Social Networking: overload for writers

I sat down the other day and made a list of my online presence. o.0

I'm on facebook, Myspace, Steampunk Empire, deviantArt, Goodreads, Helium, and Twitter. I contribute to four blogs, post flash fiction and poetry to dA, write articles on Helium, do book reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and my own blog. I also have a website and manage two more. I'm doing a huge amount of writing before I even get started on short stories or my WIP.

Then of course there is the infamous time sink of the social networks themselves. Tweeting, status updates, commenting, random banter, reading other peoples' posts, journals, blogs, etc. and commenting on them... I spend hours just catching up every day. That's hours I'm not writing, editing, submitting, and promoting my own work. So, is it worth it?

There are many benefits to the online world of social networking. Top of the list, of course, is the cliché of writers as hermits. The process of writing is an individual effort. It's not something that can really be shared with anyone, as most of it happens inside the writer. The product is shared, but then the writing is complete. Writing is a lonely, individual effort.

Social networks, shared over the writer's main tool (their computer) give writers a link to the outside world, even while writing. I can be working on a short story or novel and have twitter up at the same time, or facebook, or a chat program. I am connected to other writers who are working on their stories. The trouble comes when the interaction becomes a distraction and nothing gets done. It is much like going to the library to study, and all your friends are there, so no studying gets done.

Writing is hard work. It requires a strong imagination and focus. It is much easier, and seductively simple these days, to banter with friends about writing rather than actually write. One minute you are being productive and the next you get sucked into the time sink of social networking. On the flip side, however, there is that moment that you are stuck for a word, a turn of a phrase, and your writer friends are there to save you. So it is not the available media, but the discipline of the writer that is at the heart of the issue.

Social networks are a boon to writers in so many ways; from the simple interaction with fellow writers, to meeting agents, editors, and publishers, to interacting with readers. The days of Hemingway hiding out in a cottage writing a novel are in the past. It is all about connections and social media these days. But we must have the discipline to manage our time and our networks.

I've looked over what I do, and what I want to do online and tried to bring some order to the chaos. I want to blog more, I want to write more reviews, and I want to spend time with my friends and make more connections. The first thing I did was delete Myspace - I don't need Myspace and facebook. I knew the process would take some cutting back in order to focus on what is more important.

Next is using the available tools to get more from each post - mirroring my blog posts on several networks, doing the same with reviews I write. I looked at my various networks with an eye to diversity and use. That's why Myspace got the axe, too much like facebook. But deviantArt is completely different, so it complements, as does Goodreads. I rarely visit Steampunk Empire, but it's a niche network and worth keeping. Helium is on the fence. I haven't decided if it is worth the time and effort that could go to other things.

As you see, I have begun to organize and prioritize. That is the first step in getting control of the social network monster and freeing more time to do what we do - Write. Blogs and reviews are writing, so they go to the top of the list. Then writing I do for other outlets, dA for instance, and Helium if I decide to keep it. That puts writing first, and all of that feeds to facebook and twitter with a click of a button.

In the end, it all comes down to discipline, organization, and focus. Decide what you want from your social network then use it to the best advantage. Just remember to save some time for the real priority - Writing. After all, that's what writers do.


* this post was written for "the underground press" blog, mirrored on my literary blog which mirrors on my facebook and Goodreads profiles. I will also tweet the link. ;-)

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