As someone who is fading from making reels, i GASPED when I read you deleted your videos. So liberating! I loved this post. I dont want to just convince people to buy my stories. I just want to share them!
The way you intend to use social media moving forward reminds me of how we writers first approached social media a decade-plus back. We'd share timely news/updates as a way to potentially reach a bigger audience. And for a time, it worked, until the algos changed and we stopped thinking about what and why we were posting, and simply posted whatever we knew would please the algo enough to have our posts shown to our followers. It became about content--VIDEO content. And most of us are NOT natural video content creators. We're writers! We just want to sit with our characters and words.
Anyway, all this to say, your post resonated deeply. Thanks for sharing. 🖤
thank you, Erin! I’ve also been thinking about how I can capture the magic of being on stage talking about my work and harness that for social media, on occasion. how can I translate that intimacy and passion? essentially I want to do less, but better. ❤️
i'm a musician and i have gone through periods of downloading and deleting tiktok from my phone. i can honestly say it made me lose HOURS of my days at a time, scrolling 'til 1am feeling like an insane person.
i use instagram to keep up with my fans and also it catches a few new people every so often. what i have started going recently (which works quite well) is spending one gruelling, yet kinda fun day of making enough video content for the next month (about 12 videos) and then scheduling it all weekly on Facebook Meta Business Whatever. then i can sit back, delete Instagram from my phone for a few days at a time, and let my social media do its thing.
as a BOOK READER i think the only thing which works on me is recommendations from other readers. personally i don't follow authors but i'm not super on the booktok/stagram scene. normally i find new favourites by scrolling goodreads, or listening to what my sister or her friends are reading.
thanks for writing this because it says a lot of what i think about social media on a regular basis these days, as a Person Who Makes Things And Has To Sell/Promote Those Things.
This is something that actually worries me going into the world of publishing. My only experience is in articles and freelance - but promoting a BOOK constantly online is oftentimes very discouraging!! Like, what if I can’t do it?? What if I don’t succeed, does that mean I have zero chance at this? So, this was a positive outlook for me to read. Thank you ♥️
Yes exactly! I feel that the constant time that we take to keep promoting ourselves takes time away from even the simple things that brings us the joy that can easily slip away quickly
This resonates so much. Every time I have done this in the past my internal ick radar goes wild. I can count the hours that it takes me away from my own books. It’s like having a wasp stuck in your head.
I love this so much! As someone whose attempting like hell to write my first book, and also works in the world of social media, I firmly believe being constantly engulfed in the thoughts of others via the apps robs us of our creative greatness.
As someone who is fading from making reels, i GASPED when I read you deleted your videos. So liberating! I loved this post. I dont want to just convince people to buy my stories. I just want to share them!
thank you! ❤️
The way you intend to use social media moving forward reminds me of how we writers first approached social media a decade-plus back. We'd share timely news/updates as a way to potentially reach a bigger audience. And for a time, it worked, until the algos changed and we stopped thinking about what and why we were posting, and simply posted whatever we knew would please the algo enough to have our posts shown to our followers. It became about content--VIDEO content. And most of us are NOT natural video content creators. We're writers! We just want to sit with our characters and words.
Anyway, all this to say, your post resonated deeply. Thanks for sharing. 🖤
thank you, Erin! I’ve also been thinking about how I can capture the magic of being on stage talking about my work and harness that for social media, on occasion. how can I translate that intimacy and passion? essentially I want to do less, but better. ❤️
i'm a musician and i have gone through periods of downloading and deleting tiktok from my phone. i can honestly say it made me lose HOURS of my days at a time, scrolling 'til 1am feeling like an insane person.
i use instagram to keep up with my fans and also it catches a few new people every so often. what i have started going recently (which works quite well) is spending one gruelling, yet kinda fun day of making enough video content for the next month (about 12 videos) and then scheduling it all weekly on Facebook Meta Business Whatever. then i can sit back, delete Instagram from my phone for a few days at a time, and let my social media do its thing.
as a BOOK READER i think the only thing which works on me is recommendations from other readers. personally i don't follow authors but i'm not super on the booktok/stagram scene. normally i find new favourites by scrolling goodreads, or listening to what my sister or her friends are reading.
thanks for writing this because it says a lot of what i think about social media on a regular basis these days, as a Person Who Makes Things And Has To Sell/Promote Those Things.
This is something that actually worries me going into the world of publishing. My only experience is in articles and freelance - but promoting a BOOK constantly online is oftentimes very discouraging!! Like, what if I can’t do it?? What if I don’t succeed, does that mean I have zero chance at this? So, this was a positive outlook for me to read. Thank you ♥️
Thanks for this!! I appreciate this reminder. And huge congrats on your upcoming book!!
thank you, Sarah!
Yes exactly! I feel that the constant time that we take to keep promoting ourselves takes time away from even the simple things that brings us the joy that can easily slip away quickly
you’re so so right
This resonates so much. Every time I have done this in the past my internal ick radar goes wild. I can count the hours that it takes me away from my own books. It’s like having a wasp stuck in your head.
“Internal ick radar” - I am borrowing this!
borrow away!
I love this so much! As someone whose attempting like hell to write my first book, and also works in the world of social media, I firmly believe being constantly engulfed in the thoughts of others via the apps robs us of our creative greatness.
You’re so right - we absorb so many of other people’s thoughts that we dilute our own
The last line is ON POINT.
❤️
Absolutely love this and second the thought.
thank you so much!