Today I’m honored to have a guest post on Tony Eldridge’s awesome website Marketing Tips for Authors.

Click here to read, and check out the rest of the good stuff there as well.

Thanks to Tony for the opportunity!

Do you tweet? Digg? Post? Update your status? Share? StumbleUpon? Review on GoodReads? Link up on LinkedIn? Blog on Tumblr, WordPress, Blogspot, or your own website? How many of the hundreds of social interaction websites do you use?

There’s a plethora of social media out there, truly an abundance beyond the capabilities of most humans to use effectively or efficiently. With so many choices comes a need to pare down to what’s physically (and mentally) manageable. Therefore, questions arise.

Which social media sites should you use in developing and growing relationships, building a platform across multiple channels, getting your book sold or your blog read, promoting your recent publication, or touting the services you provide? And how do you decide the best and most effective ways to invest your social media time? Here are three questions (and answers) to help you choose.

1)   What do you want to do, and what’s your desired result ?

What do you specifically want to achieve with social media? Is it more friends or networking connections? Is it quick conversation or a longer interaction period and text limits that are less, uh, limiting? Do you want more sales and readers of e-magazines, e-books or printed books? More editing or ghostwriting business? More promotion to and interaction with readers who may or may not buy your books now and in the future? Less long-phrased run-on sentences in blogs posts you are reading?

The answers to most pf those questions should inform your decision.

2)   Who are the people you’d like to connect with your work, your message, or your life?

Based on your purpose and intent defined by answering #1, who are the people you want (need, really) to tell, educate, or take action on what you’re doing on the internet? Blog readers? Commenters? Facebook ‘likes’? Are you selling books, workshops, or writing services. Decide who you want to know what about what you’re writing, selling, or saying, and adjust your distribution accordingly.

3)   Which do you like best and enjoy most?

I’ve found that while Twitter can be a good social media tool, it’s not the kind of conversation that typically suits my social media preferences. I like a longer conversation, and don’t connect regularly with enough tweeting friends to make it more than a passing interest or avenue for announcement or sharing.

On the other hand, I love writing this blog and interacting on Facebook. In fact, LinkedIn and Facebook have each helped me increase my readers and friends and land jobs or opportunities. I love Goodreads, but am having a hard time keeping up with a fourth social media outlet. Google+ scares me, mostly because I struggle with balancing it all and writing and life in general. I’m avoiding it for the moment, but I expect to look into it eventually…then decide if it’s worth it.

You will naturally gravitate toward certain media availabilities, based on your personal preferences and how you best enjoy interacting through the different communication avenues. Stick with the ones you like best. Forcing yourself to maintain a presence on every possible site will fast become drudgery, and you may miss the benefits that social media can bring to your writing and your life.

One more social media tip: I’ve found that using an aggregator like Hootsuite or Seesmic can be good for saving time in spreading the same post easily among your various social media accounts. You’ll need to provide ‘third party’ access to your applications to use these, but they do save time and energy for other more important things (like checking on who ‘liked’ your last post about rhubarb).

What social media sites do you use? What for? If there some you don’t like, why not? Help a fellow writer (or a bunch) and let us know.

Writer’s Block doesn’t exist.

For those of us who have sat staring for minutes (hours?) at a blank page with no ideas and no writing-related brain activity, hoping the best of brilliant words would suddenly flow fresh and poignant from our fingers, stay with me.

There is no such thing as writer’s block. It’s a lie. It’s the monster hiding under your bed or lurking in your closet or whispering sour nothings in your head that isn’t really there. Granted, it’s taken many years and overcoming many typical writers’ obstacles for me to believe that. But I do. It’s true.

Writer’s block is like other deterrents and detours that can get in the way of our writing. We work through challenges like difficulty finding time to write or research, sidetracks like reading blogs (not this one, of course) or spending too much time engaged in other social media and more. Maybe, too, there’s something else holding you back and creating writer’s block. That may be you.

I recently read that the greatest obstacle to most writers is themselves. If you are an obstacle to your own writing, you’re not alone. If you write, you have likely had to shed negativity, bad habits, disbelief, and more in order to follow your creative path. Any or all of these can help feed the monster formerly known as writer’s block.

It is absolutely not easy to be a writer. To be good, it takes copious amounts of time, courage, discipline, alcohol (no, wait, that’s a stereotype), and the ongoing will to sit in the seat and write. Whether it’s fear of failure, unbelief in ourselves and/or our abilities, or some other internal hindrance, the list of obstacles we can place in our own way is a long one. I have found myself almost always willing to put something in the way of my accomplishing my writing goals. But not writer’s block. Not anymore.

I’ve had the moment when the scary shadow turns into a hoodie or raincoat hanging on the door once the light hits it. The monster formerly known has been revealed, and as such, discounted and dismissed. There are a couple of reasons behind this personal dismissal of writer’s block.

