m writing more of them down.  It’s kind of a good skill for a writer to know.
  • I find that I’m writing about people around me.  Character studies, people, character studies!
  • When I finish my day by writing down details, it helps me to see the day in perspective.  I can see it, good and bad, for what it was.  It was a day, and now it’s over.
  • I think when my hand is moving, and what comes out is not always what I thought would.
  • It’s therapeutic.  Really, it is.  Let’s face it, as a wife, mommy, and crippling introvert, I am not always at liberty to say what I’m thinking.  Sometimes, though, you’ve got to get something out.  Like poison.

Basically, what it comes down to is this; keeping a journal helps you learn people, details and your own brain better.

Of course, because it’s me and I’m always incorporating new things, I added a few new things.  One big one in particular.  I’m listing three things I’m grateful for at the end of every day.  I got the idea from a book called Simple Abundance, by Sarah Ban Breathnah.  As she says, you will just not be the same person after listing your blessings at the end of each night.

If none of those reasons are enough, consider this.  Your story, your every day story, is more interesting than any story you will ever write.  There are reasons why autobiographies are published every year.  Consider I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou or One More Time by Carol Burnett.  I love stories about real people.  It doesn’t need to be about someone famous, though I do love stories about writers.  Everyone’s life is amazing, everyone has stories to tell.  Tell yours.

0

How Do You Come Up With Your Ideas

Ideas are our raw material. They are the start of everything, the spark of life, the very first atom. You get an idea, and then another, then another that might stick the first two together in a wonderful ball of a story.

As writers, we are little more than idea polishers. We take, them, steal them, collect them, grow them, all of us trying like hell to come up with one that doesn’t look like everyone else. And if you’re the least bit successful, or if you’ve got irritating friends that are amazed by you, you’ve probably been asked where you get them.
Well, where do you get them? Where does anyone get them? I’ve never been the kind of writer who believed much in muses who will sprinkle inspiration dust on us in our sleep. I’ve always been more of the opinion that to get ideas I must live my life and experience the world, and ideas will come to me. Read the paper, go to a museum, go tour a coal mine, that sort of thing. I think that living your life will give you more material than you could ever have time to write about, if you only listen to what’s going on around you.
Of course, you also need the right tools, and know how to use them. Here are the tools I use.
Dream Journals and Idea Journals
Yes, I know, how very twelve year old girl of me, shut up. Your subconcious is two things, honest and illogical. These are awesomely good things when writing fiction, and it behooves you to write this stuff down when it’s presented to you without any effort.
As for an idea journal, I suggested you get one of these on the first of the month. This is the thing that you have with you at all time, so that when you get one of those wonderful bolt from the blue moments you can get it down right then.
Personally, I have my dream journal, private journal and idea notebook as parts of my bullet journal. That makes my life easier, because I only have one book that has all of my story ideas, random observations, rolling to do lists, and random lists in one place. Basically, it’s my external hard drive.
Mind Mapping
I love mind maps.  I am a very visual person, and so the ability to write out my thoughts, and where my thoughts might lead.  I can start with one image, and just shoot of things that it makes me think of.  If I’m working on an outline, for instance, I might have two or three things I know I want to have happen in this book.  I write them down, and start thinking of what could happen due to these things, and how they might be connected to each other, and what plot bunnies might manifest.  Characters that might be good here, snippets of dialog, whatever comes to my mind.  I fill pages, without a single bit of judgement.
Free writing
This is an often mentioned but unappreciated tactic.  Grab a piece of paper, and just start writing.  If you’re trying to think of an idea, just write.  Write about the moon, or the street or the guy that just drove past on his bike with a milk crate attached to the back that had a dog in it. (No lie, he lives in my town).
If you doubt that this would work, just remember that this is just how I came up with Woven.  I was free writing, and came up with the main character.  Just saying.
Lists
I don’t know, might have mentioned a few times before, I love lists.  Lists of fears, hates, loves, favorite foods, you name it I love them.  And they can be such a great creative tool.  They make you get past the knee jerk reaction, and streatch.  So, if you’re really stuck for an idea, start listing.  List bad ideas, people you miss, places you wish you were, things you want to do this weekend, whatever interests you at the time.
Writing Prompts and Contests
If all else fails, turn to the internet.  Type writing prompts into Google, then hit ‘I’m Feeling Lucky.’  You will find something random and awesome.
I love writing prompts, because you can give the same prompt to five different writers and get six different stories back.  (There’s always got to be that one guy who comes up with two ideas, you know.)
I also love anthologies and contests that give you a theme to work off.  It helps me direct my creative energy.  When I use that, though, I always throw away the first three story ideas I come up with, because I’m sure that’s what everyone else is writing about.  It’s just the law of averages.  And if an anthology asks for a story about cats, and they get three stories about chasing mice, and one about chasing birds, they’re probably going to print the bird one and the best of the three nice ones.
Once you have your ideas, keep them somewhere versatile until you’re ready to use them.  Personally, if I haven’t used a story idea by the time I’ve finished my bullet journal, they get transitioned into my writing binder, that has a whole mess of lose leaf paper and can be updated weekly.
0

Market, Betwixt

Last call for Thirty Days, Thirty Ideas. The fun starts tomorrow, don’t be left out. Click right here to sign up.

