To Tweet or Not to Tweet…

My awesome friend, Diana, and I were on the phone yesterday discussing Twitter. Like pretty much everyone else in the world, we have Facebook accounts but we don’t have “I’m an Author” Facebook accounts. (It seems a little presumptuous to have a profile like that when I have neither an agent nor a book deal…but that’s just me.)

But maybe, it’s not too soon to build a following via Twitter. People can follow me just because it’s me, not necessarily because I’m a wannabe author. Here’s my fear: What if I have nothing funny, witty, or smart to say? Who in the world would want to hear about what I’m doing or thinking in twenty words or less? My days are pretty boring. (“Cleaning up poop again.” “Folding laundry again.” “Man, my blinds need to be dusted.”)

I know lots of you have Twitter accounts. Do you ever have to really think about what you post? Or are you all naturally, witty, funny, intelligent people?

BTW. Susanna Leonard Hill gave me the Versatile Blogger Award. Thanks Susanna! As part of the award I’m supposed to post seven interesting things about me:

I hate to blow dry my hair. I’m really bad at it.
I didn’t hate to blow dry my hair quite as badly before I cut it all off and donated it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.
Please don’t think I’m super charitable. I donated my hair because my friend did, and it was good I could do without a whole lot of effort
I secretly want to write Fantasy Fiction.
I have five incomplete manuscripts.
I painted my toenails with my three-year-old’s pink glitter polish and I think they look super cute.
I think Northern Virginia has the worst restaurants in America.

I think most of you (that I actually know) already have this award. Except maybe Diana and Tracey, and they both have totally awesome blogs! Go check them out!

29 Comments

Lois D. Brown

March 3, 2011 at 3:00 pm Reply

I do blogs, facebook, kindle boards, goodreads, but I have not been able to get into twitter. It drives me crazy. What’s my mental block on it? Does anyone else dislike it like me?

Lindsay N. Currie

March 3, 2011 at 3:23 pm Reply

Ugh, I don’t care for Twitter. I have an account and I use it periodically but I don’t love it. One thing it’s useful for though, are the chats. For example #kidlitchat and #yalitchat are two where both writers and agents hop on and chat about the topic of the day. I believe each happens once a week and they can be insightful. Besides, how could we find you boring Becky???

Trisha Leaver

March 3, 2011 at 3:26 pm Reply

I have a blog, broke down and got a facebook account just last week, but have been on twitter for a while. All of the people I follow on twitter and those that follow me are authors. I check it a couple of times a day — see who is doing what, who got an agent, book deal, etc, who is stuck in the middle of a scene and ready to pull their hair out. Let me know when you sign up — I will be one of your first followers!

Shari

March 3, 2011 at 3:37 pm Reply

Congratulations!!! I have a twitter account, but I only post contests because I have nothing witty, funny or intelligent to say. I’m kind of a loser like that. (I’m wishing I had a smiley face with crossed eyes to put here. It would be very fitting.)

William Kendall

March 3, 2011 at 5:24 pm Reply

I started at Twitter, and abandoned it, for the most part.

How bad could those restaurants possibly be?

Susanna Leonard Hill

March 3, 2011 at 6:28 pm Reply

I’m totally with Lois. I have a website, a FB page, and a blog, but somehow I feel like twitter will be the straw that breaks my camel’s back. I don’t like it. I don’t get it. I’m one of the most long-winded people I know, so keeping down to 140 characters would be well-nigh impossible. And I don’t think I could be witty, funny and/or intelligent often enough to keep up a twitter following. But these days, we’re supposed to have it all… Am I shooting myself in the foot by not twitting, er, twittering… tweetiing???

The Golden Eagle

March 3, 2011 at 8:24 pm Reply

I just have a blog–no social networking accounts, and I like it that way. Blogging is enough, and most of the time I’d rather be writing than tweeting or Facebook-ing.

Congratulations on the award!

Joanne

March 4, 2011 at 11:02 pm Reply

I don’t tweet or fb, just blog for now. But I’ve seen where writers will use Twitter even to announce their blog posts, or re-tweet something relevant they’ve come across. So maybe you can incorporate those types of tweets too?

Becky Wallace

March 5, 2011 at 5:37 pm Reply

@William: I’m from Texas. Where’s my TexMex here?

@Joanne: Good thoughts!

Theresa Milstein

March 6, 2011 at 6:18 pm Reply

I’ve avoided Twitter, but I am on Facebook. There’s only so much time in a day. I need to write too!

I’m horrible at blowing out my spirals. But flatirons hide it.

Carol Riggs

March 7, 2011 at 3:13 am Reply

Congrats on your award! I used to avoid Facebook and Twitter like the plague. Still avoiding Facebook, but last week I joined Twitter. Gulp! You know what? You don’t have to say anything witty and delightful–just go and meet new people. People like it more when you talk about THEM. Haha. Start conversations, visit people’s profiles and links, and follow people and they’ll follow you back (just like blogging).

I didn’t want to join mostly cuz I thought it would be a major time-suck–but it’s only that if you let it. I check and tweet just a coupla times a day, maybe 3, depending on what I’m doing. I make sure no one has said anything directly to me that I don’t want to miss, and hop back off if I’m busy. I have some how-to articles I’ve saved, if you want to read about how to start. Email me at artzicarol [at] gmail [dot] com

Alison Miller

March 7, 2011 at 10:41 am Reply

Congrats on the award!
I have a twitter, with a small following, but I’ll be the first to admit I NEVER use it except to post links to my blog. I just see it as an incredible time suck.
But it’s the way things are going. And my friends have met some wonderful writing peeps through Twitter. So this summer I’m going to re-jump on the twitter wagon.
Good luck!

projectfraeya

March 8, 2011 at 10:41 pm Reply

I have twitter but it’s a love/hate thing… some days I can get into it but then again I find it really distracting.

Christine Tyler

March 13, 2011 at 10:16 am Reply

I think I’ll wait on Twitter until I have a manuscript I’m querying, or have found representation. That may change, but I don’t see a need for it right now. Same thing with the “author facebook account.” In the meantime, a blog is enough for me.