TRN PUB#3 Should I Change How I Use My Social Media? + A Peek at Love and Justice Ch. 1!
What would happen if I changed how I used my Social Media? How do I get excited about writing again? + A peek into a Love and Justice scene without context!
Lately, I’ve been thinking about how I’ve been using my Instagram for my Author stuff for the past couple of years. It’s so easy to get into the whole comparison game in social media, but this is one of those cases where I’ve taken inspiration instead of just the usual self-conscious emotions.
I can’t be the only author who looks up to another few authors, but it was only recently that it occurred to me that I was doing something different. It all started when I saw a random post on Threads about how, when you decide to be an author, you can’t simply post book reviews about other authors anymore. I guess this is especially true if you want to post a negative review, something particularly biting. Now, I don’t really know if this person’s post and views are accurate and followed by most authors, but I did ask the authors I do know about it.
The consensus seems to be that good reviews or hyping other authors is fine, but there is something that says ‘bad form’ when you give a nasty review to another author, mostly because it might not be a good look for you particularly, because you’ve got a book too.
But then again, this isn’t to say that I’ve been posting negative reviews before this realization. To be honest, I’ve only ever posted good reviews and nice things about books I liked or got excited about—which I think is the ‘okay’ area of reviewing as an author. I love gushing about books I liked or sharing my excitement when an author friend comes up with a new project. I’m in the community for a good time.
I’ve never been comfortable with posting a negative review because if I didn’t like a book you wouldn’t hear about it from me (unless we’re close friends), because I don’t see the point of me sharing my negative review publicly. But this is for me as a reader. I know some readers benefit from a good critical review and love reading other readers’ take on a book, and that’s important! This isn’t about stopping negative reviews for all readers, just something to consider as an author who is also putting books out there. Besides, it’s just not the kind of stuff I want to write about. I’m not a critic of other books, but someone who loves loving books.
But this whole thing led me down a path of consideration…
Most of the things I talked about and posted on my account are about other books.
I was always hyping up other authors’ books, or preparing flat lays of a new book I’ve gotten. My Instagram stories are full of reshares.
And no, this isn’t a bad thing! Necessarily. There’s nothing wrong with the way I shared and promoted other authors’ books. Most of the authors I share about are my friends and I believe it’s important to foster community. And I couldn’t help wanting to share, of course. I’d like to think I’m the kind of person who loves lifting others. I get excited about a good story or the fact that someone I knew thought about it. But these same author friends would do the same for me if I had something to share about my books and writing journey.
Unfortunately, what was I even posting?
I was hyping everyone else’s stories, but when was the last time I gushed about mine?
Marketing is one thing that authors talk about all the time, and it’s always either tough or easy, but one thing is common, the fact that your account is yours.
It’s more than okay to help promote my friends’ works, but when I thought about it and scrolled down my profile grid, it was like I was hiding. I wasn’t as eager to share about my characters, my worldbuilding, or even the actual novel I already had in my hands.
It was like I was afraid to post my stuff for fear that no one would care. This, in turn, affects how I see myself as a creative, my self-esteem plummets, and I wouldn’t want to post anymore. It’s different when I prepare a post about somebody else’s work. I don’t have skin in the game. I tell myself, it’s fine if I have content, but the truth is, I didn’t want to ‘oversaturate’ my page with my stuff. I didn’t want to make it seem like all I talk about is the one book I have out.
WHICH IS WEIRD when you think about it! It’s MY page, it’s my Author Account.
This realization had me needing to accept the hard pill to swallow — I did not set out to make a Bookstagram, I wanted to make an Authorgram. A place where I could share my book, talk about my works-in-progresses, and have fun with my characters. This shouldn’t be something shameful.
This shift in how I will look at social media—as a place to finally express myself fully— may come with the risk of flop after flop. But I think it was Austin Kleon who said “Enjoy your obscurity while it lasts”(Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative), which tells me that there might be something liberating about working on something when few people are paying attention.
I observed the author accounts I admired and noticed how excited they were about their works. I thought about what I could do.
It doesn’t mean I’ll stop posting and sharing other books, it just means I’ll have to change the percentage of posts that are mine. It means using up space for my stuff.
It means celebrating my work, the work-in-progress, and all the work that could be done.
