Social Media & Marketing Part Two-Twitter

Hello once again Readers!!! I bet you can’t guess what today’s blog is about….oh wait, yeah, the title does give it away. So let’s begin!

To my left is a photo I took not too long ago. Fireworks almost always signifies a finale or a celebration. Today we are dabbling with both. This will be the final and most helpful blog concerning Twitter, and we will all celebrate with giddiness because we will now know how to flippin’ use Twitter! A two-for-one deal!

I digress.

As always, I start by searching the vast web and reading over an insane amount of information until my brain hurts and my red bull is empty. And after a quick pouting session from the lack of my beloved beverage, a blog is born.

I know, shut up and get to the good stuff. Here we go!

I think I can safely say that I finally have this all figured out. Hang on, let me check…yep. My eyes are blood-shot from a long day in front of the computer-I know what I’m saying. Thusly, I am going to share with you, step-by-step, how to not only create, but use your Twitter account.

1. YOUR PROFILE PICTURE: Make sure your profile picture is an actual, respectable picture. Treat it like you would your professional author photo. Or better yet, if you have an author photo, use it. We want to see who we are following, not an eggshell or an avatar.
2. YOUR PITCH: Use your short, 160 characters worth of a bio, to the fullest. It is your marketing tool and it will be the first thing a potential follower will read about you. You have to sell yourself. As an example I will share mine:
3. SHARING IS CARING: Make sure you share your blogs via Twitter, especially if they are about writing. Twitter is a community of people looking for other people with similar interest, same as WordPress. Writers love to hear other writers POV’s. It will also draw people to you.
4. HASHTAGGING: This topic was so confusing for me, and now that I understand it, I really don’t know why it was confusing. Again I believe it’s from my stubbornness to succumb to trends. But I have. And I’ve learned. Hash tagging is the same concept as adding tag words to your blog before (or after if you forgot) you publish. I work best when given examples so here are mine. Say you want to tweet your blog link that talks about  writing:                                                                                                                                         “Just finished another excellent #blog. I tackle #writing and other topics. Check it out! #author#writer#magician.” See how many tags I fit in? These are keywords that people could potentially search and it will link back to your beautiful tweet. Using the hashtag symbol has proven to be more resourceful than not.
5. IT’S OKAY TO BE A FOLLOWER: Follow people! Again, same as WordPress, the more you branch out there and comment and share, the more you will most likely gain a new follower. Your goal is to build relationships with people. Find those who are in your genre and follow them, learn from them, and hope that they follow you back. It’s always a game of give and take.

Sounds easy, right? That’s because it is! So what are you waiting for? Get your butt out there and sell yourself! And just because I am so happy to have come to an end with this whole Twitter epidemic, I’ve decided to share a bonus tip! Yay!

6. CREATE A UNIQUE TAG TO YOUR STORY THAT YOU ADD TO THE END OF EVERY TWEET SO WHEN YOUR BOOK BECOMES THE NEXT BIG THING, READERS WILL HAVE SOMETHING TO HASH ABOUT TO SHOW THEIR SUPPORT! Example: #littleflames. That will be my unique tag that I will use from now on. Why? Well, I guess you will have to read to find out muhahaha. (When it’s finally published that is.)

So what do you think? Is this helpful? Are you feeling confident? If so, share your @ address below so others can find and follow you.

That being said, Echelon out ♥

What a restless mind can do.

Hello Readers!!!

Last night I tossed and turned for hours because I couldn’t stop thinking about writing. I started out thinking about the many stories swarming through my mind and which project I should dive into next. Should I enter writing contests with them or remain focused on my second novel? Should I go back to school? Could I handle it right now with my two kids, writing, and my business I’m trying to jump-start with my bestie? The thoughts plagued my mind as tossed from left to right, opening my eyes every so often to find that another 15 minutes had passed. What was my deal?! 

Then my thoughts formed into an image.

