So, in one insomniac burst I abruptly joined both Twitter (@lesliepwriter)
and Goodreads…and then realized I didn’t know much of anything about
either. Twitter seems like walking the
wrong way onto the autobahn or something, so I emailed my very savvy, very
funny writing group for some advice. I
was expecting a couple pointers along the lines of “don’t tweet nude photos,”
but instead I got this very sane, helpful list of tips from Carolyn Parkhurst,
who agreed to let me share them here on my old-fashioned, oh-so-wordy,
very-non-Twitter blog (nearly 3000 characters in here, with spaces, which is
like 22 tweets!).
So, lots of good stuff, even if you’re already a pro. (And
if you’re not interested in Twitter, scroll down to the link to Carolyn’s
incredible humor piece, published by the New
Yorker…it will absolutely make your day!)
Make Twitter Your
Bitch (Note: my title, not Carolyn’s! Carolyn is too classy for a title
like this!)
By Carolyn Parkhurst
1. An email thank-you is nice, but most Twitter users expect
a hand-written note for each favorite and retweet. (Okay, the rest are
serious.)
2. Follow lots of people. Look up writers you like, people
you know on FB, literary journals, and pop-culture things you like (TV shows,
actors, etc). Check out Twitter's suggestions for people to follow, and
when you find someone you like, check out the people they follow. You don't
have to do it all at once. Try to follow a few new people every week.
3. Follow @TheBookMaven, @colsonwhitehead,
@mat_johnson, @rgay, @duchessgoldblatt, @JohnMoe, @RonCharles, @robdelaney,
@SarahThyre, @BoobsRadley. I may think of more later.
4. Spend a little time browsing and getting a feel for the
place. Read what other people are tweeting and what responses they get. You'll
figure it out.
5. Engage in conversation: Post replies to other people's
tweets, ask questions in your own tweets, compliment people if you've recently
read their books, etc. When you mention someone by their username, they'll get
a notification and will probably reply.
6. Tweet a couple of things a day. Links to your blog and
Redux and any of your work online, but also short, funny observations. Anything
you'd post on FB. Thoughts about TV shows and cocktails. Writing
tips (real or jokey), grammatical errors you find in public, tabloid headlines
you see while shopping. Cat pics are fine, too. Weekday mornings are the
best time to tweet.
7. Follow all of us. Duh.
ABOUT: Carolyn Parkhurst is the New York Times best-selling author of three novels, including THE
DOGS OF BABEL and THE NOBODIES ALBUM.
Her humor has appeared on "The Rumpus" and on the New Yorker's "Shouts and
Murmurs" blog. She lives in
Washington, DC with her husband and two children, and can be found on Twitter
as @CParkhurst1.
And you simply must
read her New Yorker piece, about
Eloise, who as a middle-age woman has moved from the Plaza Hotel to the Crowne
Plaza: http://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/eloise-an-update