Saturday, I had the opportunity to present “Growing Your Social Media Swarm” to the Writers of Kern, a branch of the California Writers Club. I was excited to learn the audience also had non-writers interested in learning better building techniques.
One of the first slides in my presentation is one you’ve seen for years on this blog.
If you build it, they will come.
Remember back in the day when I revamped my blog, and my brother created this wonderful graphic for me? It’s years old, and it still thrills me.
It’s a reminder to take those steps toward better social media. “If you build it, they will come.”
Social media (emphasis on social) is more than just “look at me.” It’s a mutual support.
Many years ago (okay, we’re gonna pretend I didn’t use the word “many” here, okay? Thanks.) in college, I attended a reading and lecture by W. P. Kinsella, author of Shoeless Joe, which became the inspiration for the movie Field of Dreams. Mr. Kinsella and I spoke after, and he encouraged me to keep writing. “It’s a special gift that takes years,” he told me. “Don’t give up.” To this day, Field of Dreams is still one of my favorites.
When you place your focus on “social”, “media” is just the means by which you connect. As writers, we are the first generation to have instant worldwide access. [You can thank Al Gansky for that soundbite.] Why wouldn’t you want a piece of that pie?
Before building your social media platform, it’s important to know a few things:
Facebook and Twitter are da bomb. That’s where you’ll reach 100% of your target audience. The other sites are just icing on the cake.
What do you want to be known for? If it’s being a creative, design your posts to share creative ideas. If it’s business management, you may want to share ideas on personnel, budgeting, and the like.
Who do you want your target audience to be? This is the money shot. Find a unique way to present who you are with what you know, and you’ll be set.
Running a social media platform takes time. Effort. A little brain-powered creativity. Here’s the good news: You don’t have to do it alone.
Remember the emphasis on “social”? It works both ways. You want to share content to help connect you to a broader audience, right? Well, reverse that. Someone else out there has information and links you’re interested in. Find them, promote them. By sharing someone else’s posts and pages, you’ve still supplied your audience with information, while helping someone else gain status in the social media foray.
See? They built it, you came. Now it’s your turn. Build it, and they will come.
This is where I pat you on the back and say, “Good game. Now, go get ’em!”
The first in a series, Hand of Adonai is a Young Adult Fantasy novel that starts in North Chester, Minnesota and ends in Alrujah, a video game kingdom created by best friends Lauren Knowles and Oliver Shaw.
Don’t be fooled by the genre. This book has been read and enjoyed by all ages.
Being Aaron’s social media manager has its perks. I was also one of his beta readers. That just means a few pre-release books were printed for people like me to review and edit. Since I took the task while we were at Blue Ridge, I opted to make comments via stickie notes instead of a computer file.
My HoA Beta Notes
Don’t worry. Most of those are “Way to go, Gansky” cheers. I fell in love with Lauren and Oliver.
They’re not perfect characters. They have real struggles. Like weight gain and bullies and broken families and high school awkward genes. So they create a perfect world. Lauren writes out her ideas in her journals and Oliver transforms them into computer code that results in a game.
After a particularly hard day for both of them, they wake up. Or do they? Lauren doesn’t know if she’s dreaming or dead. Oliver doesn’t know what to do. Together, they play along with the game only to find there’s more to it than they invented.
Dark creatures like the Nar’esh and Beresus are not easy to conquer. And worse, Lauren and Oliver are in the roles of a Princess and a Monk ~ not easily deniable. Their traveling companions swear to protect them. But would they still, if they knew they were frauds? Or are they gods?
Soon they are joined by Erica Hall and Aiden Prince ~ the objects of their real-life affections. It’s hard enough to navigate through high school emotions in this world. Setting aside teen angst and popularity contests, the four must work together to return home from a place that shouldn’t even exist. Will the demon Belphegor win the game by destroying Alrujah?
I’ve been helping Aaron and his publisher spread the word on social media, and Tuesday, we’re having an online party! Starting at 6:30 pm (Pacific Time) you can join our Aaron D Gansky’s Hand of Adonai Launch Party event on Facebook where we’ll be interacting and sharing trivia questions. And if you can’t meet us on Facebook, at the same time we’ll be streaming live with his weekly Firsts in Fiction Podcast. This week’s theme is How to Launch a Book and I’ll be the guest caster.
Of course, what’s a party without presents?
What’s a party without presents?
As we talk about inspiration, social media, what it takes to write a book, and all things from first thought to final print, Aaron, Al, and I will be giving away copies of books, a packet or two of Magic: The Gathering cards, and I’m not sure what else.
If you’d like a preview of the book, you can view the Hand of Adonai pre-release with your BookGrabbr app (download it to your computer or smart phone).
If you like what you read, you can buy Hand of Adonai at Amazon. It’s now available both in print and Kindle editions.
So we hope you’ll join us for the fun. You can check in to either event (or both) ahead of time. In fact, we’d be super glad if you did, and share them with your peeps. Because what’s a party without guests, right?
For Nathan and Pam and Naomi and Lori and Cindy and all my Marys and Beckies and everyone I’ve been talking to. I hope you know how each of you has helped me. I hope I’ve been able to return that help.
God – December 8, 2014
A few days ago, I posted a lengthy status on my personal Facebook page. Since then, people have commented, sent messages, and shared.
It’s no secret where I stand in my faith. I’m not a Bible thumper. I’m not perfect. In fact, I revel in my imperfectness. I’m just glad there’s a God who loves me the way I am, and who continues to help me be a better person for the world around me.
“Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
~2 Corinthians 12:7b-9, NIV
Let’s face it. Life is hard. It’s hard when you know God. It’s hard when you don’t know God. This post isn’t about God. It’s about Christians and the disservice we do to one another in our own community by expecting only the Pretties to be seen, by submerging the imperfections, the thorns, the scars.
