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morganhazelwood · 6 years

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A Starter's Guide For Fiction Writers Trying To "Establish A Social Media Presence" Part 1/3(??)

Part 1: Becoming A Good Internet Citizen - As A Writer

If you want to be a writer, the ubiquitous "they" tell you that you need to "Establish a Social Media Presence", but so much of the advice out there is aimed at Non-fiction writers. Non-fiction writers sell books based on establishing their expertise in a particular area. Fiction writers? We sell books based on the story, the writing, and word-of-mouth. So how do we make social media work for us?

https://youtu.be/jh2xg6WVB3E

Morgan's Approach To Social Media

Once upon a time, I finished drafting my first novel, editing it, and sending it off to beta-readers. While I awaited for their feedback, I started researching "the next step", and everywhere I looked said I needed an author page. At the bare minimum, I should have a website landing strip to get my name out there.

Morgan Gets Herself a Website

I bought my own domain name for Branding (you're gonna hear that word a lot in this essay) and set up a Wordpress site. I might be a coder by day, but I'm not about to spend my limited writing time coding.

But, an empty website with just my name on it seemed a bit barebones and half-um...tushed. So, I figured I'd put up three to five posts so there would be some content there.

That was in April of 2015.

I followed the suggested "slow blogging" approach, starting off posting at least twice a month, until the second-half of February 2016. And I haven't missed a week since then. (Although, I *did* do one rerun when I was out of the country).

Somewhere around May of 2016, I was reading a blog, I can't remember if it was Kristen Lamb's or Anne R. Allen with Ruth Harris's that suggested it, but. The blog suggested, even if I'm not planning on using a social media, I might want to reserve my name.

Why Reserve Your Name on ALL the Platforms?

Trends may change, my friends/followers might move to a different platform

jerks might try to reserve your name

Using the same ID is helpful for Brand Consistency

Suddenly, I had a Twitter, a Tumblr, a Goodreads, a Reddit, an Instagram, a Pinterest, a Facebook Author Page, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Oh right, a you-tube channel, like where you can watch me ramble on this very topic...

The article on reserving your brand said I didn't need to do anything with them, just pick my favorite one or two and ignore the rest. Well...I can't leave well-enough alone. I couldn't just leave them empty. *facepalm*

The problem is, none of these social media networks work the same way, and figuring them out is tricksy!

[I'll cover Blogging in Part 2, and the other social media's in Part 3. Probably. Unless Part 2 gets too long...]

Where Is Morgan Now?

My personal stats aren't amazing, but they're solid and steadily growing.

I've been blogging regularly for 3 years and am relieved when my new posts get over 25 views on the first day, pleased when they get over 50, and THRILLED when they get more than 75 views.

I saw most of my other social media as supporting the blog and that's how I've been treating them. But just because I like blogs and RSS feeds doesn't mean that's where my future audience is hanging out. And that doesn't mean that's what they're looking for in social media interaction.

Especially since I write YA. So, I'm trying to go where the teens are.

But, before we can talk about how to actually get started with social media, you need to know what sort of behavior is respected online.

CAVEAT: If you don't care if Agents, Readers, and my mom respect you, feel free to stop reading now.

Morgan's Guiding Philosophy For Interacting With Others On The Internet

You are still yourself, you have a personality, opinions, and preferences. And that's okay! You're allowed to do all that. BUT. You're also creating a brand, (yep, there's that word again).

I like to think I'm pretty WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get), but I have a filter. And what I post online is stuff I'm okay with my future agent, my future fans, and my mother seeing (hi Mom!). Both today and in ten years when Google unearths my archives.

Nothing about what I post or write is inauthentic, I'm just channeling what I feel is my best self, focused on writing in general as a theme, and in a professional manner.

How To Interact Online

Even if someone is being a complete jerk. If you're struggling, just contemplate how smug and good it will feel to be able to claim the moral high ground.

