Tag Archives: Twitter

August 8, 2011 · 12:54 pm

Are you a Hare or a Tortoise in your writing?

The Hare and the Tortoise

Some writers are hares. They are either fortunate or blessed with amazing talent to write a best seller first time or they go haring off in search of success. A writer’s race is an individual one. Of course the eyes of the world see us competing with each other to win prizes and fame too but do we see ourselves that way?

To my way of thinking writing is lifelong journey. Each good review, acceptance letter, positive feedback given by word of mouth, twitter, e mail, letter, facebook or any other way boosts our feeling of self worth. Today I was contacted by a ladies group wanting me to give a talk and share my experiences and the background to my writing. This request lifted my spirits to an unexpected high.

Of course, like any person writing to share in the public arena you have to harden yourself against the knocks as well. Rejections and criticism are part and parcel of the experience but listening and learning from others can be empowering too. Being prepared to adjust, amend, rewrite or even change direction are also skills we need to hone or even acquire; but sometimes we need to stand firm and accept that people have differing opinions.

With technology opening up a world of communicating to your audience in a way unheard of even ten years ago it is still possible to be a hare, but it is also quite satisfying being a tortoise, gradually building up an audience both virtually and in the real world. Being a tortoise also has the advantages of learning to value feedback but also to learn from it along to way.

I recently read in a Writer’s magazine of someone who was an apprentice writer for several years and only when he had strived to reach perfection did he open his work to the world. My question to him is ‘How did you know that you had reached the one? Are you sure that one of your earlier works would not have been enjoyed equally by your now avid readers?

No, I’m quite happy to be a tortoise. As long as people genuinely enjoy my writing and are interested in what I have to say I will share it.  I’m also sure  that the tortoise appreciates every moment of his experience in the race, taking time to acknowledge the world around him. His limbs may ache with effort at times but how satisfying it is when he reaches his goal(or each individual goal)?

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March 24, 2011 · 10:21 am

Beware the signs of Writer’s Burn Out- 11 Personal Points!

Hi all

I’d just logged on to check emails, tweets etc and to write a new blog when my last tweet hit me like a tidal wave- apt with the depressing and very sad news we hear everyday and, as we are reeling in the shock of it all, we feel helpless as to what positive action we can take as individuals. What are we doing to our beautiful world? How insignificant each of us really is?

Outside the prunus and cherry blossom trees are coming into flower in dappled pink and white against the perfect, icy blue sky.

Here is the my last tweet and, I can tell you, after a stressful couple of days at college, the words flooded over me as the symptoms of stress seeped from my finger tips to my toes.

Riduna Diana Jackson.  

“Trying to get my head around blogging, tweeting and facebook leaves me baffled as to where I fit in the writing”

 A voice in my head nagged:

‘ Writing should always be a pleasure. If we allow the whole package of what being a writer has become (no longer sitting in a quiet spot with pencil and paper filled with pleasure and anticipation, scribbling out thoughts as they tumble on to the empty page), Blogging, Facebook, Tweeting, Phoning, writing letters, making contacts, Guest Speaking, giving talks…… overwhelm us, then we lose site of the essence at the heart of our writing – joy.

And so (the purist in me says ouch here as I begin a sentence with ‘and’) here is what I am going to do, in order to regain some perspective, and I will share with you my ten point plan: (I know I promised never to write in this style but I feel on this occasion it is apt. It is a style that works for other writers but since my blog is so personal, I have avoided being so prescriptive but here goes.

I am now going to:

  1. Switch off the computer (radical I know)
  2. Change into comfortable old clothes
  3. Open the shed door, take out a trowel and spade and go and spend a couple of hours in the garden
  4. Make a cup of coffee and sit in the sunshine under the arbour and look at the blossom, watch the antics of the squirrels, follow the flight of the tiny birds as they dance in their delight
  5. Take a deep breath and meditate on nothing particular for a while to clear my head
  6. In that spot, aware of the sounds around me, I am going to return to my roots
  7. Paper and pencil in hand I will think of my characters: Describe their appearance in the way they dress, their mannerisms which make them unique their flaws and strengths, what makes them likeable and makes me smile, what irritates me as some characters must; but most of all their raison d’etre.
  8. After that brain activity I will spend a few minutes meditating on nothing once more
  9. Then I will go to a garden centre and have a cup of tea, avoiding the computer which will be beckoning me from the study
  10. Then I will return and if I feel refreshed and willing to face this ten inch screen once more i’ll come back and tell you if it worked!
  11. If not i’ll return to you once more on Monday!

It amuses me that I have eleven points and not ten. There is something satisfying in being different, but before I finally take courage and direct my index finger to the ‘shut down’ I will set you a challenge.

Share with us all how you deal with moments like this and the most original, funny, poignant comment will receive a copy of ‘Riduna’.

Now I just have to make sure it has tweeted, Facebooked …………………

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September 13, 2010 · 1:36 pm

Meet and Tweet

When a colleague suggested that I should try Twitter to reach out to people, I could never have imagined the surprising consequences of my dabble with internet networking. I only tweet from my PC and usually only on my writing days and so I’m not a prolific tweeter, but it has been great fun connecting with people all over the world.

My Twecials

It’s odd, but the first few tweeters I connected with have become quite special to me and I call them my tweshials. They feel like a group of friends now and I have added to this group anyone I have also felt an affinity to, those who are local to my house or people who live in the areas described in my writing.

Research

One of my twecials has given me colourful descriptions, detailed memories of occasions with his father and grandfather, invaluable to my research. I would never have found these insights in a book. I cannot divulge more before publication, but he will certainly be in my acknowledgements- all because of twitter. Mind you, it took me ages to copy and paste each of his  20 DM’s on to a Word document in order to read fully, before we decided that it was better to contact each other by email! You can also post a question on twitter and it’s a fun way of getting answers, though not always the ones you expected. It’s certainly an unorthodox method of research although it will never compete with the reality of talking to people face to face or rummaging in books and old records.

Other writers

Much has been written on blogs about the value of twitter as a way of linking with other writers. Writing can be a lonely art and to spend a few moments connected to people, albeit virtually, is an excellent diversion. It mustn’t become a distraction though, and on my writing days I am very strict with myself. I will not turn on the internet until lunchtime, even for research. This ensures I should have an undisturbed period of writing in the morning and then a few moments on twitter is my reward.

Selling books

Have I sold books though Twitter? Yes, I know I have. How many I have no idea, but it is nevertheless a good, if not haphazard, way for a new author to reach out to people from the comfort of their own home. It doesn’t replace book signings and library talks but how else would a writer almost instantaneously reach Australia and America.

What do I tweet about?

I tweet about all sorts of things, not just about writing, and certainly not just about my own writing. Like most people my tweets reflect my mood of the day, my hobbies (gardening often pops up) and interests, my reflections on life in general as well as light hearted conversation. If you’d like to follow me on twitter then my name is ‘Riduna’, the title of my first novel.

Look at Riduna on Twitter

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