Soul of a Writer: A Writer's Life: How Public? How Private

Writing Strategically or Tactically? The Difference Can Make a Difference in Your Success

BookLife makes you think strategically and tactically about your creative works. While the Writer's Six Ps (see this post)??help you to keep writing center-stage on a day-to-day basis, ?BookLife provides a larger context for your writing dreams.??Here's an example: How PUBLIC vs. How PRIVATE do You Want Your Writing-life to Be?

Public booklife is what you do "out in the world" to market yourself and your work. This can involve maintaining a website, using social media like Twitter and FaceBook, speaking engagements, leading workshops or writing groups, etc.?

Private booklife is what you do to maintain your writing/creative life (e.g., your passion, priorities, process). According to Jeff, (and I must agree because I'm living this right now), if you don't strategically manage what you do publicly, you'll find yourself over-committed to projects, assignments, tasks and events that will be more distraction than a productive means of growing your career and promoting your work. Having used the Writer's Six Ps in unity with VanderMeer's BookLife strategies, I've moved into a new phase with my writing career. I restructured my website at the end of 2011 as a reflection of changes in Priorities, Process and Perspective. I've published a short story and have a second in press. The types of freelance work I'm doing has changed, too. I'm able to select assignments rather than take any carrot tossed to me-- and that makes it easier to focus on writing fiction (and makes me a happier). Consequently, I've been wondering about all the social media outlets available to help writers develop a following and grow a platform. I've got a family; I certainly don't want to broadcast life with kids to strangers, but how do I find the right balance of Public and Private Writing Life? Questions Writers Should Ask 1.??Do I want people to have access to me 24/7 through social media??

2.??Do I have or can I make the time to Tweet, maintain Facebook?and ?blog??

3. ?Should I have a personal profile the public can access? Is it too soon for a fan page?

4. ?Why do I want to do any one of these things??What do I offer through these media and what are possible returns on the time invested? Is it worth it?

5. ?What will be indicators that something I'm doing isn't right for me (or that it's not working)?

It is a huge relief to realize that you--no writer, in fact--do not have to be in social media outlet in cyberspace--right now. Answer the above questions and seek out the online corners and hang-outs that work best for the kind of writer you are and the goals you have for your writing life.

Share your thoughts: ?

• How do you decide where to spend your time promoting your writing wares?
• Has social media made a writer's life too public?

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