So you think you can Tweet? Twitter 101 for writers

Getting involved on Twitter can be scary. When a critique partner suggested I participate in a Twitter pitch contest, I didn't even really understand what Twitter was. It took me a while to figure out what I was doing, but once I did, I was hooked. It has been a fantastic tool for me as a writer. The writers' community on Twitter is huge, helpful, and active. If you use it right, you will make more industry connections than you could in person at a conference.

Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany 2013, Photo by Erik Lundmark 

The first thing you need to do is create a Twitter account and profile.
A really good idea for your handle is: YOUR NAME.

Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany 2013, Photo by Erik Lundmark

You'll want to add a catchy profile picture (a nice head-shot) and an interesting background. No one wants to follow the ugly egg default. Using your actual photo makes you seem like a real person. Because you are a real person, right?

Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany 2013, Photo by Erik Lundmark 

I recommend keeping it professional. Agents will look you up on Twitter if they are interested in your query. Make sure the face you put forward is the one you want to reflect. Link your website or blog if you have one.

Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany 2013, Photo by Erik Lundmark 

As for your bio, it will help you network if you put "writer" somewhere in there. If you have special interests or experience you can add that. Add something professional, something personal, something that others can relate to, and something that makes you stand out or sets you apart.

Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany 2013, Photo by Erik Lundmark 

Once you've got your profile all set up, you'll want to start following a few people. It's a good idea to follow agents you are interested in subbing to. You can get a feel for their style and personality by the things they tweet. They also tweet important things like #MSWL (manuscript wish list--things they would like to see come across their inboxes), new clients, book deals, and query inbox updates. They may also post a #querytip (things to do or not to do when querying) or even just fun facts about themselves.

Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany 2013, Photo by Erik Lundmark 

And then, of course, you'll need to start getting some followers. But HOW do you get them?

Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany 2013, Photo by Erik Lundmark 

You can scroll through some writer feeds. Some of the most common are #amwriting, #amediting, #amquerying (not sure why the am, but it's there.) #writerslife, and #bookconnect. Try connecting with people there. Follow a few and see if they follow you back.

But the best way to meet other writers, I have found, is by playing a hashtag game. Yep. Games.  There are all sorts of writers' games on Twitter. Several any day of the week. Mica Scotti Kole has put together a great list of them here. But I think by far the most popular is #1linewed.

Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany 2013, Photo by Erik Lundmark 

Here's how it works:

Open up your shiny new Twitter account. Look for the user @RWAKissofDeath to find the week's theme. (You'll see it--it should be pinned at the top of the feed.) Go ahead and follow. It's a nice thing to do.

If it is Wednesday, mosey on over to the #1linewed feed and have a look. You'll see many people have posted lines from their WIP (work in progress). Once you see what they look like, make your own post. Search your document for the theme word and when you find a particularly good line that goes with the theme, post it. Just make sure you leave enough space for the hashtag. You must include #1linewed in your post or it won't show up on the feed for others to see.

Once you've thrown a line out there, go sift through the feed. If you like someone else's line, go ahead and hit that heart button. If you really like it, retweet the line. Then follow the writer. Keep reading. There are enough lines, you could scroll all day and find amazing lines. Keep scrolling and liking and retweeting and following. More often than not, writers will follow you back. And they will like your lines. And they may even retweet them.

And it will make you happy.

Don't be shy about liking or retweeting! And don't feel guilty for playing games. I have found that playing the weekly theme helps me find all my overused words, really dumb sentences, and typos. Also, it helps me hone my good lines, (sometimes you have to edit them to fit.)

Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany 2013, Photo by Erik Lundmark

A few tips for playing these hashtag games:

• The more you interact with others, the more they will interact with you. 
• Don't tweet every single line in your manuscript that has the theme word in it. There's value in quality, not quantity.
• Choose a handful of really good lines and stagger tweeting them. Tweet one, read the feed for a while, then tweet another.
• It's also good to tweet when the feed is busiest, which is usually around 8:00-9:00 AM Eastern, at lunch time, and around "quitting time."
• If your line is too long, see if you can edit. I don't recommend doing a screen shot or a fancy picture. A good line will stay within the character limit and stand on its own.

Now get out there and start tweeting. (I'll talk about Twitter contests in another post.)

Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany 2013, Photo by Erik Lundmark

*This post is one in a series: "So You Wrote a Book! Now What?" Click here to view more topics.*