The Question of How – Part 4

As a writer I am constantly asking the question of how. How do I get published? How do I build a following? How do I keep from going nuts? There are enough questions of “how” to circle the globe four times and still have plenty left over. What’s so frustrating is that most times people try to “answer” the question of “how” with a fluffy discussion of “what”. I’ve written about this in the past, but I’ve since made at least some progress towards an answer.

One of the many generalizations I’ve fought with is the “use social media” in answer to “how do you build a platform?” What, you just start plonking away like some kind on monkey? Is that all? Of course not – using social media effectively, especially Twitter, is an art that I can only barely begin to imagine. My first “tweet” went something like, “Hey, I’m here. Check out my website http://tinyurl.com/qyo6x7” which, as I learned shortly afterwards, went into the black hole of cyberspace. I didn’t understand how it worked beyond some very raw basics.

So I turned to one of the other generalized “tips” – seek out forums. I’d signed up for a few a long time ago but had been so busy looking for the forest I’d missed all the trees. So I went over to absolutewrite.com and found a section called “Blogging and Social Networking”. I almost couldn’t believe my eyes and was tempted to just fire off my question in a new thread. I decided to read a little instead and am glad I did, for right on the front page was a thread discussing Twitter. I jumped in and started reading and, suddenly, I felt energized in not being alone. The discussion had some wonderful information in it, but still focused on the “what” rather than the “how”. So I took a deep breath and responded with my question about the “how”. The discussion effectively turned enough that I started to see what kinds of things I should be sending out in Twitter. For example, tweeting aimlessly that I have a website is pointless. Using hash-marks and other tips from that thread to target my tweets resulted in some actual helpful return tweets and, sure enough, I’ve seen a distinct uptick in hits.

But part of being a forum member is giving back, and though I’m not yet the pinnacle of writing success, there are some things I can help with. On a different forum site I saw a this plea: “I am approaching the final chapters of my first novel and find myself suddenly riddled with self-doubt about my ability as a writer.” This set off alarm bells inside me as I’ve been there, done that, not as a writer but as a human being. So imagine my horror when I saw folks suggesting that self-doubt was a good thing. As others pointed out, self-doubt is natural, normal, and happens to everyone, but to suggest that it should be embraced – not only no but hell no!

Self-doubt is the enemy in every aspect of our lives. It is something that must be defeated, for only then can we take risks, learn from mistakes, move on and become better persons. This writer was so afraid of what people might think that she couldn’t finish her work and was looking for some kind of reassurance that she wasn’t the loser her friends said she was. And what did some of the thread participants say? That there was no way to help her unless they were able to evaluate her writing. Once again, not only no but hell no. Her immediate problem was that she was too afraid to put her work to the test thus, according to some, the situation was hopeless.

Well, it isn’t hopeless at all. The first thing she needs to be assured of is that the forum is comprised of writers who understand her situation. By definition that means she gets the benefit of the doubt. It also means that we don’t need to put obstacles in her way with preconditions. I suggested that she has to put her self-doubt aside and put her work out for feedback. As I presumed everyone else in the forum is also a writer with a certain level of understanding, this seemed like a reasonable suggestion. Some didn’t see it that way and suggested I was telling the what without giving her the how, and the how wasn’t possible unless she put her work out for scrutiny.

I recognized the irony in the discussion well. As I said earlier, I’ve blogged about people trying to substitute what for how, but I realize there is a difference in asking how to use Twitter effectively and “how does she put aside her self-doubt”. The latter is like asking “how does she get in the pool?” The answer, as I asserted in the thread, is obvious – she just does. Whether she jumps in or eases her way in, does a cannonball, swan dive or helicopter is irrelevant. She either gets in, or she doesn’t. It really is that simple.