This weeks market is a fun one called Betwixt. I have a soft spot in my heart for literary magazines, ever since I spent my youth carefully crafting submissions to them. (I only ever got into one, with some sappy teenage poem. My very first published piece, and I don’t even remember the name of the magazine.

Betwixt is in the same vein as the magazines I remember. It’s very artistic and not a fan of genres. They say they like stories that smas genres to smitherines.

Genre- Speculative fiction. Which basically means, tell your story and don’t worry about genre.
Word Count- 4,000 to 7,000
Sub date- August 31
Payout- 3 cents per word, up to $225
Wait time- two weeks
Rights- They purchase first rights, and ask for exclusivity for three months.

Here, then, is your link to the full submission guidelines.

And now, your writing prompt for the weekend.

Imagine, if you will, that you have been asked to write an episode of your favorite show. But when you arrive to start writing, they tell you that you will have to kill off your favorite character!

1

The Writing Life, July 28

You’ve only got two more days to sign up for Thirty Days, Thirty Ideas!  Don’t forget, click here to sign up now!

I have come full circle.  I spent a lot of time this week watching Friends with the older of my two monsters.  She’s old enough to get the jokes, and that makes me cringe a little.  (Okay, a lot.)  But I like sharing this with her.  We’re having a lot of family time this week, which has been really nice.  The monsters are going back to school in a month, so I’m trying to fit in as much mommy time as I can before fall.

Tell you what else has been rocking my world this week, Ray Donovan.  If you’re not watching it, do.  The fist two episodes were awesome!

Even so, I am not looking forward to the end of July.  I swear, Independence Day was just last week, and now all the school stuff is out.  But then again, all the school stuff is out!  I am going to buy so many notebooks!

What Rocked This Week

  • I got two rejections letters this week.  I know that sounds bad, but it’s not.  It means I have two stories to send out again.  Two stories, two chances to get published, and I’ve already written the stories.

What I’m Looking Forward to This Week

  • I’m going to be getting Go Set A Watchman on Thursday, (Actually, by the time you read this, I will have had the book since last Thursday, and surely nearly done with it.)  Look forward to a review.
  • As already mentioned, I will be hitting the back to school sale, and I will be hitting it hard!  Every year I buy all of the office supplies I will need for the whole year, except for my Le Pens.
  • We are hitting this great local museum on Thursday, dedicated to Asian art.  It’s one of my favorite things to do.  After that we’re going to our local frozen yogurt place, called Morgans.
  • I am still creeping along on the fourth draft of Broken Patterns, but I am an inch away from finishing part one of three.  I know that sounds like a stupid mile stone, but trust me, two years into this project and small mile stones are still shiny.

What are you doing this week?  Anything exciting and summery?  Also, don’t forget that I post a monthly brag board on the last day of the month.  I would so love to share with the world, or at least the small corner of the world who reads Paper Beats World, the fantastic things you guys are doing.  You are all awesome people on an amazing journey to being published writers.  Tell us all about it!

0

Balancing Social Media With Actual Writing

Just four more days until the start of Thirty Days, Thirty Ideas.  Sign up now, or regret it later.  Click right here to sign up.

So, I don’t know if this is a strength or weakness for me, but I really hate, loath and despise social media.  I hate Facebook, don’t have a private account.  I sort of like Twitter, if I’m very careful who I follow, (I am downright allergic to gossip.  Don’t care about celebrities, who’s doing what and all that mess.)  I have found recently that I like twitter chats, if peopled by cool people.  I love blogging because I’ve met some awesome people, but do I spend hours reading my Facebook feeds and chatting?  Um, no.

Here’s the problem, though.  Writers need social media.  Not just freelance writers.  There’s an anthology coming out with my story in it, and I get paid based on how many of them sell.  I kind of want people who like my writing to know about it.  Actually, I kind of want people who like my writing to be able to find it in general, know when it’s coming out and such.  I also like knowing this about my favorite indie authors.  So, while it’s taken me some time, I’ve warmed up to social media.  (Pintrest is the exception.  I fell in love, and I an never leaving Pintrest.)

