Creative Writer's Guide to Twitter

Twitter is not only one of the biggest online phenomenons of the past year, but it is one of the best marketing tools any writer has. I'm a relative new comer to twitter, but I've been using it for a few months now and here are some things I've learned that may help you writers in your twittering.

Networking: From what I've found, there are two kinds of connections that writers can make on Twitter. 1) Potential readers and word-spreaders. 2) Other writers. Basically anyone on Twitter can end up being a positive, beneficial contact. You may form great connections within the publishing community, and just by forming lots of mutually beneficial relationships on twitter you'll have a bigger network of people ready to support you when you need it. Who knows, you may find your agent or next writing gig using Twitter.

Inspiration: An entertaining tweet may be the basis for you next short story. The tweets of one follower may inspire you in character development. Not only that, but the writer friends you make on twitter can inspire you to get more writing done. You'll have a writerly community to support you, and won't feel as much like your in it alone.

Promotion: Its obvious that Twitter is a great tool for getting out the word about your newest publications, blog posts, etc. However, there are two things to keep in mind. First, nobody wants to be your friend if all you're doing is trying to sell them something. Be involved, honest, and natural. Be sincere in your virtual relationships. Second, I think posting stuff like "here's my book" or "here's my blog" may not be the best way of going about it. One idea I read somewhere that I think is a good one is this: tweet an intriguing line or bit of information from whatever you're trying to direct followers to. So, instead of saying, "Buy my book here," say something more like, "It was raining for the third day in a row, and only Truman knew how significant that really was." You've worked really hard on hooking in your readers. Use that hook on your Twitter followers.

Here's my twitter profile and here's a list of helpful, knowledgeable writers that I follow. What has helped you in your use of Twitter?

Happy Tweeting!
Sarah Allen