To Tweet or Not to Tweet; No Longer a Question

The writer can choose what he writes about but he cannot choose what he is able to make live.

-- Flannery O'Connor

It's official: I'm tweeting, but I promise not to reveal TMI, as in showering habits, political wrath, or pet panic. Well, okay, since he is this blog's mascot, I am a wee bit panicked about Sonny boy. He swallowed a footlong piece of yarn and so we wait. Linear obstructions can wreak havoc in cats' intestines. Apparently organic pumpkin is a starter solution: yeah, fiber! Cross your paws 'n' claws, please.

So, anyway, yeah, as I was saying: I'm tweeting. I've mocked the Twitter phenom before but let's face it: the hero's journey requires I research agents, and three agents who interest me are on Twitter. So I joined, and then, because I'm an obsessive writer with a need to speak, speak, speak, I tweeted.

Tweets have their place. I do, on occasion, think pithy thoughts of 140 characters or fewer. I'm talking epigrams, bumper stickers, witty retorts. Shakespeare sure as heck could tweet: "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em" (Act 2, scene 5). 85 characters. Shazam!

Of course, if all the Bard did was tweet, then I seriously doubt we'd care much for his 140-character blasts. What lives is what moves us, and we are moved by experiences over time, not bits and bytes; by relationships, not drive-by hellos.

In prepping this blog, I wrote a rough draft on a legal pad. I considered theme and transition. Coherence, flow, and wholeness. I know some treat blogging like tweeting, but I think blog = essay. In its best form, each type of writing is a different type of skill.

To tweet, I think about monosyllabic diction versus polysyllabic, and I consider how fragments might better serve than sentences. I deal in active verbs since passive voice hogs characters. I know that's not every tweeter's concern, but if I'm going to do this, let's do this well.

Writing gurus say THOU MUST TWEET in order to have a platform. If this mantra is true, then on top of my daily writing practice, email communications, Facebook posts, and blogging, I need to add another representative tag line to my day's work. Read: more writing. Writers are writing more than ever, or, perhaps they're writing less of what they wish to and more bits of the PR variety than they ever dreamed.

Since there are only 24 hours in the day, the ambitious writer must evolve to the times. She must start working in places not always conducive to quiet reflection (doctor's offices, lines, delayed meetings), and she must start writing faster.

The secret is knowing when to pause and read very carefully what you just wrote versus just spewing. Today's climate tempts one to spew all the time. My manuscripts and my blog are outposts for reflection. I go to both these places to mull and meditate. The first draft may be quick, but there's sure to be more before I start publishing.

I believe I'll tweet to blast, spout, update. We shall see. This blog will get much more of my quality time.

I wonder what Flannery O'Connor would say about tweeting. She did say, "Writing a novel is a terrible experience, during which the hair often falls out and the teeth decay." Perhaps she'd understand if I kept the public apprised of my hairline and my gum health. Or perhaps she'd turn her face back to the wall and write for her three hours a day, uninterrupted, the works she was called to do: short stories, essays, and novels.

Methinks the computer screen is a bit too reflective of our own images. Like the mirror, mirror on the wall, we go there to find out who's the fairest rather than get the darn thing done.


Writing Prompts: Please note that writing prompts should always be pursued in emotionally-safe environments with the supervision of someone who interested in encouraging good writing, self-awareness, and reflection. A wonderful resource is Pat Schneider’s Writing Alone and With Others.

© Lyn Hawks. Writing prompts for one-time classroom use only and not for publication in any form elsewhere without permission of this author.

Elementary Prompts:

-- This is your chance to design a bumper sticker for a car or a bike that says something about your personality or what you believe. Say what you have to say in 15 words or less.
-- What is a familiar saying in your family, something people often say when something good, strange, bad, or important happens? Here are some examples of what we call proverbs: A penny saved is a penny earned; or, What goes around, comes around. Write down as many sayings as you can think of, and then choose one that is important to you and explain why.
-- Imagine it is 20 years from now and you have a child of your own. What memory of today would you want to record for your son or daughter? Write that memory as specifically as you can, but, you only have 50 words to do it. How many details can you cram into 50 words?
-- Do you know what Twitter is? If you do, what do you know about it? Why do you think people use it? Write down what you think is going on at Twitter. If you use Twitter, explain who you follow and what you learn about these people.
-- Draw a picture of your favorite place outdoors. Then label every part of the drawing with a message. What is the sky saying? The sun? The trees? The birds?


