A few months ago, I posted a quick, bare-bones tutorial about using the website TweetChat to make the occasional hashtag festival on Twitter easier to navigate.
I mentioned, then, that I regularly try to attend a Tuesday night Twitter chat that is anchored on the hashtag #writestuff and it happens (almost) every Tuesday night at 9PM EDT.
This particular chat is hosted by the talented writer, teacher, and on-line buddy, Andrea Cumbo. Not only is Andi writing a book I can’t wait to read, she also facilitates a great discussion every Tuesday night.
Tweet chats aren’t always easy to follow. If I didn’t use the TweetChat website, it would be even harder, but I’ve found the chats to be helpful. Here are a few benefits of taking part in a Tweet Chat, like the #writestuff chat:
There are other writers out there – Sometimes, writing leaves you feeling all alone, isolated, and dreary. Talking to other writers helps that. And, if you are in a bad spot, creatively, it can sometimes feel like you are the ONLY writer struggling while everyone else is publishing a new book every quarter. Talking to other writers helps that, too. In other words, interacting with fellow writers can help provide perspective.
Celebrate the successes of others – Some writers are bitter, crabby souls who hate to hear when something good happens to someone else, especially someone they deem–in their haughty wisdom–less talented or gifted or brilliant. Those writers are jerks. It’s great to practice not being a jerk by hearing about the successes of other writers and express genuine happiness for them. This is much easier to do when the successful writer is someone you’ve talked to, joked with, and commiserated with.
Identify with the failures of others – We all go through periods where our creativity lags or our work just isn’t hitting the mark. Sharing that with others–or, letting others share those down times with us–is a great way to not only recognize that we aren’t alone in our creative struggles, but also, to help suss out solutions, tricks, and motivators to break us free from our creative slump.
Talking to other writers always leaves me energized – Writing is a contradiction: We have to do our work as loners, but we need a community of creatives surrounding us to inspire, motivate, and encourage us. Meeting new writers, whether online or in real life, is a great way to help re-charge the batteries.
If you are on Twitter and interested, be sure to stop by the #writestuff Tweet Chat on Tuesday nights.
Also, if you participate in any Tweet Chats that other writers might be interested in, feel free to leave a comment below and share!
Until next time, stay safe and Happy Writing!!