There are a lot of people that don’t feel the way I do.  There are people who seriously need an intervention when it comes to social media.  They don’t have the struggles I do, trying to remember to tweet at least once a day and thinking of something witty to say on Facebook.  But they’re losing writing time to gossip time.  That’s fine, I’m not one to judge how someone spends their leisure time.  Just don’t spend an hour in a flame war with some jack ass from the other side of the world because they don’t like your favorite movie and call it work.

So, which side do you fall on?  There are pros and cons to each.

Social Media Haters-

Pros-

  • We have a lot more time to write, which is good because time is our biggest commodity.  When I googled average hours spent on social media, the average result was three hours.  So ask yourself, what kind of writing could you get done if you spent three hours doing it every day?
  • Social media is a great place to make a horses ass of yourself.  I did it myself more than once, before I got wise.  I am really political, (not that you all might have noticed,) and it is so easy to lose my temper online.
  • I’m all about being super loud about what’s going on in my life, but I am very particular about what about my family gets shared.  Social media encourages people to share way, way, way too much.  We are trying to be household names here, people.  I want to be on the cover of Writers Digest, not The Sun.

Cons-

  • I have to schedule tweets.  I have to think about what I’m going to say, unless responding to someone else.  Or tweeting Ray Donovan information.
  • I forget to update things.
  • I forget to read my feeds, which means when I open it after days and days, I’ve got so much to catch up with.

Social Media Lovers-

Pros

  • You get the word out, you writers who are all over social media.  Man, do I know when your books are coming out, and I am all over them.
  • You encourage followers to look at you over all sources.  So if you miss someone on one, you’ll get them on another.
  • When people love you, they share you.  They share your posts, your comments, your thoughts.  And that, I mean that feels great.  It means that if you’ve got a fan, he might share you enough that his buddy becomes a fan, or his niece, or his high school chum who stumbled upon you on his Facebook feed.
  • You have the opportunity to brighten someone’s day.  Which, I think, is one of the best things about being a writer to start with.

Cons-

  • Time.  That’s the biggest thing about social media.  Time is precious, and social media takes up too much of it if not kept in check.

So, you’ve go to strike a balance.  Here are my tips, for no matter what side of the wall you fall on.

Tips for the haters, (like me)

  • Schedule it.  Put it on your to do list.  I might not like tweeting, but I do like checking things off my to do list.  It gives me one really easy thing to check off my list.
  • Take advantage of the fact that you really want to get on, write something, then get off by doing so.
  • Don’t connect with your friends and family on social media.  This sounds really hard, but you’ve got to set that barrier.  If your friends understand you, they will understand why you’re not friending them.  Besides, you’re probably already not friended to them anyway.
  • Don’t play games.  That was the quickest way I lost time when I was a Facebook addict.  It got to the point where I didn’t even want to log on, because it was going to take so much time to get through everything before I even got to reading my feed.
  • Reward yourself by enjoying the good side of social media.  I’ve made friends, joined in live chats for my favorite shows, and followed people I adore so that I enjoy reading my twitter feed.

Tips for the social media atticts

  • Again, a timer is your friend.  Decide before you get on how long you’re going to spend on Facebook, and get off when the time is up.
  • It’s hard to not want to multitask when it comes to social media.  You can tell yourself, “It’s okay that I’m checking up on my high school crush, because I’m also making important contacts.  To avoid this sort of self sabotaging talk, have two social media accounts.  One that’s personal, and one that you use as you, the writer.  Then, when you’re on to have fun, you’re on to have fun.  When you’re on to work, you’re not distracted by Farmville.  It also helps you get into the right mentality.  You are not you, the person when you are on your business site.  You are a writer, and you are here to do a job.
  • Once you have two sites, stick to friending and following writing and business related topics, so your feeds don’t get crammed with useless nonsense.
  • Have a buddy, perferably a writing buddy, hold you accountable.  Have them friend you, and take you to task if you start talking about useless crap or starting a flame war.  Then, do the same for them.

Finally, two tips for everyone

  • The internet is forever, don’t say anything you wouldn’t want your boss or an agent to know you said.  Unless you’re really ready to back that shit up.  I mean, I am all about being a democrat, feminist, pro gay marriage and all that.  These are things that, if they lose me a business relation, I didn’t want it anyway.
  • My general rule of thumb is this.  For every hour I spend writing, I should spend ten minutes, and only ten minutes, tweeting, pinning, or commenting on Facebook.  No more, no less, unless I’m attending a specific event.  (Though, as a tip, when I’m attending a twitter chat, I use that time to get caught up with Facebook, since it is my least favorite.)

What do you think about social media?  Does it annoy you, or control you?

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