Nina Badzin

Twitter Lists to the Rescue

By Nina Badzin / February 10, 2013 /

New Twitter users (and even seasoned ones) complain about the sheer amount of tweets demanding attention all at once. It’s a valid
concern with one good solution: TWITTER LISTS!

The good folks behind Twitter.com designed a way for us to separate the people we’re following into categories. Once you have created lists and slotted the people you’re following accordingly, you can stop reading tweets as one manic blast of information. Our brains like order. If you’re following more than 100 people, do your mind a favor and get those Twitter lists started soon.

Perhaps right now you’re thinking, but I only follow writers, what kind of categories can I possibly create?

First, let me repeat last month’s advice to follow a variety of people, which will make your Twitter feed full of more than “tips on characterization!” and “free ebooks!” But even if you insist on a writers-only Twitter experience, you can make lists. How about a list for local writers, one for writers in your genre, debut authors and so on? The key to making lists is that you absolutely cannot put someone in two lists. If the local writer also writes in your genre, you have to pick one category for that person unless you want to see tweets more than once. (Trust me. You don’t.)

Resolve to Tweet Better in 2013

By Nina Badzin / January 13, 2013 /

Photo by Milena Mihaylova

The purpose of my Twitter series on Writer Unboxed has been narrowly focused since the beginning. First, I wanted to help you come across as an interesting, nuanced person (as opposed to a salesperson). Second, but no less important, I wanted to help you connect with other interesting, nuanced people. With those two goals in mind, I’m now suggesting some resolutions to help you get the most out of Twitter in 2013.

Four Twitter Resolutions for the BEGINNING/INTERMEDIATE Twitter User:

#1. STOP FOCUSING ON NUMBERS

Numbers do not matter whatsoever. In fact, I intend to write an entire post about the insignificance of numbers later this year. If, however, I can’t convince you to put the numbers obsession aside, then at least do your followers a favor and resist the urge to tweet about those aforementioned numbers with tweets like this:

“I’m close to 800 followers!”

“Welcome to my newest followers!” (Repeated every time there are new followers.)

“5 more followers and I’m at my goal of 1000.”

“I got 10 new followers in the past hour. A record.”

You get the idea. The people already following you do not want to hear about your stats.

7 Ways Twitter is a Writer’s Endless Holiday Party

By Nina Badzin / December 9, 2012 /

‘Tis the season for office holiday parties. But if you’re a writer without a day job, you might feel left out of this dreaded sacred tradition.

Do not worry, writers! Twitter is the holiday soiree that never ends. What’s more, the same rules of etiquette expected at a holiday party apply to Twitter.

1. Don’t Come Empty Handed

When you attend a party you would normally bring a bottle of wine, or some kind of gift for the hosts, right? Think of Twitter as your host. What kind of gift would Twitter want from its guests? Words!

TWITTER TAKEAWAY: Come to Twitter with something to say. You don’t need to be clever and groundbreaking with every tweet. But do speak up on Twitter. If you need ideas, read last month’s post “How to Tweet so People Will Listen” for specific examples.

2. Don’t Do All The Talking

You know that guy at the party who never comes up for air? The one who monopolizes every conversation and brings the topic back to his own life whenever the next person takes a breath? Don’t be that guy.

TWITTER TAKEAWAY: Listening is the key to Twitter success. If you’re following 400 people, but you never read their tweets, then you’re being “that guy.” It can’t be all about you. Make sure you’re tweeting about and with other people.

How to Tweet so People Will Listen

By Nina Badzin / November 11, 2012 /

Last month we discussed two strategies that work for writers on Twitter. #1. Be a person. #2. Connect with other people.

Of course those two goals are easier said than done. You’ll see so many writers tweeting links to their Facebook pages, their Amazon links, and every single review that mentions a positive word about their work that it will be tempting to follow suit.

Listen, it’s absolutely expected that writers will tweet about their books, blog posts, reviews, and so on, but those tweets will go unread if they’re not mixed in with other information. The people of Twitter will simply tune you out.

