Social Media and Writing

Hello everyone! I've been very busy with work but, my boyfriend passed out, so I have time to blog. So, if the title AND picture doesn't give it away, I'm going to talk about how social media can help inspire your writing, improve your skills, or even provide feedback! There are many sites you can use, especially those more focused on writing. For this post I will focus on big social media sites that I frequently used /have used in the past, that are helpful for me.

Pinterest

Pinterest is a great tool for finding writing tips, advice, and more. Many bloggers, authors, and other writers will have blog posts and, with an image, post it to the site! I've had one for a while now but I haven't been as active lately as I would like to be. But, it's a great spot to save things to read later. My Pinterest is here and I try to categorize my pins so, when I'm looking for something, it's a bit easier to navigate.

Reddit

Ah, Reddit, a home to many great threads and stories. While there are writing and blogging subreddits, I find the TIFU section particularly fascinating and cringe worthy. Which is perfect for those awkward characters that can't seem to do anything right. Considering there are over 6,000 subreddits, while many may be inactive, there's most likely a few that will inspire you. But, here are a few popular writing communities: writing, writing prompts, and write.

Twitter

It may seem like Twitter is only a battleground for politics but it can actually be useful for writing. I like to follow other authors, publishing houses, writing advice accounts, and use my favorite hashtags to search. Now, I'm mainly on there to repost my blog posts or The Walking Dead tweets, but I will jump on to see what is trending and how it is related to writing. Plus, if you follow accounts that post *free* books, you can load up with device with eBooks.

Tumblr

Tumblr is another great resource to find writing advice. You can follow accounts that have writing prompts or other things that are useful for you. Granted, I'm usually too busy to use this platform, but I definitely need to start using it more. If you want to check out my account hopefully I'll add more stuff and be active.

Facebook

Facebook is what I wake up with and usually end my day with. Now, it's my personal account and where I follow what my friends do, but once I publish I plan on making a page for my book. There are many groups you could follow, like your favorite author or writing advice, so it can be a great resource. I personally like using it more to follow cat pages and seeing what my family and friends post.

You can choose which social media platforms you like using the best. It can be a bit hard, and overwhelming, to use all of these at once. You could also choose certain days that you look on your least used social media platforms so you can stay up to date with what is going on. Also, I didn't mention Instagram, but that would be a good website for scenery inspiration or even writing prompts. So, until next time, tweet or comment which social media platforms YOU use.

Get Writing Today - For Free!

Hello everyone! I decided that I wanted to focus a few blog posts towards resources and things needed for those who want to start writing. So, why not start with everyone's favorite word: free.

Now, I know there are two types of people reading my post right now. One is extremely excited about the prospect of doing this for free. The other is thinking to themselves that nothing is truly free. While it's true that you've probably spent some hard earned cash on a few of the items mentioned, some of the things are things you can snag for 'free', while the rest are probably inhabiting your home right now.

Notebooks/Journals:

There are those who buy notebooks and fills them up and there are those who buy notebooks because they're pretty. I'm primarily the second, but I don't spend more than $5 on a notebook, and I've gotten better about filling out notebooks. Most likely you have a notebook that has a few pages used but is otherwise is good shape, so instead of letting it collect dust, why not use it? It can be a great way to brainstorm and you may find your ideas flowing to you. If you must buy, then look at the dollar stores or Walmart so you can keep your cost low.

Pens:

If you've ever been to a hotel, hair salon, or insurance office, chances are you've seen the cup with free pens. I'm not saying you should slowly put the cup of pens into your purse but grab one to take with you. And you probably have a drawer somewhere in your home where pens go to rest. Now, you could also use pencils, but I've found that I'm more motivated to not scratch out something/start editing if I use a pen. But, it's your writing, so find what works best for you.

Computer:

If you're reading this off of a computer, congratulations, you have a device for your writing. Now, you could also use a cell phone, but personally I think I would go cross eyed before getting very far. You should definitely use your computer to type if it is your personal computer or if you have a very relaxed office where you can use the computer for personal use during breaks.

Now, if you don't have a computer, the next best place to type is a library. Sure, there is a yearly fee, but just consider getting a few writing books while you're there. Just make sure you either use an online service, like Google Docs, DropBox, etc, or bring a USB. Actually, if you can, do both. Just trust me on this.

Google Docs:

I've been using Google Docs for about 4 years now. It's a great way to make changes especially if you don't have Microsoft. The only problem I used to have, and quite frankly I haven't used Google Docs enough lately to test it out, but there were times that the typing can get a letter off. Usually, the easy fix is to use another browser, and then I wouldn't have any problems. Plus, with having an email with Google, you get access to the Docs as well as other services they offer for free!

Other nifty stuff:

You can look around your home and find other things to help you with writing. A timer is great to make sure you get some writing time in. Or, that old folder that has two pieces of paper in it, would be great to store your ideas in. There is no set criteria or tools for you to start writing so, whatever helps you, is the best tool for use.

I hope I was able to help you start brainstorming ideas on what to use to help you start writing. I've included a few links below for resources that are very helpful for me. Please comment/tweet if you enjoyed my post! Until next time.

NaNoWriMo - Forums

The Write Life

Handwriting vs Typing

Hello everyone! I thought it would be fun to share my experiences writing both with a focus of handwriting vs typing. These are just my thoughts towards the different ways you can write by hand. Of course, there's many blog posts with why handwriting may be better, but keep in mind what works for you is the best approach. From personal experience, I really enjoy both ways of writing, but here are the key differences I found while writing.

Handwriting:

This is a great approach if you're not really sure if you want to continue writing. For me, it's how I started writing my very first story, and how I've been working on stories in the recent past. But, it's not something that I feel is a great choice for me. This is why: you *have* to type it at some point.

Now, I wrote out most of a story for July Camp Nanowrimo. It's still stuck inside the notebook with my semi-legible handwriting that I can decode. What I'm hoping to do (because typing it is probably a lost cause for me) is to get the dragon software or something similar to it. You could definitely do your story all by voice but, if you're like me, you'll want to start editing it right away. I'll also have to make sure I do a good edit because I'll probably swear at some sentences I thought sounded good on paper.

Overall: It's a great approach if you enjoy pen and paper but also aren't too lazy to never get around to typing it.

Typing:

Ah, I love typing in comparison. Because as soon as I get it down I know I can change it without scribbling or throwing away the whole notebook. The main downside are computers. Yes, they're great pieces of technology, but you risk a computer crashing and losing everything. That's why I recommend getting a USB, doesn't have to be 128 GB but 8-16 GB would b a good start, so you can backup everything. Doesn't need to be every night, but you could do weekly backups.

What I like to do to make sure I'm writing/editing on the most recent version is to date the file. So "Writing About Unicorns 2-2" is how I would save it since you can't use / for the US at least. That way, I know which story it is and when it was last saved. You can also make files for characters, plot ideas, and more and save them in different folders.

Another thing you can do is use Scrivener. Now, I usually love the service, but unfortunately my new Chromebook doesn't like downloading outside software, and I haven't gotten around to trying it get it on here. But, it's a really good tool, and I try my best to use it and save different chapters on their software as well. Don't take my word on it, try it out using their free trial, and see if it would be something useful for you.

Overall: The main way I'll be working with stories in the future.

Now, just because you say "Oh I want to type my story" doesn't mean you'll never need to do handwriting again or you're banned from the use of all pens. On the contrary, I'm hoping to use a bit of both for the future. I'm working on a system which, when I get it figured out, I'll share. So, I hope you enjoyed reading about my perspective, and you can decide which way works best for you!