• My growth as a writer over time. I’ve been writing and editing professionally for about fifteen years. While I love creating fiction, most of my writing over the years has been nonfiction, in many forms. And with those many forms have come many deadlines. If you learn how to meet deadlines (and the how can be different for everyone), you will kill writer’s block. Once you decide it’s dead, you won’t even see it, because there is no room for not writing when writing has to be done. Especially when the writing means extra dollars in your bank account every month.
• Experience. I’m not the most experienced writer by far, but I do have years of learning, pursuing, and implementing the craft to draw from in vanquishing writer’s block. When I go in front of the page, I’m typically able to get started and generate copy, because it’s as familiar as eating when dinner is on the table before me. I’ve done it, and having been there before, I now find it’s not too hard to keep the words flowing.

So, for me, writer’s block is a thing of the past. Perhaps I’ve outgrown it, or perhaps I’ve gained the experience and confidence to keep the pen (or keys) moving. If you’re producing words, you’re not blocked. If you are blocked, experienced writer or novice, you to can smack writer’s block upside the head..and get unstuck.

Four tips on getting the words flowing:

1. Take five or ten minutes away from the keyboard. Refresh your beverage, take out the trash or the dog…then get back to it. You’d be surprised at how much work a mindless task or a short break will let your brain get done in the background.
2. You don’t know where to go with the next scene? Add a knock at the door. Who’s there? Maybe it’s a dwarf holding a basket of dirty laundry (a former fiction teacher at the Antioch Writers Workshop used this example). You may not want to add a dwarf to your story, but if you do, you definitely have something else to write about. After the knock on the door, it could be anyone. The  point is, introduce another element that even you don’t expect.
3. Choose a character and have them do something they wouldn’t do. Try to write that independently and see if it clicks. You may have discovered another point of conflict to use in the work.
4. Write something. Anything. Pour words onto the page. Just…keep…writing. If it goes a strange direction, or isn’t something you like, or doesn’t seem to fit, it doesn’t matter, as long as you keep writing. That’s what editing is for. Connect loose ends, adding cogent details, deleting weird tangents, and shaping your work into being as good as you can make it.

Do you believe in writer’s block? What have you done to get past it? Share here, and maybe you’ll help a fellow wordsmith.

I can’t keep up. I’ve tried. I  love to read the latest blog post, see who’s posted what, and declare something to the world via social media. I also love and need time to write, and it can be a difficult balance. I’m on Twitter, and LinkedIn, and of course Facebook. I get a weekly email from Digg. I’m on Google Reader.

It’s a bit much. That’s why I have gurus.

Gurus are awesome. They can tell you what you need to know, and the ability to tap into their knowledge is one of the best parts of what the internet can do for writers. Here are four I like and follow regularly, in no particular order.

1. Jeff Bullas tweets…a lot. He tweets old material, new material, and he has great article titles that make you want to read them. I do frequently, because he does a great deal of research into who’s using social media, ways that others are being effective in the arena, and practical info on measurables. Much good stuff here.
2. Tony Eldridge’s website, Marketing Tips for Writers, is a great resource for maximizing your knowledge of how writers can use social media to their advantage (and make friends in the process).
3. Jane Friedman has been editor of Writer’s Digest and now teaches about electronic media at the University of Cincinnati. She stays on top of writer-related social media, and knows what she’s talking about. She shares great information and insight in a straightforward, likeable style. Among other gems, she has a weekly ‘best tweets for writers’ post.
4. Social Media Examiner is what the name says it is, and they do a good job of it. Good, timely articles on the latest and greatest. Love the little guy with the magnifying glass, too.

There are countless other gurus out there, and there’s one catering to your information needs, whether you want to know how to market your work or just how these people converse on Twitter with 140 characters and piles of hashtags. Find one, or two, or eighteen if you can handle it. It’ll be a good complement to your muse.

• Writers are generous: In reading aloud the results of our writing exercises, people were generous with positive, practical comments about many different aspects of the writing…scene, character, dialogue, and where’d that come from? It was great to see. 
• Writers are brave: Connecting with a group of strangers, knowing you really only share your humanity and an interest in the event that brought you together, can be an act of bravery for some. For others, revealing yourself and being vulnerable through your writing is courageous. And reading aloud can be a challenge to the uninitiated or unexperienced, whether alone or in said group of newly-met souls. Those who gathered at the workshop were brave enough to stride forward amidst all those circumstances.
• Writers need each other: It takes time to learn how to write well, and how the process works best for each of us personally. The writers at this workshop were of varied skill levels, with varied writing interests. One thing in common was that no one had a current community of writers to share their writing or the challenges of doing so. Being around others who share your interest in writing is critical to helping you along your path (and you helping others, too).

