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facebook?

March 10, 2009 by diane

Anyone here using Facebook? I’ve been thinking about joining, and I’d be interested in hearing what other writers have to say about it. Is it useful at all? Is it helpful, or is it just another distraction?

Posted in networking, writers | 8 Comments

8 Responses

on March 11, 2009 at 8:59 am A. Grey

So I use Facebook, mostly because all of my friends from highschool use it and prodded me to do so. It’s nice because I have contact with old schoolmates that I otherwise might never hear from, but I must say that most of the interaction is peripheral from the standpoint that things get listed kind of like a post and you can see them. Thus far, I’ve found no one who writes, published or not, and I really haven’t learned anything useful to the art of writing. If you have friends who use Facebook, it might be fun, but otherwise, I would say that it falls into the distraction catagory. Of course, I haven’t trolled Facebook in depth, so I can’t guarantee that it’s utterly devoid of people and information that might be helpful. If you so find useful info, drop another post so I know!
on March 12, 2009 at 5:37 pm Dave

I just discovered your blog because Alex M. sent it via an email to our newly forming blog group. Your post on writing a bunch of short stories versus writing a novel was quite interesting to me, because I am coming at it in the complete opposite way. I wrote a novel that was well over 100,000 words and now I’m condensing chapters into short stories. Just read an excerpt at Borders in Tacoma and Central Washington University. So, my experience points to the possibility that you can write a short story as you write each chapter in your novel.

With that said, I can certainly relate to your reluctance to fully embark on the novel. I feel the same way about writing another novel. At the moment condensing the chapters into 1,000 to 2,000 words and sending them off is quite fun.
on March 12, 2009 at 8:14 pm dianegallant

A. Grey: Yes, I guess I have to admit that it would be a distraction. Some type of social networking would be nice, though. I have to think about it.

Dave: Nice to meet you! Interesting comment – do the chapters work as self-contained stories? How much rewriting is necessary?
on March 16, 2009 at 9:24 am Unfocused Me

Echoing the previous commenters, it’s a timesuck and a distraction, and I hate the new format. That said, I joined in December and have had great fun catching up with people from high school and college (no one from law school, strangely enough), and even a few from grammar school. On balance, it’s been positive, even accounting for the lost time.
on March 18, 2009 at 5:16 pm Dave

On the question about rewriting novel chapters into short stories:

Chapter one works as a stand alone. A character enters a new situation, faces many challenges, and leaves with a clear resolution to two problems (one personal and one on an epic/political scale).

The process of transforming the more lengthy chapter into a compressed short story of 2,000 words is much different from rewriting. If you have ever done oral interpretation of literature, it is like that. You simply can’t present the whole thing. So, you keep what is essential and cut extra side-scenes (which might be fun and good to keep in a book). Also, I do much to eliminate extra words. What is defined as extra changes dramatically when you are limited to 2,000 words. I can’t say the process is for everyone, but I’ve enjoyed the challenge and I will see if it pays off. If I become a contest finalist or get an excerpt published I have to imagine that will up my odds for getting an agent’s or editor’s interest.

I noticed how many short stories you have published. You must be doing something right. Any advice? How do you go about it?
on March 21, 2009 at 9:40 am dianegallant

Interesting! Two things I’m curious about… First, are you limiting yourself to 2000 words because that is what the oral interpretation calls for? And secondly, is this part of the process of promoting the book, or it is a separate creative project altogether?
on March 21, 2009 at 10:51 pm dianegallant

I did it. I joined Facebook today.
on March 31, 2009 at 4:17 pm dianegallant

Update: And today (10 days after joining) I deactivated my Facebook account.