P.S. Don't be afraid to walk away. Your job is not to argue on the internet

You see aspiring writers who have yet to finish a chapter asking for feedback on their first page, social media newbies who don't know how threaded comments work or missed the directions for the site/twitter contest/whatever. Remember that you were new once, too. Be patient, or direct them to someone else who has the patience for that.

It's a good thing when other writers succeed. Most of us are here because we love to read. And with the heavy competition, hopefully, that means better writers are rising to the top, which means better books to read! Plus, the more writers you encourage and are supportive of, the more people out there who are also rooting for YOU.

You don't know what they're going through

You don't know how hard they've worked to get where they are now

if someone crosses a boundary, but it seems accidental and is minimally damaging? Tell them. In person, in an email, whatever makes you feel the most comfortable. It's okay to bring a friend.

if someone crosses a boundary, but you know it's on purpose or it's very damaging? Escalate as you deem appropriate, but gather a support network for yourself. Too often we see dismissal or excuses. Find people you trust to help you through whatever actions you decide to take. (Preferably ones that aren't actually felonies...)

THIS IS A BIG ONE. The publishing industry, especially the traditional publishing industry moves SLOWLY. But the publishing industry, as a whole, is very small. It can be aggravating when you're wracking up form rejections, or personalized ones that totally didn't get your story. It can be frustrating, when manuscripts you've scoffed at, turn into best sellers, while yours still sits on your computer and flies in your dream. Or when agents either keep asking for niche books you can't write, or stories that look just like yours, after rejecting your manuscript. We all need to vent sometime. But be aware of who you're venting to. Many writing groups have people who intern with agencies. Many writing groups have people who have agents or will get agents, in the near future. Many writers have friends in publishing and editing. People talk. Be careful where and to whom you choose to vent.

Bonus? By avoiding politics on my public social media? Most of my feed is about books, writing, and cute pets.

Warning: You need to be prepared for a potential backlash. One misspeak, or unpopular opinion and you might find yourself facing trolls, doxing, or even death threats. Only you can decide if your beliefs are worth the time and emotional energy.

Summary

Now I've addressed my approach to social media and shared the philosophy that guides my online interactions. Tune in next week while I get into my methodology behind my blogging.

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nofomoartworld · 7 years

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[NSFW] This Feminist Ex-Mormon Is Bringing Floral Vagina Paintings to Utah | #50StatesofArt

This article contains adult content. Images courtesy the artist

Vulvas emblazoned with cherry blossoms, roses, butterflies, and irises take their place as wonders of the natural world in Salt Lake City artist Jacqueline Secor's expressive mixed-media paintings. Her statement is political, as far as womens' bodies are battlegrounds, and the series has earned both praise and controversy in her local community.

Secor explains the context of The Diversity of Nature with a manifesto: "Women’s bodies have been blamed for inciting sexual violence that is enacted against them. Breastfeeding has been deemed 'indecent.' Birth control has been regulated by politicians that have never menstruated. Laws, religious texts, and social norms attempt to regulate women’s bodies. From the time a little girl is told she’s cute, to the first time that she’s called 'sexy,' the message is the same... her worth comes from her appearance. There is nothing wrong with celebrating feminine beauty, but it's problematic when beauty is the only feminine value worth celebrating."

The former Church of Latter-Day Saints member cites cave paintings as her visual and conceptual inspirations, but Japanese printmaker Katsushika Hokusai's prolific exploration of culture and geography in Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji also comes to mind. Secor's The Diversity of Nature similarly unravels the multitudes of female anatomy with dozens of exhaustive artworks, recontextualizing them with fresh points of view and surroundings.

Each 6" x 6" painting takes 25-35 hours of work. Secor's sculptural style involves sculpting the crevasses with paper and gesso, so her subjects stick out from the canvas and demand attention. She draws in the eye with colorful acrylic, watercolor, ink, and soft pastel, and creates a collage-like aesthetic by incorporating torn-up sketches. Surreal nature motifs elevate her skillful attention to the female form. "Once the piece is done it's actually interactive, which is hard to see in a picture. You can carefully push or pull the layers to see different patterns in-between and underneath," Secor explains.

