Showing posts with label Twitter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Twitter. Show all posts
Friday, March 11, 2011
Twitter tips
Sorry I've been absent this week. I'd intended to be physically absent and attend the EPIC conference, but, as sometimes happens, real life intervened. So I want to wish all the EPIC finalists good luck, and have a great time in Williamsburg.
Real life aside, I wanted to pass along this link - it contains some very useful tips on how to use Twitter, for those authors like me who need someone to hold their hands through the process. Tweet on!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Confessions of a tech dweeb
Time to come clean. I'm a total tech dweeb. Generally, I manage to get something the way I want it by sheer persistence, clicking on this or that button or link until something changes to my liking.
One site that baffles me is Goodreads. I admit, I have avoided it for months after setting up an account because I just can't figure it out. It looks simple enough, but to my mind, there aren't enough buttons to click on to move or change things. :) My profile looks very unprofessional because I just can't figure out how to move the boxes. And for some reason, it won't display most of my book covers. There's some arbitrary system there, or else the site's trying to tell me my covers aren't very attractive, lol.
And another confession regards Twitter. My Facebook page is set up to send out tweets, but I am clueless with regard to the in-depth stuff, such as hashtags and actual chatting. I'm terrible at it, so I avoid it. Sorry! If I'm "following" you, it means I would love to but don't know how to, in reality.
After months of frustration, I finally figured out how to get on Networked Blogs. If you are feeling kind, I'd love for you to follow me. :) Just click on Follow this Blog in the box on the top right. Thank you!
But besides not having enough of a left brain to be of practical use, I also have the problem of time. I haven't made much progress writing this year. Life intervened in a big way, as it will. And my stories are calling me. More than calling. They're screaming, all wanting my attention at once. It wouldn't be so bad if only one or two WIPs were in the queue. But there are FOURTEEN. Yes, fourteen stories are all screaming at me at once. It's sheer pandemonium and cacophony and madness. I have to pick one and block out the others, and just sit down and write.
This week's a big week, writing-wise. Tomorrow, Amazon will announce the titles that made the first cut in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest. I'll let you know on Saturday how I made out, and what the backup plan is (if need be!). If you get curious before then, you can check the site for Dead to Rights, my urban fantasy.
Meanwhile, if you have any tips on navigating Goodreads, I'd love to hear them! Alms, alms for the tech dweeb...
One site that baffles me is Goodreads. I admit, I have avoided it for months after setting up an account because I just can't figure it out. It looks simple enough, but to my mind, there aren't enough buttons to click on to move or change things. :) My profile looks very unprofessional because I just can't figure out how to move the boxes. And for some reason, it won't display most of my book covers. There's some arbitrary system there, or else the site's trying to tell me my covers aren't very attractive, lol.
And another confession regards Twitter. My Facebook page is set up to send out tweets, but I am clueless with regard to the in-depth stuff, such as hashtags and actual chatting. I'm terrible at it, so I avoid it. Sorry! If I'm "following" you, it means I would love to but don't know how to, in reality.
After months of frustration, I finally figured out how to get on Networked Blogs. If you are feeling kind, I'd love for you to follow me. :) Just click on Follow this Blog in the box on the top right. Thank you!
But besides not having enough of a left brain to be of practical use, I also have the problem of time. I haven't made much progress writing this year. Life intervened in a big way, as it will. And my stories are calling me. More than calling. They're screaming, all wanting my attention at once. It wouldn't be so bad if only one or two WIPs were in the queue. But there are FOURTEEN. Yes, fourteen stories are all screaming at me at once. It's sheer pandemonium and cacophony and madness. I have to pick one and block out the others, and just sit down and write.
This week's a big week, writing-wise. Tomorrow, Amazon will announce the titles that made the first cut in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest. I'll let you know on Saturday how I made out, and what the backup plan is (if need be!). If you get curious before then, you can check the site for Dead to Rights, my urban fantasy.
Meanwhile, if you have any tips on navigating Goodreads, I'd love to hear them! Alms, alms for the tech dweeb...
