audience building.

Because I'm getting more serious about publishing (or, you know, pounding the pavement to prostrate myself and my writing in front of publishers to beg for their consideration), I've decided to utilize social media to (attempt) to build an audience. This could also be considered a dangerous flirtation with narcissism, but I'm going to bulldoze on and pretend it's all about building audience.

And so I created a Facebook Writer page. Here it is: Wherein I announce my arrival. Ta da!

I'm still trying to figure out how to add the Facebook badge/button/whatever for it. I'm good with technology--I know just enough to be dangerous. Also, I know enough to convince the older people I work with that I'm like Steve Jobs except no billions of dollars. I get tapped to do all kinds of technology things--for example, in July I have to go take a 2 day class on some new software our district is making all the teachers do. So I, Amy (aka Steve) will be trained in this software and then I will go train others to do it. Which is fine, because this is called teaching and I have two degrees in that. But you know what I have a hard time with? People who ask a lot of questions and don't listen to my answers. Or, when I give the answer and they listen to it, but then want to argue with me about it. Seriously? Who's the expert here? You're the one who can't find the DELETE button, I'm standing here pointing right at it. I have such a hard time finding my inner Dalai Lama with people like that. (Please note: I speak exclusively of adults here. Children get more of my Dalai Lama, because they have an excuse. Except after the 10th time I tell them the same thing and they don't listen or argue with me. Then I started composing Student Support Team notes and data because, obviously, someone needs a serious intervention...sadly, we don't have Adult Support Team intervention. Wouldn't the world run so much more smoothly if we did?)

At any rate, I'm also having a hard time figuring out the Facebook badge/button. I had it uploaded here for a bit, but I'm not sure it took you (whoever's reading this) to the correct page. When I clicked it, it took me to my administrator set up page. So I shall bulldoze on until I figure it out. I can usually figure out any software/technology once I play with it for awhile.

I have more followers on Twitter, too! They are all writerly-oriented. Most seem to be self-publishing warehouses, and I'm leery of those. I'd rather be published traditionally...there's nothing bad in self-publishing; it can be really lucrative and work out well if you know what you're doing. Here's a secret about me: I don't really know what I'm doing. Also, I have a day job, and I'm tired by 3 PM August-May, and I still have to go work out, cook and clean dinner, read a story and plunk a resistant child into a bathtub, then convince her it's in her best interest to go to sleep. Doesn't that sound exhausting? After spending all day teaching your heart out, social issue psychotherapy sessions, drama control, and crowd management? And publishers these days already expect you to be your own PR team, manager, etc. Can't imagine what that's like if you're completely on your own. While working a full-time day job.

That's when social media is a beautiful thing--you can sit in your pj's with no make up on, in your dorky girl glasses, maybe with a glass of wine or pint of beer next to you, and plug yourself until your ego explodes in stomach-churning, bloody tendrils all over the walls. I'm all for it. What did writers do before Facebook and Twitter? And Instagram! And Tumblr (which I totally don't get or see the point of)! Or blogs? Or texts, or emails, or computers or smart phones or tablets or push button start cars or just transportation in general?! I'm so surprised Shakespeare (or whoever wrote those plays I had to sit and look down at all the footnotes every other word until my eyes bled) was even able to get anything on paper. (Did they have paper in Shakespeare's time? Oh, wait, yes. But they didn't have ballpoint pens. Man! Life in the old days was insane!)

That's really all I have to add here today. It's not as exciting as yesterday, and I apologize if you were looking for real entertainment. I really just wanted to promote my new Facebook Writer page. And tell you a lot of writerly types are following me on Twitter now.

You know who really has no issue letting her ego fly proud and free? Miss M. Totally all about me, me, me. Loves herself in ways no one else ever will, and doesn't care if you do or not. She's into photo bombing lately, and I think that's a sure fire sign someone needs to check it. How the hell am I supposed to take a good selfie with THIS crap going on in the background??