A video posted by Jacqueline Secor (@jacquelinesecorart) on

Dec 31, 2016 at 12:11pm PST

Models from around the world posed for The Diversity of Nature, making Secor's palette of labias majora and minora as diverse as the rich colors she uses to paint them. "Through my personal experience with body dysmorphia I hope to create a pathway for conversation that empowers the female body," she says. "The popularity of cosmetic surgery and the millions of dollars spent to construct the ‘perfect’ look has always disturbed me, but I was especially saddened when I heard of labiaplasty, an increasingly prevalent surgery to change the vulva’s appearance."

With her work, she sends the message that every vagina is a beautiful flower—in some cases literally. "When I look at my paintings, I see beauty in every piece, and I also see power," she says. "I see a history of suffering, and the ability to overcome that pain."

Secor's work is rooted in overcoming her own struggles, primarily with religion. At 17, she moved to Utah from Northern California, bringing traits that stood out among other freshmen at Utah Valley Universtiy. In the midst of "a very unhealthy relationship," an older Mormon she was dating pressured her to remove the most visible aspects of her identity: a tattoo and a nose ring. She did. "Overall I have experienced and witnessed too much judgment and shame because of Mormonism. The meanest and most dishonest people I know, who have hurt me personally, have been active Mormons."

Five years ago, Secor underwent the process of getting her name removed from official Church of Latter-Day Saints records. During a mandatory waiting period, Secor says the church employed several tactics in an attempt to keep her. "I had church leaders I'd never met call and ask me questions about my personal life and living situation. Then another church leader was sent to my house to talk to me," she recounts. "It was all very violating." After escaping what she describes as, "an environment which caused me to become extremely self-critical," Secor began painting these works as an artistic campaign for personal empowerment.

Her work has been both welcomed and challenged by the metropolis she calls home. "The Salt Lake City art community is diverse, but of course, very political," she says. "I personally feel it caters to what will sell here in Utah—pretty and safe pieces of art. I see a lot of religious art, portraiture, landscapes, and cityscapes." When she showed The Diversity of Nature at the Writ & Vision Art Gallery in Provo, UT in 2015, "Everyone responded pretty well. There were a few gasps from people when they realized what they were looking at!"

Writ & Vision gallerist Brad Kramer tells The Creators Project that Secor's work is very much in line with the gallery's mission to bring more diverse voices to Provo's predominantly white, wealthy, and Mormon population. "Most of the people at my space found her work provocative, but also moving," he says. "It's also possible some people never understood it at all. Her work is incredibly subtle."

The social media response has been similarly mixed. Secor noticed that many of her religious friends and acquantances were less engaged in this series than her previous work, which deals in nature motifs sans vulva. "I was really shocked by the amount of Mormon women who actually unfriended me or quit associating with me altogether when they saw my art," she says. Nevertheless, she has been substantially accepted by Utah's art institutions, including earning a People's Choice award at the Artists of Utah 35x35 Show.

"Best. Worst. Perfect. Gross. These are words that are too often used to describe female bodies," Secor writes in The Diversity of Nature's mission statement. Looking at her work cleanses such reductive adjectives, leaving in their place words like "powerful," "natural," or "unique." "This series honors each body in all of its individuality," she continues. "It is my hope that in the face of such beauty, there will be no room left for comparison."

See more of Jacqueline Secor's work on her website and purchase her work on Etsy.

All year, we're highlighting 50 States of Art projects around the United States, starting with Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Utah, and Florida. To learn more, click here.

These Vagina Watercolors Ooze Energy and Freedom

Elvie, the Video Game for Your Vagina

Nude Portraits Explore Empathy and the Female Form

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