What did we do before Social Media came along in all it’s glory? Pen, paper, a stamp, a landline and heaven’s to betsy, we’d meet people face to face! Now don’t get me wrong…
Without Social Media it would be really difficult for me to keep in touch with our family. It’s a lifeline. But it can also be a millstone. Never mind the time wasted following links and pictures of cuddly cats and delicious dogs (I’m guilty of posting a fair few of those ) 🙂
As authors we’re told we need a ‘platform’ from which to be seen. I would rather be a back room girl, hidden from view and quietly (yes, I said quietly) getting on with it. But if you want people to know about your writing – and if not why bother? – then you need to get yourself around a little. In the nicest possible sense. There are so many ‘platforms’ you can strut your stuff on, and by no means do you have to do them all. Try one and see if it works. There is no right way just the right place for you. And it isn’t just about marketing, you can build connections, get ideas and inspiration and access research and information. Here are the two that I use, for different purposes
Instagram
I’ve recently centered my efforts on Instagram. It’s owned by Facebook (Simon calls it something else by swapping the F and b around) where I also have an author profile. For me, Instagram is a little more friendly and interactive. It’s very visual which is definitely my preference and I love creating content for it. Over the past few weeks I’ve increased my ‘followers’ to three figures – no longer Billy No Mates but more importantly being in touch with other writers and seeing what they get up to. It’s also more intimate than a blog. More instant and accessible. That’s why I link posts to my Instagram account.
The writing world is awash with How To’s and I’m not going to join the merry band, but here is a post that’s targeted at authors about getting things going on Instagram which I found useful
Pinterest
I use been using Pinterest to provide inspiration for my writing rather than for marketing purposes and I have quite a lot of engagement and viewers on a monthly basis. Pinterest is another visual platform where you create Pins – i.e. images that you can categorise into Boards. I collect lots of stuff for my works in progress which I keep as a private board until publication. All my other boards are open to anyone who wants to view them. I use them to collect images for my social media posts, for e.g. inspirational quotes but mainly for developing my writing in whatever way that may be… characters, setting, dialogue, and prompts to get me going.
I’ve come to the conclusion that social media doesn’t have to be a millstone around my neck, it’s more about what works for me, my process, my way of doing things. And Instagram and Pinterest seem to hit the spot. If you care to take a look and follow me, give me a shout and I’ll return the favour. Click on the images to follow links to my profiles 🙂
Essentially, I’m a chronic introvert though I love to people watch and eavesdrop. I can do this on these platforms rather than go out into the big bad real world. What I wouldn’t give for the invisible cloak from Harry Potter. Now I’ll get back to my dark room far away from the madding crowds…
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