What was it that I saw behind my closed lids? A blank page. How would this appease my restless mind? Well…so much can be done with a blank page! A new story, a sketch, a painted picture, a grocery list, a list of chores that I so need to do. The possibilities are endless! What’s my point? My point is, I love the thrill of starting fresh. I love blank pages, blank walls, a blank canvas. I love pushing myself to branch out creatively in ways that I thought I couldn’t. The unknown doesn’t scare me, it compels me. I tackle my novels with the same thinking. I have a smidgen of an idea of where I want to go with it and then I sit down behind my laptop, fingers itching to glide across the keys. It always starts out the same. One word, two words, pause, a few more words, pause, and then BOOM! An avalanche of words pour out of me as my fingers race to keep up with the sentences forming inside my head. It’s almost guaranteed that I will have spelling errors and grammatical errors due to the fact that I don’t stop until it’s all out. I don’t want to lose a good thought due to trying to be perfect. That’s what drafting is all about. Edits come after the words are spilled onto the paper.

How will this affect your daily life? It won’t, at least I don’t think it will. I try to make sure that every blog I write has some sort of meaning to writing, or at least some sort of advice or encouragement to be a better you. This one, I feel, is more of a journal entry. Something I would write in my personal journal. But last night as I laid in bed, trying so very hard to fall asleep, this was all I could think about. I almost got up, just to write this out, but stopped myself because I knew once I was up I would never fall asleep. So if I am to scrounge up any sort of advice to make this an inspiring blog, it would be to not be afraid of the unknown. If you are an artist…JUMP! Always jump for what you hesitate on because sitting back and wondering what if will drive you mad. Practice makes perfect with a side of patience (something I’m still working on.) And if you aren’t an artist, I would say to you: Why aren’t you one? Doodling is art. Painting a wall in your livingroom is art. Clipping coupons is art. Raising children is art. Art is all around us and inside of us. Once you realize that, you will be unstoppable! So rather than leaving you with a question, how about you list the things you are good at below. Share your art with me!

Okay, I’ve babbled on enough lol. Thanks for reading my ramblings.

Until next time, Echelon out ♥

Caught in the Writer’s Block’s web

Hello once again Readers!!!

I’ve crawled out from under my rock just so I could write a quick blog about my progress. I’m about 18 chapters deep into my second novel and a little over halfway done. Woohoo! I’m still working on a title for it though. Juggling (and not in the literal sense) has become a trade that I’m quite good at-which brings me to the topic I wanted to blog about…

Writer’s Block

Ugh. Those two words have the power to make me cringe as if I were watching a spider skitter along the floor in front of me. It’s as real and just as deadly as a spider and it has graced me with its presence a lot lately. I’ve come to fear it as much as I fear the creepy-crawlies, so I’m going to refer to Writer’s Block as a “spider”.

Something so tiny and practically invisible (like the web) can be strung out overnight and create a seamless barrier that you get stuck in-similar to running out of fresh ideas. As the “spider” inches toward your tangled body, things like self-doubt and hopelessness begin to appear in the growing world of your novel. You try to brush aside the fact that you are on the brink of losing it all, thinking that by denying it, it will go away. But the inevitable happens and the “spider” bites you! Now you are left wondering, what next. Or even, what was I thinking.

Not to fear! I have found the antidote for Writer’s Block!

Whenever I feel the wall or the “bite” of  Writer’s Block, I step away and vent to my bestie. I never write when I’m upset or when I’m tired. The quality just isn’t the same when your heart’s not in it. And it’s going to happen to you every now and then. Try going for a walk to clear your mind or even taking a warm, relaxing bath. Bounce ideas off a good friend, your spouse, or someone who reads often and is interested in your genre of writing. If that doesn’t work, pick up a book and get lost in someone else’s world for a bit. Let the pressure of it all go, and then maybe approach it a few days later. You will get through it!

Honestly, there are so many different perceptions in the blogging world on how Writer’s Block can be overcome and all of them offer really good advice. This blog will probably become just another one of those. The important thing is that it can be overcome, no matter how you do it.

If you have any thoughts on how to smoosh the evil “spider”, post a comment below! And share this with your friends so they can offer even more advice. I hope this has helped inspire you!

That being said-Echelon out ♥