Social Networking Class for Writers

photo courtesy of Margo L. Dill
logos courtesy of WOW!











My friend Margo L. Dill is teaching a 4-week course on social networking for authors. Learn how Twitter, Facebook and other techno stuff can help you expand your social network. Margo will show you how to spend a few minutes a day using these tools and others to get great results.

Margo is an excellent teacher, writer, conference planner and all around great person. She is also the social media manager for WOW! Women on Writing.

SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR AUTHORS: TWITTER, FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN AND MORE! by Margo L. Dill

START DATE: Monday, February 22, 2010

DURATION: 4 weeks

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This class will teach writers how to use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social networking sites such as Shelfari or Jacket Flap (students’ choice) to network; to build a following of fans; to start working on a brand/image; and to promote books, articles, magazines, and blogs. Instead of using Facebook and Twitter to write about your fabulous dinner or disastrous day at the grocery store, you will learn to sell yourself and your writing!

WEEKS AT A GLANCE:

Week One: Facebook: We will discuss how to use Facebook to promote yourself and your writing. We will talk about posting links to your work, using status updates to promote writing, joining Facebook groups for writers, and even starting a Fan page for yourself or your work.

Assignment: Create a Facebook profile if you haven’t yet, complete your Facebook profile, make it scream writer!, join at least one writing group and become active!, and start promoting your writing with your Facebook page.

Week Two: Twitter: My favorite marketing tool ever is Twitter. Twitter can be used in so many ways as a writer—to promote your work, to follow writers and editors who provide useful information, to find other writers for support, and to discuss writing. You will learn how to do all of this and more on Twitter. You will be introduced to two Twitter tools—Tweetdeck and Hootsuite, and you will register yourself with Twellow.

Assignment: Create a Twitter profile if you haven’t yet. Make your Twitter profile scream writer! Start tweeting. Participate in a writers’ chat. Register with Twellow. Try out Tweetdeck or Hootsuite.

Week Three: LinkedIn: This week, we will talk about how to use LinkedIn as a writer. LinkedIn seems harder for people to figure out and use to market yourself, but there are ways through your status updates, by checking out your contacts’ contacts, by recommending others and having them recommend you, and by participating in LinkedIn groups.

Assignments: Create a LinkedIn profile and/or complete yours. Make it scream writer! Join a few LinkedIn groups. Find more contacts. Check out your contacts’ contacts and link to them.

Week Four: More Social Networking and Evaluation: The content in this week’s class will depend on the participants in the class. The instructor will do a survey to find out what people are most interested in learning about and trying out with guidance: Shelfari? JacketFlap? Digg? Students will also fill out a class evaluation.

Assignments: Try out one or two of the social networks that classmates are most interested in. Fill out the class evaluation.

COST: $100, which will include four weeks of instruction on how to use social networking as an author and one critique for each student of a social networking profile page—student’s choice.

To sign up: http://wow-womenonwriting.com/WOWclasses.html#MargoDill_SocialNetworking (scroll to the bottom of the class listing)

It's Time to Think About Goals...

photo courtesy of Tim Zim

Goal is a dirty word, I know. When I worked, my stomach would tighten, my eyes narrow and my heart palpitate when my boss said that four-letter word. Goal. Hrrrmmmp. Goal. Then he/or she would proceed to give me a laundry list of items I was to accomplish in the coming year. AND almost all the items I had absolutely no control over. NONE.

So you can see why goals make me cringe. I'm the kind of person who takes full responsibility for things over which I have control. Not a problem. If it's in my sphere of influence, I'll take charge and do it to the best of my ability. But don't expect me to solve the national debt, end the war in Afghanistan or balance my checkbook. Okay, the checkbook I do have control over, but I'm lousy at math.

But my dear writer friends, we do have control over our writing. I'm much better at achieving my personal goals if I write them down and keep them close. So here's the list I have taped next to my computer. I encourage you to do the same (make your own list, that is.)


1. Finish the damn synopsis (Yes, I have started referring to it as The Damn Synopsis)
2. Final edit the book
3. Attend 1 workshop to work on skills
4. Attend 2 conferences when I can pitch the novel
5. Begin second draft of second novel
6. Participate in NaNoWriMo for 4th year
7. Assemble the list of potential agents and begin the query process
8. Submit one - two essays per month.
9. Organize my office
10. Remain positive even in the face of rejection.

Okay, so there you have my goals.

What are your writing goals for 2010?

It's Time to Start Thinking About Conferences

image courtesy of paul

I know, I know. Christmas isn't even here yet, but it's not that far away. And with the new year right around the corner it got me to thinking about writing conferences. I attended two last year OWFI and MWG. Both are in the planning stages for 2010. Each was good and had lots to offer in the way of speakers, motivation and opportunities.

OWFI is a class act and hard to beat. The quality just keeps getting better. MWG was smaller than normal last year, but I still got my money's worth.

Last year was my 2nd year for OWFI and my 4th or 5th year for MWG. For me, attending conferences is all about two things, networking and pitching my novel. So this year I've decided to branch out and try another conference or two.

Any suggestions? I'm curious about Jackson Hole Writer's Conference, Mad Anthony, Northern Colorado Writers Workshop, Society of Southwestern Writers, South Carolina Writers Workshop Conference.

But I'm open to suggestions. Any of you have any tried and true conferences or workshops that you attend?

Tell me...

Ta Da - NaNoWriMo

image courtesy of minegro

Is it the end or is it the beginning? I typed my 50,000th word on November 20th just hours before departing for Minneapolis. This is the quickest I've every completed a NaNoWriMo. However, I couldn't validate the results until today. So that said, I WON. Woo hoo, what a great feeling to have a third novel waiting in the wings.

