4 For the 4th!

Happy 4th of July, y’all! I thought I’d give you four different topics, and in the spirit of the day, feel free to choose one and let me know what you think:

Get a Kick Out of You

I’ll bet when you first started out in your writing journey, you Googled your name regularly. I know I did; I got a kick out of seeing my byline out there on the interwebs, and it seemed important to check what was being said about me. But then the novelty wore off, and now? I run a search on my name mostly when I’m trying to find something I wrote once upon a time.

Which is why I happened to find a couple of surprising gems in a search recently…an author page on Goodreads for an anthology I’m in, a long-forgotten story that I could sell again, a lovely comment someone made about me. So Google your name every once in a while and get a kick out of you!

The Author Page

So you’ve decided to separate your personal page from your Author self on Facebook. There was a time when I thought that was a good idea. But now, not so much.

If you’re writing kidlit or memoirs, historical fiction or romance, you want your friends to read these books, right? You already have that support network in place, and I’m guessing you’re still miles away from that 5,000 friend limit. So rather than ask, nudge, or outright beg your friends to like your Author page, just promote your writing achievements on your own page. But that brings me to managing your personal page…

How To Get People To Ignore You

If you’ve gone overboard on one subject on your favorite social media platform, whether it be politics, food, feel-goods, or felines, please consider dialing it back and throwing a little variety out there. Because if you’re always posting about, say, cats, and I’m not really a cat person (I’m just using the cat thing as an example; I’m not saying anything against cats, so calm down), then the day comes when I’ve had enough. And what happens when your book or article or poem comes out? Yeah, I don’t see it because as I might’ve mentioned, I’m pretty much ignoring you (and the cats).

When Passion Gets Offensive

So you’re passionate about what’s going on in the country, or the world, or the universe, and you are taking a stand, sharing thoughts and articles and whatever on social media. But then one day, you go and say something like, “If you don’t see how this is right/wrong, then unfriend me right now!”

Hmmm…You might’ve just crossed the tolerance line. Because what you are saying is, “I only want friends who think and believe exactly what I think and believe.” And if you engage in argumentative and critically demeaning behavior, you have crossed the line, too. And crossing these lines of respect can cost you friends, friends that were readers and perhaps your biggest supporters!

So take a few minutes to think before your passion makes you post something you’ll regret. Have a hot dog, watch the fireworks, and step back for a moment. Take a day to enjoy a little freedom and happy 4 on the 4th, y’all!

~Cathy C. Hall


Photo by Aaron Schwartz from Pexels