 Another thing I came away with is that writers need assurance: I frequently meet writers (or those who want to call themselves writers, but find it hard to do so) whose creativity has been shaken. Their writing and their abilities (or desire) to write have been dismissed, discouraged, and sometimes discarded. While a good story has conflict, the opposing forces found between a person who wants, needs, and feels the desire to write and those who would stop them for reasons known and imagined.

At the workshop, I referenced The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (which I shared there and here) as an invaluable tool for creatives needing some good orderly direction in shedding false opinions and moving forward as writers, artists, and people. It helped me long ago; I think it could help most anyone, particularly those at the beginning of (or at a standstill in) their writing or creative journey.

And finally, here are two things I didn’t have time to share, but would have.

• Writing anything is good practice for you as a writer. Eventually, as you grow in your abilities, find the kind of writing that fuels your passion to write, and focus on that. It’s good to dabble, but it is better to get better at what you really want to write.
• Write. Produce junk, produce timeless prose, produce something you look at later and think “What was I thinking?” Just get it out, get it down on screen or paper. You can always work with it from there, but you must to have something you can edit before you can improve it.

Based on the response from those who attended, and the interest of those who didn’t, I’m planning future workshops, some similar, some on different writing topics (and possibly special guests, too). Stay tuned, or to be included on the mailing list (no spam or email sales, just announcements and anytime opt-out), email me at weswriter@aol.com.

Related Articles

• Revive Your Writing! Workshop (weswriter.wordpress.com)
• The Value of Writers’ Workshops (weswriter.wordpress.com)

Today's 3 a.m. Hero, Teddy. Extra treats for you, little friend!

What kind of day will it be? Apparently, one of those days.

At three a.m., the dog went off. I leapt from bed to find a (former) hot water heater spewing gallons of water through several rusted-out holes in the top, the result of which was three inches of water in the laundry and dining rooms.

I attacked the situation. I shut off the water and the breaker switch, grabbed twelve towels and a quilt to soak up the flood, and proceeded to fling said textiles throughout the mess.

Then a knock on the door. I opened it to a police officer, called because water had flowed into the downstairs apartment. He came in, made sure there wasn’t any foul play afoot, and left…returning with a fireman, who also assured himself there was nothing to see here, and they both left.

Next, maintenance man with a shop vac and an assessing eye arrived, shut off my water, and promised the next guy would be here over an hour and a half ago to install a new water heater and clean up the carpet.

Not long after that, I stepped in dog poop (which wasn’t from the one who saved the day by barking me awake…thank you again, Teddy).

Meanwhile, as I write, a close family member is in the hospital. They’re not sure exactly what’s wrong yet, today it’s still day-to-day.

Quite a range of emotions in this day already. Thankfully, I have enough coffee and water, and for some reason, I’m not overwhelmed at the moment. Could be in the next one, but that’s another answer I don’t have.

The point? While it’s not fun to be living in the midst of all this (and I realize there are so many worse situations that I’m not in), I am gaining experience in knowing how it feels to be ‘here’ . Because I’m a writer, I’m trying to pay attention to that.

I may never write about what I’m feeling during this day, or others labeled “one of those,” but now if I do, I can write from personal experience, which could make the writing better for it.

Life is resource for writers and other creatives, and mine is no different. Of course, you don’t have to experience everything you write about (that’s what research is for), but when you can write from experience, it can enhance everything you’re trying to convey to your reader.

Here’s my equation of the moment. Lousy day = more in the writer archive.  I’m not asking what’s next, but when I look at it that way, maybe it’s not such a lousy day after all.

The value, beyond the fun of creating something new, exercises can also be valuable to your current work-in-progress, your desire to start writing something new, or your overall skill at the craft. Here’s what I mean.

• Prompts can help you work through new characters, or discover new characteristics of existing ones.
• Exercises help jump-start your ‘writing brain’ by letting the words flow from a single thought or scene.
• New scenes can be created (using existing characters or new ones). You might also find a place in a scene to work in that monkey-with-an-IPad sci-fi twist you’ve been thinking about.
• And then there’s the fun of creating something new and filling a blank page or screen with something you pulled out of your muse on the spur of the moment.

At a workshop I’m holding at c4Yourself Gallery in Cincinnati on April 16, we’ll be doing some writing exercises, which should include some or all of the above. What it won’t include, however, are the following ‘Interesting Writing Prompts’ I came upon. Enjoy, but please don’t hurt yourselves.

1. Write a scene showing a man and a woman arguing over the man’s friendship with a former girlfriend. Do not mention the girlfriend, the man, the woman, or the argument.
2. Imagine if your favorite character from 19th Century fiction had been born without thumbs. Then write a short story about them winning the lottery.
3. A man has a terrifying dream in which he is being sawn in half. He wakes to find himself in the Indian Ocean, naked and clinging to a door; a hotel keycard is clenched in his teeth. Write what happens next.  

When: Saturday, April 16   9:30 -11:30 a.m.

Where: C4Yourself Gallery, 1342 Main Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202

       Whether you write daily in a journal, have published your writing, or just know you have always wanted to write, on Saturday, April 16, 2011 this two-hour workshop can:

•        Help you get back to, or on with, your current writing project.
•        Revitalize your writing ‘muscles’ with unique writing exercises.
•        Help you ‘write past’ your inner critic and get to “the good stuff.”

       But wait, there’s more!

       We’ll also have a brief guided discussion on social media, blogging, and why it can make a difference for writers.

       In this workshop, we will write. We will chat. We will laugh. And in the midst of the words, the talk, and the laughter, we will learn enjoy the company of fellow writers, learn more about our ‘writer selves,’ discover new writing resources, and drink good coffee. When our time together ends, you will come away with a revived inner-writer and perhaps your next work-in-progress.

       The cost for the two-hour workshop is only $20 and payable at the workshop by cash or check (made out to Wes Gilbert).

       Please register or get more information by e-mailing weswriter@aol.com. You can also register on Facebook.

       We’ll  provide locally roasted coffee and bottled water. Bring paper and pen (or laptop if you prefer).

       Hope to see you there!

       Wes

Parking:  Parking is available on Sycamore street at meters, a pay-garage, and free street parking north of 14 th Street.

Workshop instructor Wes Gilbert is a freelance writer and editor. Blaming Facebook for it, he sometimes refers to himself in third person, as is the case here. He has written and published short stories, poetry, articles on writing and the writing business, newspaper/website articles, plus  video and radio scripts, business blogs, and direct mail fundraising. He is currently writing a mystery novel, along with occasional blogging, business blogging and editing.

There’s a body of knowledge about anything in the world. The newer something is, the smaller (and faster growing) the body of knowledge will be. There’s something else about the latest new thing.  There’s a lot of misinformation out there.

Social media is of course not new. What’s new is the body of knowledge about how to measure social media success and use it effectively. Companies are springing up, ostensibly overnight, ready to capitalize on the growing ‘power’ of social media to tell and to sell. Not coincidentally, companies are also growing by telling ‘the rest of us’ how it all works (or should).

I pay some attention to the wisdom (or not) of blogs and articles on social media. It’s worked for me, mostly through making connections which led to opportunities, which has often led to writing and editing work. And when the novel’s out (I try to be a glass-.943 full kinda guy, so I’m optimistic), I’ll want to know if and when and how social media can help make a difference.

Because I pay some attention, I read plenty of conflicting information.

• Platform? You MUST have one! Or…Platform? Don’t bother if you don’t want to bother with it.
• Publishers want to know if you have a blog or website and how many Facebook friends you have because you MUST prove you can help them sell your book! Or…Publishers want good writing. If they have that, the rest can easily be taken care of.

There’s so much more, but the point is, who do you listen to? Who has the answers to the social media algorithm?

You do.

Okay, so maybe you don’t at the moment. But the answer is the same for everyone. Regardless of the advice from the blog writers, tweet experts, and social media gurus, there’s one thing that I believe needs to happen for anyone to effectively use and measure social media success.

Test it for yourself.

While trends trend and advice is advised, none of it matters if it doesn’t work to meet your goals in using social media. The only way to know is to try it out. Try multiple channels individually with the same post instead of shotgunning it to the world and check your results. Try setting up a fan page for yourself as a writer, either as a business venture or just to see what you might do with such a thing (you don’t have to go live with it, it may just be fun). Countless other tests and measurements are being devised as I type this…and now…and now.

My current conclusion? Social media can make a difference in a writer’s reach, and sometimes book sales. How and why? Still working on that one.

I’ll be blogging now and then about what I’ve learned and continue to learn about social media. I’m not THE expert (I can’t afford that guy’s advice) but I do pay attention, and if anything I share helps just one person…well, please share or retweet.

There’s my mystery novel. Good progress, much to go. New paths are opening, and there are more details to create and discover.

There’s a new project, editing/ghostwriting/some combination of for a novel that’s part mystery, part coming of age, part spiritual. I’m meeting with the author this weekend to work out the details.

There’s the potential for teaching/hosting future writing workshops. I’m meeting with my workshop partner next week to consider the details.

There’s my business blog work, which is steady and I’m grateful for it. Given the work ahead in other areas of writing, fitting in the time to write effectively on all these projects may become a challenge. It will work, but it’ll take scheduling and discipline. If that time comes, I’ll just need to work out the details.

Nothing much more to say, unless I go into detail about the connection between details and writing, or details and life, or attend to detail, detail to attend…no wait, that’s the one about planning and failing (or not). Suffice to say that it’s a season for the details…in writing, and in my life, too, for that matter. Not that I need to go into detail.

Are you working on the details in your writing or your life? Comment below (spare no detail).