Believe it or not, though, but there is joy in the waiting. Unfortunately many of us can’t see it while we’re going through that season, but hindsight shows us the blessings.
Linking Your Social Media Accounts and Other Major Blogging and Social Media No-Nos
Successful social media is something of an art form—with lots of gray areas. Building a successful online presence takes a good amount of flexibility and a little bit of experimentation. But even though I encourage people to find their sweet spots, there are a few things you want to avoid. Today I’d to weigh in on linking your social media accounts and other major blogging and social media no-nos.
No-no Number One
Do not link your blog with social media. What I mean by that is you don’t want your blog o send a notification of your newest blog post to Facebook or Twitter or any other social network. On the surface it seems that would be a great shortcut for those (almost all of us) who find ourselves in a constant time crush. But it’s not.
Here’s why:
You run the risk of spamming your friends and followers. Computers make mistakes, and especially if you have Facebook and Twitter linked, you can get repeat messages. This is unintentional spamming.
People today are smart, savvy and cynical. We can tell when something posted on social media is computer generated and we won’t bite. So you’re not getting any traffic this way.
Finally, you need to control the way your social media updates go out and how they’re worded. Different platforms may need slightly different wording. You also want the opportunity to add relevant hashtags and mentions.
Writing For The Long Haul
No one wants to be a one hit wonder.
You know, write that first book, or first series, and then struggle to find more success.
I was in this boat after the Nashvegas books.
Not that they were a break out… in fact, they weren’t at all.
So I had to decide what to write next that caught my publisher’s eye.
I was blessed to be at a house that believed in giving an author more than a one-contract chance.
But if I didn’t find some success soon, there was no reason for my publisher to continue with me.
I was writing chick lit but it was dying a quick death as a sub romance genre.
At an ACFW conference, I braved a conversation with my publisher. “What can I do to turn things around?”
“Well,” he said, “we’re not quite sure how to brand you.”
This really confused me. I wrote chick lit. Romance. How was it hard to brand me?
Finding God In Our Work
We’re more than authors. More than Christians.
We’re children of God. Co-heirs with Christ.
We are the BRIDE of Christ.
So when we sit down to write our novels, we are not just putting words to page, or crafting something of make believe for entertainment.
We are also revealing God.
Come on, Rachel, how can that be?
Romans 1:20 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
Real Time Book Therapy
I’m working with a My Book Therapy premium member and she sent me this excerpt from her first chapter. She’s doing a great job of using the right tools — showing a hint of the want, wound, lie and fear, but the journey is a bit bumpy.
With her permission, I’m using our exchange to give you all some real time book therapy.
The story is a Biblical account set in the time of Elijah. The hero, is the son of a high priestess of a pagan god and expected to follow in her footsteps. But he’s starting to realize this is not what he was born to do.
At dawn on Preparation Day, Aban pulled on the threadbare tunic he’d purchased from the rag seller and climbed out a rear window, the very one he guarded during the nightly rituals to keep freeloaders from climbing into the temple of Melqart.