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
I'm all a-Twitter now
Okay, I've avoided it as long as I could. Twitter seemed like another nightmare time vacuum, when I'm in the middle of a new contemporary novel that's been niggling at my brain for a month. If I don't make time to write it, it will implode my brain. But, when Joanna D'Angelo announced she was having a Romance Authors Day on Twitter, I had to make the leap.
So, if you want to follow me, I'm at http://twitter.com/CateMasters. Although frankly, if I lead you into a black hole in the universe, I can't be held responsible. I have no idea how to use it, although (I think) I set it up to be able to tweet from my cell. Theoretical, at this point, since I haven't tested it.
But more about Joanna's cool Twitter day. If you're a romance writer and haven't signed up for Twitter yet, you may want to do so now. You'll also want to follow Joanna, and join her Love Romance Novels group on Facebook. She's also the dynamo behind our popculturedivas blog, where I post once a month, along with brilliant writers, filmmakers and others.
Here's the info on the Aug. 5 Twitter chat day:
From two brilliant minds: Kim Castillo and Joanna D’Angelo comes a great idea in online social networking for the romance world.
Hey romance authors! So, you’re online are you? You have a web site, a blog and maybe even a facebook page. (We hope you have a facebook page tsk tsk!) We applaud you for that. But if you’re not on twitter then baby you better be! Twitter is a great social networking tool that enables writers to grow their contacts, writing peers and most importantly – fan base. And guess what – every time you make a change to your web site, blog or facebook page you can write a blurb on twitter and then lots and lots of people will know about it. And they’ll tell their friends and so on and so on....
But the most important reason for you to join twitter is because Kim Castillo and I are planning a really amazing day of twittering fun for fans to chat with authors!
Read on....
Taking our cue from the wonderful #askagent chat days on twitter we’re going to be running a chat day with lots and lots of terrific romance writers!
THE NAME OF THE CHAT DAY: #askromancewriter
THE DAY: Wednesday Aug. 5th
Start time: when the clock strikes midnight on Aug. 5th
End time: when the clock strikes midnight on Thurs. Aug. 6th.
THE PLACE: Twitter
THE RULES:
Every question/query you make you must start or end with #askromancewriter so it can be tracked and searched by everyone participating. That means so we can follow along with what everyone is chatting about!
And guess what – the more people involved the better. We might even become a “trending topic” on twitter. If you don’t know what that means now you will - ‘cause it’s very cool!
So between now and Aug. 5th – we’re encouraging you to join twitter – set up your account and get familiar with twitter. It’s a nice complement to facebook and a great way to connect with fellow writers and fans. You can even download an application (I think it’s on facebook) that will automatically update your facebook status from twitter. So they work well hand in hand.
If you’re a fan you can ask your favourite author a question simply by typing @theirnamehere
And of course everything has to be under 140 characters (that’s a challenge for us!) but you can continue in a follow up (I do that all the time! - no shame in that – as long as we keep using the hashtag moniker #askromancewriter – which counts as characters BTW).
This is twitter so u can use abbreviations/numbers whatever it takes to get it all in!
Here’s an example:
@EloisaJames Luv Desperate Duchesses! R u going 2 write about DD kids in future books? I.e. Jem and Harriet’s daughter #askromancewriter
Or
@Lisa Kleypas How long did it take u 2 hit NYT best seller list? Advice on how 2 get there? #askromancewriter
If you’re an aspiring writer you can ask any question you’d like of a specific author by doing the above
Or feel free to ask general questions and include #askromancewriter and one or more authors will answer. (I did that on #askagent day and I got many wonderful and informative answers to my queries).
But here’s the kicker – because it’s a chat the rest of us have to be able to read these Qs and As as well so at the end of your Q or A you must include #askromancewriter so the rest of us can use it as a search term to find out what’s being chatted about.
If you sign up now and try it out with other topics you’ll see what I mean – One of the biggest trending topics lately is sadly Michael Jackson or MJ so if you type in those words under SEARCH then you’ll see what all the comments are that people have been making regarding Michael Jackson.
As you get to know twitter you can do other cool things like post pictures (twitpics) and articles (using short urls)
Many of you access twitter through other applications such as tweetdeck and you can use that too for the chat as long as you continue to use the #askromancewriter moniker
WHY HAVE A CHAT DAY ON TWITTER?
