I hated Twitter. Not with a passion or any sort of "you damn youth" resentment, but my first go with tweets was a massive failure. I clicked on hashtags and ended up in a black hole of eating disorders, body shamers, and negativity. I have no clue how it happened, but I was super disillusioned from the platform because of it.
Fast forward a few years. I'm finishing up my first manuscript and don't have anyone with which to communicate. Googling is fine, Writer's Digest is also a good source, but I wanted firsthand opinions on what to do next. I had a wonderful group of writer friends in grad school, but mom life with two young kids just doesn't leave much time for reunions.
So, I turned to Twitter.
And invested in the #writingcommunity hashtag. I think I joined on a Friday, because after the first two days, I was befriended by several Twitter writer vets and found myself surrounded not only by first-time writers about to venture into the querying trenches, but celebrated authors, indie authors, and an entire community of horror-reading women with excellent recommendations.
I've made friends.
I've found some amazing authors I never would've known if it hadn't been for searching the hashtag and joining in the conversations.
I've also found invaluable information on the #publishing world, including agents, editors, indie houses, and marketing advice.
That's not to say Twitter isn't a suckhole of energy. Deviating from the community pretty much guarantees a blow to your soul. BUT. It is an excellent place for lit recommendations, critique partners, and a supplemental source of publishing wisdom.
Stay tuned for my post outlining some of my favorite titles so far of 2019; while you wait, do yourself a favor and find me on Twitter (WriterACMcHugh).
