How Social Media Has Made Me a Better Writer

Photo credit: Yon Garin on Flickr

Two and a half years ago this blog didn’t exist, I barely knew what a tumblr was and I associated Twitter with cat pictures. I’d written six manuscripts, been through the query trenches four times and regularly read all of one blog (albeit, a particularly informative blog, but one blog nonetheless).

Two and a half years ago I had two friends who enjoyed writing, but didn’t really show much interest in pursuing it professionally. I had a couple people who read my work and gave me feedback, but writing wasn’t their craft, so while their feedback was helpful, it didn’t really help me to grow as a writer.

Two and a half years ago, when I entered the query wars, I kept it mostly to myself, with exception of my immediate family and closest friends. And they were supportive of course—and still are—but as they hadn’t experienced it themselves, they didn’t fully understand how the process worked or what it was like.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that when I created a Twitter account in April of 2011, my life changed.

Suddenly I was pushing myself to try new things. I created a blog and realized I loved it. I wrote more than ever before—both on posts three times a week and on new manuscripts. I realized just how much there was to read out there and more than doubled my yearly reading count.

And, most importantly, I connected to the online writing community.

I can’t even begin to tell you how much easier it is to handle pre-querying nerves, and rejection, and shelving manuscripts, and first draft woes, and editing gnashing of teeth with a community of thousands of people who know exactly what you’re experiencing. Not to mention that my wonderful CPs, who have pushed me to make my work so much better than it was, were all found through various forms of internet wonder.

I don’t think I’m a better writer since diving into the world of social media—I know I am.

Has social media made you a better writer? How? 

Twitter-sized bites: 

How social media has changed one writer's life for the better. (Click to tweet)  

"I don't think I'm a better writer since diving into the world of social media—I know I am." (Click to tweet)  

Has social media made you a better writer? Share your experience at @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet)