Dear Twitter,
I love you AND I hate you. We’ve been together for a couple of years now. Together we’ve sent over 5,000 missives, but we’ve got to talk. It’s not working any more.
- I love it when I get to have real conversations however short or silly with others.
- I value the links to articles, blogs, links, and quotes I never would have found on my own.
- I need the camaraderie of other writers in the trenches through word count sprints, commiseration about writing process, and encouragement.
- I relish the shared silly and mutual geek outs that we share.
But I hate (or at least dislike) some things too.
- Listening to famous authors, agents, and editors talk to each other about their cocktail plans is like overhearing to the in crowd talk as if the rest of us weren’t present.
- Hearing the good news, huge deals, and movie options of people I don’t know is demoralizing when I’m down in the dumps. (When I’m up, I’m into the cheering, and when it’s someone I know, I’ll celebrate no matter how down I am.)
- Minutia–need I say more? Don’t tell me about breakfast or your empty kleenex box.
- Those ads and blatant book sales pitches you send my way do nothing but irritate.
- But most of all, I’ve realized that you’re only showing me a small slice of the world–writers and their brethren.
In the beginning, when we were swept away by the heady intoxication of new love, I yearned to immerse myself in your flood. I followed and was followed. I spent way to much giddy time in your arms. But now, Twitter, things have got to change. I need more of what I like and less of what I dislike. Here’s the way it’s going to be now.
I’ve revamped my lists and used twitlistmanager to put my people where they belong. I’ve got private lists for my real life friends and for people I’ve made a real connection with online. Using Tweetdeck, I can have columns for each of these lists. Skimming them first gives me the connection I so love about you, Twitter.
So I can keep the information flowing (and share the good stuff), I have public lists for writing resources (publishing houses, literary organizations, and individuals that are good aggregators of information) and book bloggers. I also have a public list of editors, agents, and the literati (big names). If I feel like scanning, that’s good, but I avoid if depressed. Since I’m on the advisory board for SCBWI-Oregon, I have a public list of our members because I like to be able to spread the word about this talented group.
Finally, Twitter, I think we need to branch out, maybe open our relationship a little. I’m planning to spend more time with other hashtags, ones that have nothing to do with writing. So if you catch me winking at #archery, #muaythai, and #nordic, don’t get jealous. Perhaps it can even add a little spice to our life!
With love,
A