We thought it would be a great idea to create a way for fans to be able to connect with as many of their favourite authors all at once (and not have to get out of your PJs **g*) just like a fan convention but this one will be online. It will also help foster the wonderful positive spirit in the romance community - between writers and their fans.
We’re signing up authors who will be participating in #askromancewriter day on twitter: If you’re an author – make sure you’re on this list! :D You can e-mail either Kim or myself if you want to take part.
Oh and when you join twitter – do follow us and we’ll follow you – it’s a wonderful thing!
http://twitter.com/JoannaDangelo
http://twitter.com/KimSCastillo
So, if you want to follow me, I'm at http://twitter.com/CateMasters. Although frankly, if I lead you into a black hole in the universe, I can't be held responsible. I have no idea how to use it, although (I think) I set it up to be able to tweet from my cell. Theoretical, at this point, since I haven't tested it.
But more about Joanna's cool Twitter day. If you're a romance writer and haven't signed up for Twitter yet, you may want to do so now. You'll also want to follow Joanna, and join her Love Romance Novels group on Facebook. She's also the dynamo behind our popculturedivas blog, where I post once a month, along with brilliant writers, filmmakers and others.
Here's the info on the Aug. 5 Twitter chat day:
From two brilliant minds: Kim Castillo and Joanna D’Angelo comes a great idea in online social networking for the romance world.
Hey romance authors! So, you’re online are you? You have a web site, a blog and maybe even a facebook page. (We hope you have a facebook page tsk tsk!) We applaud you for that. But if you’re not on twitter then baby you better be! Twitter is a great social networking tool that enables writers to grow their contacts, writing peers and most importantly – fan base. And guess what – every time you make a change to your web site, blog or facebook page you can write a blurb on twitter and then lots and lots of people will know about it. And they’ll tell their friends and so on and so on....
But the most important reason for you to join twitter is because Kim Castillo and I are planning a really amazing day of twittering fun for fans to chat with authors!
Read on....
Taking our cue from the wonderful #askagent chat days on twitter we’re going to be running a chat day with lots and lots of terrific romance writers!
THE NAME OF THE CHAT DAY: #askromancewriter
THE DAY: Wednesday Aug. 5th
Start time: when the clock strikes midnight on Aug. 5th
End time: when the clock strikes midnight on Thurs. Aug. 6th.
THE PLACE: Twitter
THE RULES:
Every question/query you make you must start or end with #askromancewriter so it can be tracked and searched by everyone participating. That means so we can follow along with what everyone is chatting about!
And guess what – the more people involved the better. We might even become a “trending topic” on twitter. If you don’t know what that means now you will - ‘cause it’s very cool!
So between now and Aug. 5th – we’re encouraging you to join twitter – set up your account and get familiar with twitter. It’s a nice complement to facebook and a great way to connect with fellow writers and fans. You can even download an application (I think it’s on facebook) that will automatically update your facebook status from twitter. So they work well hand in hand.
If you’re a fan you can ask your favourite author a question simply by typing @theirnamehere
And of course everything has to be under 140 characters (that’s a challenge for us!) but you can continue in a follow up (I do that all the time! - no shame in that – as long as we keep using the hashtag moniker #askromancewriter – which counts as characters BTW).
This is twitter so u can use abbreviations/numbers whatever it takes to get it all in!
Here’s an example:
@EloisaJames Luv Desperate Duchesses! R u going 2 write about DD kids in future books? I.e. Jem and Harriet’s daughter #askromancewriter
Or
@Lisa Kleypas How long did it take u 2 hit NYT best seller list? Advice on how 2 get there? #askromancewriter
If you’re an aspiring writer you can ask any question you’d like of a specific author by doing the above
Or feel free to ask general questions and include #askromancewriter and one or more authors will answer. (I did that on #askagent day and I got many wonderful and informative answers to my queries).
But here’s the kicker – because it’s a chat the rest of us have to be able to read these Qs and As as well so at the end of your Q or A you must include #askromancewriter so the rest of us can use it as a search term to find out what’s being chatted about.
If you sign up now and try it out with other topics you’ll see what I mean – One of the biggest trending topics lately is sadly Michael Jackson or MJ so if you type in those words under SEARCH then you’ll see what all the comments are that people have been making regarding Michael Jackson.