Secondary & Adult Prompts:

-- Design a bumper sticker for a car or a bike that says something about your personality or what you believe. Say what you have to say in 15 words or less. Or, Write about the a bumper sticker you have seen that is very memorable to you. Why does the message mean something to you?
-- Families often share proverbs -- sayings or idioms that capture a culture, a community, and aspects of life. What sayings do your family members invoke when something good, strange, bad, or important happens? Think of classic American proverbs such as A penny saved is a penny earned; or, What goes around, comes around. Write down as many sayings as you can think of, and then choose one that is important to you and explain why. Or, design your own proverb that captures your culture, your age group, or some other aspect of your life experience or community.
-- Imagine it is 20 years from now and you have a child of your own. What memory of today would you want to record for your son or daughter? Write that memory as specifically as you can, but, you only have 50 words to do it. How many details can you cram into 50 words?
-- Do you use Twitter? Why or why not? Why do you think people use it? If you use it, whom you follow and what do you learn from it? What tweets have you posted?
-- Do you think Twitter encourages or discourages writing? Why?
-- Is tweeting vain? Is Facebook posting vain?
-- Based on your experiences with Twitter, devise your Top Ten Rules for Tweeting.

How to Get Published: The Hero's Journey, Part 1

"What I think is that a good life is one hero journey after another. Over and over again, you are called to the realm of adventure, you are called to new horizons. Each time, there is the same problem: do I dare? And then if you do dare, the dangers are there, and the help also, and the fulfillment or the fiasco. There's always the possibility of a fiasco. But there's also the possibility of bliss."

-- Joseph Campbell

While the manuscript breathes in the hands of kind and thoughtful readers, I'd like to invite all my friends to follow me on this hair-raising adventure we'll call "Getting Published."

The hero's journey involves many stages, according to Joseph Campbell. And as a teacher who publishes how-to-write curriculum, I sure as heck better follow the stages of writing I preach.

First, the Call to Adventure. Like Dorothy walking out of the farmhouse door into Munchkin Land, or Luke leaving the burnt home of his aunt and uncle to seek revenge, I've walked through the door of my office into the wild world bearing a third draft of my manuscript. And lo, I have said, "Um, somebody read this, please?"

While some review the manuscript, I seek the guide who will help me get published-- that Meeting with the Mentor, AKA, the agent.

Now, if I were Luke, Obi-Wan might just manifest, like it or not, and then I could dither around, refuse him, and finally acquiesce to my destiny. Or if I were Dorothy, I could stumble out of my house and happen on Glinda, who'd appear in a cotton-candy bubble with a sweet pair of ruby slippers. All I'd need were those and a kiss for the yellow brick road ahead. But in my case, I need to hunt down my Obi-Wan, that agent who will shepherd me through the dark and light sides of publishing.

So how does that magical meeting happen?

It's the ugly out-takes nobody wants on film. Hours of research. Hours of figuring out whether this person I'm querying is the right fit; hours taking copious notes on submission guidelines. Surfing the agent's blog and profile so I don't make the mistakes of online dating: pursuing a potential match based on a picture or a few stray details. Writing multiple drafts of a query. Running those queries by people I trust.

Did you know the writing life was this glamorous?

Then, when the moment is right and the Force most active, I shall click "Send" and query a few agents at a time. Then wait. Then query my next list. And so on. (Did I mention this could take a while.)

Apparently, there are many writers out there who skip all these rules. They spam a whole slew of potential agents simultaneously when they haven't even finished Draft #1. They ignore the very clear and specific guidelines on agents' web sites. They misspell the agent's name, they send bad pictures of their pets, they dangle some obscene participles, and perhaps worst of all, refrain from stating why this particular agent is the one being queried. Because apparently, in people's lust for stardom, any agent will do.

I guess it takes all kinds to make up that pool of wannabes. Aspiring writers include that percentage who are like the recent college grad interviewing with a company. Less than 24 hours after his interview, he texts, DID I GET THE JOB? LMK. Agents are not your buds, your Facebook friends, your 24-7 advisors. They're Obi-Wan stature. We must respect them.