6 Days Left to Grab an Ebook Copy of Heart and Hero on Sale!
Only a few more days left in August!
Excerpt from Love and Justice Chapter 1
"How do we always wind up talking about Robert's dating life?" Joe said from behind her. He let out an infectious yawn, branching his arms in the air and looking every bit like a tall and imposing tree. "What we should talk about is the bizarre and once-in-a-lifetime--no, golden--opportunity we have in our hands here!"
Robbie smirked, catching the glint in Joe's often lazy eyes at the same time Karla did.
"Time?"
"15 Minutes late," he said in a fake grim tone.
"Ooh!" Robbie howled. "We are so using this against him."
"I thought you said Andre was on his way?" Kuya Conrad said, stopping in the middle of the field next to a sturdy-looking pole. It was wide enough to be an electric post and also not meant for a flag. It reminded Karla of the poles used in the games of Palosebo.
Well, maybe extreme Palosebo because it looked too high and wasn’t an ordinary wooden pole; one would need some kind of harness instead of simply climbing it to secure a flag at the top to win the game. If that was allowed.
The wooden surface looked more complicated the more they neared, with little grooves, carvings, and bumps here and there to suggest something to hold on the way up. But no flag.
She’d been wondering what they were from afar. As they stood right below it, two more could be seen from a distance at either of its sides, forming a kind of line.
"What's this?" she asked, placing her palm against the cool wood as if it were an actual tree.
"Flight markers," Nadia and Robbie said at the same time, causing the latter to suck in his lips in embarrassment.
"They're to measure the height a Flier can reach. I remember using these back in my college days." Nadia smiled as if she was seeing the very memories as she spoke.
"Oh, I thought it was used for climbing."
"It can be." Nadia shrugged, leaning coolly against the pole while Conrad walked past her, in the middle of putting his phone to his ear.
"I'm here!" came a frantic voice in the distance, just as Conrad’s phone received one ring from Andre's. “I’m sorry!”
Andre was a blurry blue form, waving and jogging toward them from the parking lot. A stressed but attractive little dot in the field. He hauled his backpack with one arm and an even darker blue jacket draped in the other like a cape, his phone against his ear.
His hair, usually spiked and gelled perfectly in place, stuck out in different directions and appeared damp from the sweat. He was only in a light-blue shirt and dark baggy cargo pants, but to Karla, he was an exclamation point. A strike of lightning.
She tried her best to act composed, but she caught a whiff of a sweet-smelling cologne–some kind of mint–as he reached her; she had to clamp a hand to her face to hide the color.
"Sorry!" Andre repeated, crouching next to Karla and holding onto the pole for support, taking a moment to catch his breath. "I’m sorry I’m late. I ran as fast as I could."
"It’s fine," she was about to answer but shrunk as she realized he was probably talking to Conrad. Leila was the only one to notice and it was still embarrassing.
"I’d love to hear this excuse," Robbie mused.
"Barely had any sleep last night, then I did and slept through the alarm," he said, putting on his jacket, the hood folding inwardly behind his neck.
"A likely story."
"You call that running? Andre, you were 18 minutes late." Kuya Conrad considered with his arms crossed and tilted his head in Joe and Robbie’s direction. "They counted."
"What was it you said last night in the group chat?"-- ‘Don’t be late because we need to be more responsible?’ Robbie chided.
Cass shook her head and put a hand over her chest, in feigned shock. "I never would’ve thought."
"Conrad said the last one to arrive has to pay for lunch," Joe said, almost lacking his trademark monotone.
"He did not," Andre said, glancing at Conrad who merely shrugged.
"If your team votes--"
"Yep!" Each of Andre’s friends shot their hands up after Robbie’s quick answer.
"Well, then I guess you have to. You made them wait."
"Ha! Sucker!" Joe pointed, reminding Karla that he was second to the last one.
"Great." Andre leaned further back against the pole that his elbow bumped against hers, startling them both. She’d been too preoccupied, wondering if she ought to fix the hood from behind his neck.
That’s it for now! Lol.
Anyway, what I’m thinking of for my Instagram is to slowly incorporate illustrations into the mix (I’ve been inspired by The HerbwitchApprentice/a.k.a. Irene Chau lately). I figured I could draw some character sheets and go from there. I have the opportunity to become an author who also illustrates, so I might as well experiment with the two things I love.