That brings up the ...is it the end or is it the beginning. Even though I have the 50,000 words, the novel is far from over. Now I begin the laborious project of adding, cutting, editing and in general getting the masterpiece into well... masterpiece form. After 20 days of writing with my internal editor locked in a drawer, the resulting novel needs more work.

So, why try and write 50,000 words in the span of a month (or 20 days for me) if it is going to need to be edited and massaged into shape? Because, if I hadn't challenged myself to going all out, I would still be at the starting line thinking about writing the novel.

Where do I go from here? Good question. This novel (working title Dirty Deception) goes into mothballs for a year. Yep, I let her stew for about 12 months. She lingers around on my hard drive while I pull out the novel I wrote for NaNo last year and start the editing process. Dirty Deal (working title from last year) has been laying around relaxing and now it's time to drag her out and see what needs to be done.

Why do I let them lay around for a year? Absence makes the heart grow fonder they say. And with my NaNo projects nothing could be truer. If I were to start the editing process immediately I would probably just delete the sucker from my hard drive because after working on it non-stop for twenty days (for hours and hours each day) I am sick of it. So to prevent me from having a meltdown and to preserve my prose, it gets to rest for a year.

Now for a well-deserved Thanksgiving dinner for one and all. Remember to give thanks to all that is important to you and yours.

Day 14 NaNoWriMo

image courtesy of duncan


I'm reveling in my aheadedness (is that a word, I don't think so,) but I'm ahead of the curve and my writing buddies. Take that maryji and k9friend1 (I mean that in all sweetness. I'm not trying to be ugly, I swear.)

I pulled ahead of maryji yesterday, but she has a good excuse -- company and football. so I'm sure the minute her company leaves, she will kick my butt.

k9friend1-- don't know about her. I'll send her a little email and see what's up. Though, I imagine the minute she gets back to writing, she too, will kick my butt. That woman can write some words.

I've got company coming tomorrow, so I'm trying to get some extra words in today.

The weather here is excellent for November. Windows wide open today and no coats. Makes it hard to stay inside and write. Though it looks like rain all next week, so that will help the word count.

I have 1450 for today so far, with another three or four hours to write yet. I'm hoping to pull off 3000 - 4000 today.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Day 11, 12, 13 NaNoWriMo

image courtesy of sneeu

The last three days have gone by in a fog.

Day 11 - I spent with my friend Barb, who I am so thankful chooses to spend her Wednesdays with me. It's like having a free therapist and getting to each lunch all at once. Let's hear it for good friends who listen even when you rant and rave... :) Word count for Wednesday was 2002.

Day 12 - Critique day. Yep, after the gym and critique, I managed to squeeze out only 1586. But I noticed the word count widget is working. Yeah, NaNoWriMo gadget gurus. Thanks. don't ask me what the colors mean. I tried to figure it out thinking it was days I hit a target were one color and days I didn't were another color. And what's the thirds color. Anyway, that's not it. So if anyone can enlighten me, please do so. It's driving me crazy.

Day 13 - I am struggling mightily. I'm ready to kill off my main character and throw her love interest off a bridge. Sometime this week I totally abandoned my linear process and jumped write into writing out of sequence big time. I swore I wouldn't do that this year, but I did. I'll have to work on the linking scenes when my brain isn't so muddled. Word count today is 3003.

Day 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 NaNoWriMo

I've been busy, busy, busy.I noticed my little counter thing is still not working, so tomorrow if I get some time, I'll see if I can download another one.

Day 5 - Today was my critique group. No I didn't dare take in what I've been working on for NaNo. I do have some pride. I managed to crank out about 1500 words today.

Day 6 - Headed to the lake for a little peace and quiet. It's always easier writing in an atmosphere conducive to reflection. It doesn't hurt that it's in the middle of nowhere and there are no kids running up and down the roads on 4-wheelers. The only sounds are the rustling of the wind through the leaves. Oh wait, the leaves were all on the ground. The sound I heard was actually acorns falling on the metal roof --ALL NIGHT LONG. Due to travel, eating out with friends and the fact that my eyes were sagging by 8 p.m., I only managed a little over 100 words today.

Day 7 - Got an early start today. Had almost 1000 words before 8 a.m. Hubby went to coffee with the old codgers, so I hopped up and went to work. The afternoon lagged a little because my neighbor invited me to lunch. But I picked it up again in the late afternoon while hubby was raking leaves. YEAH for NaNo, it gets me out of raking leave. I did feel a tad guilty, but not for long. Grand total today 2300.

Day 8 - Neighbors went out of town, so we had no interruptions until hubby climbed in the attic and began tearing up the floorboard. His hammering and prying nearly drove me insane, so I read. Seriously, he should have been out raking leaves. When he realized I'd quit working on the novel, he went out to the barn to work. YEAH! I managed 4009 words today.

Day 9 - Neighbors still out of town. I fixed and awesome breakfast then gave hubby the rake and told him to get to work. I moved out onto the porch with my laptop and cranked out 4025 words. Hubby rewarded me with a bonfire and s'mores that evening. He must like me.

Day 10 - Travel day and bunko night, plus had a pukey puppy at home. Between all that and a visit to Crane's Country Store, where I swear I have never seen so many Carhartt items, I managed to get in 1615 words.


My grand total for 10 days is 23,765.

I did stall a couple of times and resorted to writing a few scenes out of sequence. I highly recommend this in the event your plot is stalling. If you know there are scenes you need, go ahead and write them, you can always go back and write the linking scenes when time permits. I managed 5 of these scenes this weekend, and it helped me to examine my plot and get a better understanding of where I was going with it.