Some would argue I don't need a mentor, that this is the age of self-publishing and DIY. For some that process no doubt works, but not for me. This heroine needs a companion for the ride, a sage who knows both market and publishers. This heroine wants truth that a stranger, soon to become colleague, will tell her. Obi-Wan wasn't Luke's buddy, and neither was Glinda. We eventually have to listen to mentors, like their advice or not.

Dear Future Mentor: I promise I won't be whiny like Luke, nor as skittish as Dorothy. I'm eager to test that light saber and don those ruby slippers. I'll show you my mettle by querying by your rules, and I'll show you my trust by believing in the Force that manifested this manuscript will also manifest You.

I know you're out there.

Writing Prompts: Please note that writing prompts should always be pursued in emotionally-safe environments with the supervision of someone who interested in encouraging good writing, self-awareness, and reflection. A wonderful resource is Pat Schneider’s Writing Alone and With Others.

© Lyn Hawks. Writing prompts for one-time classroom use only and not for publication in any form elsewhere without permission of this author.

Prompts, All Ages:
-- What is the longest journey you have ever taken? Where did you go? Why? What made the trip long? What are your strongest memories of that trip?
-- How is writing like a journey for you? Or, how is writing not like a journey for you? What's it like instead?
-- Have you ever wanted to write something that was so exciting to think about, you felt as if you were entering another world? What was that writing project? If you haven't had that experience with writing, what other activity do you do that gives you feelings of adventure, escape, magic, and power?
-- Who has been your best writing mentor -- whether a favorite author, a friend/family member/teacher, or someone else? How did the person mentor you? What was that mentor's special gift?
-- You are recording a message for people hundreds of years from now. You must explain to future generations why the people of this year and this century engaged in the art of writing. Why do people writing? Why does today's writing matter?

If a Tree Falls...

If a tree falls in your yard, blocking any egress down your driveway, and rattling the whole house in the process, should you stay at home and rest?

Yes.

No matter how feverish as a writer's passion might be, writing demands rests. Stops. Pauses. I thought for weeks that once the manuscript was done, I'd launch into full-blown revisions, hacking away. I know better from past projects, but still, my zeal to see this manuscript finished is strong. You can believe in something so much you lose all good sense.

Last week I did a full read-through (okay, except for the last 25 pages). I resisted the temptation to nitpick, and I caught various errors in facts and characterization. I made these general and small revisions.

Then Friday night, the wind blew hard, the lightning flashed, and the trees swayed. Birch, oak, poplar, maple, and hickory all rocked back and forth. And then came the crash, sending us to the front door to figure out what the heck was that...We heard what sounded like glass breaking...which turned out to be windows and metal rattling in the front room. A sudden gust had blown a hickory tree down, its splintery, rotten core exposed.

I told my husband it was a message to me to slow down and stop scurrying. Us crazy writers, so stunned by the symbolism of wind and flora--is there anything that live free of our themes?

The manuscript is breathing softly in its sleep. It's vacationing in the hands of various readers. Their gut reactions will tell me whether overhaul or tweaks are needed, and where. And when I resurface from this mental vacation, I'll see this manuscript more clearly. According to Janet Friedman, having this attitude will help me become a successful writer--one not defined by others' definitions of success. The very act of blogging shows a passion for the process that no rejection, no disinterest, no chirping crickets can displace.

Oh, but durn it all, there's still another pressure besides my passion to keep moving -- that vaulting ambition, the Rusty Old American Dream. It says, "Strike while the iron is hot! Don't you want to query while such-and-such an agent is at this conference? Don't you want to send out a manuscript by such-and-such a date?" The sales gal in me has some thoughts on the matter of self-marketing.

And while marketing doesn't equal evil, however artists might equate money with Satan, the manuscript has to rest. I need to hear from those with honest and fair critiques to make. Those who can answer basic questions like, Do you want to keep reading this? Did you laugh or cry?

So what to do with all my excess energy? I have four short stories in various stages of revision and submission. My big goal is a collection, and I'm only a few pages shy of that. During this time I can write new drafts and prepare new packets for magazines.

I await a sign. Right now, it's a tree in the driveway. Tomorrow, it might be three readers saying, "Query!" or "Mmmm...try yet another draft." We shall see. I know the value of super-slo-mo, of reading each word aloud and pruning every phrase.

When the man comes to haul away the hickory, he'll use it to smoke his barbecue. Better the wood be used right away than turn to sap, useless in a year for fire wood.

You find the additional metaphors there. I'm resting.