Action shot:
me teaching social media to writers.
Lots of people have been talking with me lately about social media. Probably something to do with all the courses I’m running here and there on the subject (see my Event Schedule)! I love social media, it nullifies the existential loneliness I’d otherwise feel sitting alone at my computer all day. Whether I’m writing my own stories or editing others, the silence can get a bit much sometimes.
But how much time on social media is too much? I have an image on my desktop of Ironman and Thor from the Avengers pointing at me saying “You Should Be Writing!”. It’s a reminder of priorities. Generally, though, I believe I have my balance in check. I spend about 10% of what could feasibly be writing time on social media, and that includes this blog. Given all I get back from social media in return, I’m happy with that.
What about you?
After wondering whether others were similar to me, I asked you on my Facebook page. Here are the results:
Results as at 9 April 2013
Incorporates results from Facebook & Twitter.
Thanks to my writer-buddies who answered my poll or commented on it: Jason Fischer, Martin Livings, Alan Baxter, Geoff Brown, Andrew J McKiernan, Bruce Lyman, Alex Adsett, Kylie Scott, Patty Jansen, Nicky Cavalchini Strickland, Devin Watson, Robert Michael Easterbrook, Susan Steggall, Elizabeth Ottosson, Gabriela Valentova, Zoya Nojin, David Roach, Rebecca Dobbie, David Wenham, Kate Warren, Carlos Javier, Rick Keuning, Barbara J Holten, Simon Dewar
When I put polls such as this one up on Facebook, I sometimes (not always!) leave the options open so people can add their own answers. On this occasion, one of the additional answers ended up being the poll’s most popular:
“Too much, as evidenced by the fact that I’m here now answering this question!”
Why was this option so popular? Guilt. That’s why. The wording “too much” reflects, I believe, the guilt we writers all feel when popping onto Twitter or Facebook, reading blogs, answering polls…
Publishers need all the help they can get these days marketing our stories. There’s a lot of ‘noise’ out there. Readers crave two-way dialogues with their favourite authors too. It helps generate hype. Yet, at the same time, I have Thor and Ironman pointing their fingers as me from my desktop… YOU SHOULD BE WRITING!
As writers, we need to be good jugglers. One of my most interesting Facebook poll results was from a question I posed earlier this year: “What is your writing focus for 2013”. It was surprising how many writers responded that they wanted to perfect their work/life/writing balance. This concern even ranked higher than finding a publisher or agent! Read that full post here.
How much time is too much for you?
Unless you’re an international bestseller, most writers have to make a living through non-writing means. This means they’re constantly cramming writing into those heavy hours after work, when dinner and household chores make way for bed. For those with young families, the hours can get even tighter. Only passion keeps us going – that and guilt. Our passion can drive us into ignoring those closest to us, into giving up on real live social events and forgetting the dishes. We do all this and more because we love writing. We siphon off writing time from every hour of every day – so much so it becomes ingrained in us that: ‘if I could be writing, I should be writing’.
At the same time, writers sneak online because we believe we ought to be, because we want to get our writing ‘out there’ and mingle with fans. If it’s for the benefit of our writing, then what point is there in feeling guilty?
Every point. Social media is here to stay. I enjoy being on it. If you do as well, then enjoy being on it too. It can only help to ensure our stories reach those who love them. But we shouldn’t stay on it for too long – otherwise little will get written. So let your guilt be an alarm clock and get back to writing… after a while.
Speaking of which, my time is up! What about you? How long have you been flicking through blog posts and tweeting today? Let me know in the comments below…
Which social media should you be on as a writer?
What three things can you do on social media, right now, to advance your writing career?
Check out my FAQs for the answers!
