I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’ve been blogging a bit more than I have in the past. After three years, I feel that I have myself, my online platform, and my writing under a bit more control, and want to expand my reach a bit more.
I’m a part of several online support groups for writers. Most of the time they’re a friendly bunch of writers who answer each others questions, and dish out encouragement and ideas when needed. Lately there has been a lot of discussion about “author platform” in the groups. For those who don’t know, author platform is an author’s presence online. From social media, like twitter and facebook, to websites and blogs, like this one.
I understand the need for a platform from a business standpoint–it’s a way to build a following, and gain potential readers. For the pre-published writers, like myself, it’s a way to keep our names fresh and in people’s radar, eagerly anticipating the upcoming book(s). But for me, the need to stay active comes from a more social perspective.
Writing can be such a solitary undertaking. We sit alone, having conversations in our own head’s with imaginary people. We put words on the page in the hope that they do justice to the images in our minds. Pair this solitary existence together with a naturally introverted nature and it’s a perfect storm for building a recluse.
This was why I started to blog on a more consistent basis over the past few months. For me it’s a fun way to interact with people. To share ideas or tidbits of research we come across, or this exciting writers life I lead (yeah…right…). Introverted as I am, I still crave the interaction with others.
You know, while not really interacting with them.
It’s why I like the social mediagames and challenges so much. I tend to write long; short stories and novellas are not my forte. And forget Twitter. 140 characters or less? Hashtags take up too many of those characters.
So I blog them, instead!
I get to play the games, but I get to answer in as much detail as I want. I get to be myself and let my personality show through more–I get to be a little goofy. :) I get to share my love of reading, and support and promote other authors, learning about their fictional worlds, hobbies, and writing processes.
I love connecting with other writers. I think that’s part of why I’m so active in my local RWA chapters. I like to learn from them, and help them learn. I like to encourage them to break out of their writer shell and try something new, make a new connection, or meet a new friend.
To that end, I have decided to start social game of my own. A blog hop for those of us who can’t stay within 140 characters. The #DirtyDozen will encourage writers of all levels to share a little bit about themselves, their writing, and their stories. It’s a fun game–each week, someone new answers the set of questions and tags someone else. That’s the fun part, see. Reading how different everyone’s responses are to the same questions. Spreading the game around to others and seeing how long it will continue.
Even if there are only a handful of us blog hopping, we still get to learn about each other, making our connections and friendships stronger.
I do hope you’ll play along. :)
The #DirtyDozen is scheduled for the week of February 19th. If you are interested in participating leave me a comment and I’ll include you in the list.
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