As you get to know twitter you can do other cool things like post pictures (twitpics) and articles (using short urls)
Many of you access twitter through other applications such as tweetdeck and you can use that too for the chat as long as you continue to use the #askromancewriter moniker
WHY HAVE A CHAT DAY ON TWITTER?
We thought it would be a great idea to create a way for fans to be able to connect with as many of their favourite authors all at once (and not have to get out of your PJs **g*) just like a fan convention but this one will be online. It will also help foster the wonderful positive spirit in the romance community - between writers and their fans.
We’re signing up authors who will be participating in #askromancewriter day on twitter: If you’re an author – make sure you’re on this list! :D You can e-mail either Kim or myself if you want to take part.
Oh and when you join twitter – do follow us and we’ll follow you – it’s a wonderful thing!
http://twitter.com/JoannaDangelo
http://twitter.com/KimSCastillo
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Transmogrification of stories
In a kind of literary Darwinism, stories are evolving as publishing continues to evolve, further driven by emerging technological advances.
GalleyCat advised that ebook retailer Fictionwise partnered with Lexcycle to bring ebooks to iPhone, a “game-changing” move, according to Lexcycle.
It followed up with a post-Christmas post that iPhones will be a huge player in the digital book market, especially as more developers such as Scrollmotion enter the game.
iPhone apps are definitely suited for books such as Vestal Review’s planned anthology, "Short on Sugar, High on Honey. Bittersweet Love Stories." As described in their call for submissions, “All stories are between seven words (lucky number) and thirteen (bad luck).” Also according to Vestal, the idea for the anthology came on the heels of the “Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs" anthology, which Amazon rank 532 as of 4/1/08.
Great stuff to fill down time during commutes, or standing in line at the store.
GalleyCat also noted authors on Twitter broke ground in 2006 with six-word stories, followed up by Wired Magazine’s six-word scifi contest. Eileen Gunn’s made me smile, as did Alan Moore’s and Charles Stross. And Margaret Atwood’s made me laugh, but she is a master of words – and having read most of her other work, filling in the blanks is devious fun. Okay, they were all great, but can blurbs truly be called stories? Flash fiction condensed to its essence, and the reader’s imagination must fill in the blanks. But can that kind of writing stay with you like a good story?
The shorter the story, the bigger the challenge. Flash fiction is extremely difficult to do well, for me, at least. Trimming a story to its minimal core can reveal its truth if the cuts are executed with the precision of a surgeon’s knife. If hacked away with less care, a bloody mess may result. But that’s true for stories of any length. No matter what the technological innovation, stories will never be extinct.
GalleyCat advised that ebook retailer Fictionwise partnered with Lexcycle to bring ebooks to iPhone, a “game-changing” move, according to Lexcycle.
It followed up with a post-Christmas post that iPhones will be a huge player in the digital book market, especially as more developers such as Scrollmotion enter the game.
iPhone apps are definitely suited for books such as Vestal Review’s planned anthology, "Short on Sugar, High on Honey. Bittersweet Love Stories." As described in their call for submissions, “All stories are between seven words (lucky number) and thirteen (bad luck).” Also according to Vestal, the idea for the anthology came on the heels of the “Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs" anthology, which Amazon rank 532 as of 4/1/08.
Great stuff to fill down time during commutes, or standing in line at the store.
GalleyCat also noted authors on Twitter broke ground in 2006 with six-word stories, followed up by Wired Magazine’s six-word scifi contest. Eileen Gunn’s made me smile, as did Alan Moore’s and Charles Stross. And Margaret Atwood’s made me laugh, but she is a master of words – and having read most of her other work, filling in the blanks is devious fun. Okay, they were all great, but can blurbs truly be called stories? Flash fiction condensed to its essence, and the reader’s imagination must fill in the blanks. But can that kind of writing stay with you like a good story?
The shorter the story, the bigger the challenge. Flash fiction is extremely difficult to do well, for me, at least. Trimming a story to its minimal core can reveal its truth if the cuts are executed with the precision of a surgeon’s knife. If hacked away with less care, a bloody mess may result. But that’s true for stories of any length. No matter what the technological innovation, stories will never be extinct.
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