If we as Christians portray only a perfect example of God, how can draw people closer to Him? If we tell seekers “It’s okay that you’re broken” then why do we expect completeness of ourselves?
The Christian Community can send out false messages. Not intentionally, mind you. I believe our desire is to attract others to Christ, and we feel we can’t do that if we’re shattered or chipped.
I disagree.
We are all damaged. One way or another, we are all broken.
I’m okay with that.
“Stop forcing a catastrophe where there’s not even a storm.”
Because God is the True Healer. He can, has, and will continue to heal my brokenness whether it is caused by others or myself. Whether my brokenness is physical, spiritual, emotional, mental, financial, or any-other-al, He continues to seek me out and heal me.
The healing may not come in the way I want, or as fast as I think I need. But His timing is perfect. And I’m okay with waiting on Him.
Cuz Father knows best.
The following is the Facebook post from a few days ago. I hope it starts a dialogue of honesty and openness. I hope everyone has a friend who accepts them unconditionally. And if you want to know more about my God, I hope you ask.
Please read, comment, share. And watch the video at the end.
Life is hard. But God is always good.
I promise.
You Matter.
~#~
June 7, 2015
So an interesting thing happened. Late last night I posted a status (now removed) of how it’s okay that I’m angry with God. I received some comments and messages that others are praying for me, that others understand, and a few that cautioned me about being so public about it.
Here’s the thing, and I’m not upset, just puzzled . . . but here’s the thing.
Not one person asked WHY. Not one person asked, “How can I help?”
And it saddens me. Not because I need attention (although we all do, right?). Not because I feel alone (I mostly don’t). But because the impression or attitude seems to imply that as a Christian I’m not allowed to have bad days, that I should share only joy and keep the rest to myself.
And it makes me wonder, if the people I know are Christian (myself included), if we are sending out these vibes that it’s not okay to be NOT okay, how are we being authentic? How are we letting others know we’re there for them?
Do we as Christians stifle the outreach and community of those who need us? Is it possible by saying “This isn’t the time or place” that what they hear is “You’re not worth my time or energy”?
I have a lot going on. So do you. So does everyone. I don’t air my “dirty laundry” for everyone. In fact, there is not one single person who knows everything. There are some who know most, some who get headlines without details, and some who get only one story or prayer request instead of the whole basket.
I’m not advocating spilling your entire life on Facebook or other public forum. I’m not agreeing with those people who are “virtue suckers” and complain just to get attention.
But do the people who need us know we’re here for them? Do they really know?
Or have we made it too hard for them to reach out? Have we made them fearful that we won’t reach back?
Or worse, do we assume because we already know them that we know what the current moment is about? Do we pray for them, consider them, reach out to them based on past experiences?
Or do we say “I’m still praying . . .” for whatever issue WE think needs prayer.
When was the last time you came up to a friend and said, “Tell me what’s really going on.”? And didn’t fill your head with presumptions of who you think they are and what you think they’re going through?
So many of us are really going through our own hell on earth, yet we’re expected to live daily as if we’re not. So many of us are so skewed by our own hells that we can’t see someone else’s is different. We can’t see that we’re sometimes hurting instead of helping.
So I apologize, here, publicly, to all my family and friends. I’m sorry that I’ve not reached out to see where you’re at or how I can help you. I’m sorry that I put myself first — my own thoughts and ideas of how life should be, of how you’re doing it wrong, of how you’re not there for me. I’m sorry for not being there for you in the capacity I should be.
I’m sorry.
But hear this: You’re important to me. In many different ways.
Our lives are silk webs that criss-cross and intertwine and pull others into and out of the design and I want to strengthen your thread.
I want to be here for you.
I’ve ignored you, I’m sorry. I’ve made you feel less important, I’m sorry. I’ve made my own hells more important than yours, and that is farce. Everyone’s hell is important. Everyone needs a helping hand to get out and rise above the crud that tries to buries us.
This is me. Being as authentic as I’m allowed to be.
I let you down, and I’m sorry.
I’m here for you now. All of you.
All I’m asking is that you be here for me, too.
And the rest of your people.
Make sure they know.
I write this in anticipation of the weekend. It’s Friday night, but you’ll be reading this on Saturday morning.
Dot and I have decided to unplug. I’m not sure how long I can go without any internet, smart phone, social media, television, Kindle or computer.
It’s so automatic for me to wake up and check my phone before my eyes are fully open. I fall asleep to Netflix.
I’m really not sure how long this will last.
I have a list of tasks and treats to keep us busy:
Clean the house
Bake more cupcakes
Listen to old records
Plant a shrub
Remove the dead jade plant
Clean the patio
Play board games
Look at photo albums
Start a new scrapbook
Balance the checkbook
Finish reading Louie L’Amour
Start reading Anne Rice
Plan July’s Menu
I’ve been wanting to do this for quite a while, but the truth is, I’ve been chicken. I’m afraid I might find out I’m incredibly addicted to my electronics. Oh, heck. Let’s not pretend. I am incredibly addicted to my electronics. And that’s why I’m doing what I’m doing. I need to remember there’s life beyond the keyboards.
Dot might have a hard time giving up the television. She loves the noise even if she’s not really watching it. And she plays the PlayStation during summer break. But I’ll keep her busy.
When I go to bed tonight, I’m going to box up the phones, remotes, and Kindles. I’ll keep the laptop so I have something to fall asleep to, but come morning it’s all hands off.
It will be interesting to log back in on Sunday (or even Monday) and see what we’ve missed.
I’m thankful there’s plenty of paper and pens around me so I can write old-school style when the Muse hits.
And with that, it’s time to go offline. Wish me luck…