Resist the urge to treat Twitter like a bulletin board. While there is absolutely more than one way to manage the Twitter angle of your career, I can guarantee one way that fails, and that’s the hard-sell marketing tweets. Nobody logs onto Twitter hoping to get bombarded by advertisements. Nobody. So, if you’re not supposed to go on and on about your book, your blog, and your free chapter on Smashwords, then what on Earth are you supposed to say in those 140 characters?

Simplifying Twitter: Be a Person, Not a Brand

By Nina Badzin / October 14, 2012 /

This is Nina Badzin’s first official post with us as a monthly contributor and WU’s own Twitter expert. Welcome, Nina!

Enter the search terms “Twitter tips” into Google and you’ll find approximately 918,000,000 results. So why would Writer Unboxed bother adding to the mix? One primary reason: To teach you how to use Twitter as a human being.

As opposed to what, you’re wondering?

As opposed to a brand.

In many other advice posts you’re going to read about how to “stay true to your brand” and other self-promotional tips with equally smarmy buzz words.

You, dear Writer Unboxed authors and authors-to-be, are not brands. Your book is not a brand. You are a person. The readers you want to reach on Twitter are also people, not brands. Therefore, you have to engage on Twitter as a person (not a book cover, or a commercial for your book). AND, you have to connect sincerely with other people.

Frankly, acting like a person on Twitter should be easy. You have been a person for most of your life. (I’m subtracting junior high.) But one look at a Twitter feed will show you that too many people struggle to relate online. Therefore, this new monthly Twitter series on Writer Unboxed is intended to give you focused advice on how to be an online person instead of a brand and how to connect with other people in a way that makes good use of your time, rather than wastes it.

Now, before I go on, there is one threshold issue that must be addressed. You without Twitter accounts have undoubtedly noticed and are already asking, Why bother being on Twitter in the first place?

Fair question.

We all know the answer: Nobody needs Twitter. The only thing a writer needs to do is write, right? In theory, that’s true, but we also know that those dreaded words “online presence” have planted themselves in our creative orbit, and they don’t seem to be going away. Twitter is a piece of that “online presence” puzzle, but it’s not the only one. There’s blogging, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and others. Choose all, one, or none.

I am not here to sell you on Twitter so I hope we can eliminate any debate of Twitter’s merit or lack thereof. I’m here to help those who are interested use the site to the best of their ability.

For newbies and beginners, you will want to start with “The Science of Twitter,” a post I wrote here last year about basics like the mechanics of a tweet. It helps to know, for example, that tweets starting with the @ symbol are not seen by most of your followers. For a more nuanced discussion, see “The Art of Twitter,” where I discussed why numbers mean less than you think and how to foster what I call an “authentic following.”

What we’ll do in this series is keep the two aforementioned narrow goals in mind: Be a person. And connect with other people.

Three ways to get started in the right direction:

The Art & Science of Twitter. Part 2: The Art

By Nina Badzin / August 28, 2011 /

Yesterday guest Nina Badzin walked us through the science of Twitter–basics and tricks that can help you make the most of Twitter from a technical standpoint. (Missed the post? Click HERE.) Today she’s back with us to discuss some of the finer points of being a Twitter-user. How to use it wisely, and have fun with it at the same time. Enjoy!

The Art of Cultivating an Authentic Following on Twitter

Writers love using Twitter to market their work because Twitter is free. Using Twitter as an easy, one-way marketing tool, however, is an enormous mistake. And if you’re not going to get it right on Twitter, then why put your energy there at all? The truth is, Twitter is not free. You’ll pay for Twitter with a precious commodity: your time.

So why are writers willing to spend precious time on Twitter? Because Twitter is word-of-mouth-maximus for people who understand the art of cultivating an authentic following. Without leaving your house, you can connect with book bloggers, librarians, fellow writers, and people who even share your non-literary interests.

The trick to connecting with others on Twitter (beyond the “I follow you, you follow me” game) is to keep the marketing (hateful word) to a minimum and focus on engaging. In other words, you want authentic followers, not just numbers.

What is an “authentic following?” Simply stated, your authentic following consists of the people who read your tweets. The actual number you see next to “followers” on your profile means nothing. A significant percentage of those people rarely see your tweets and perhaps never will. If you’re already a Twitter user who follows over 300 people, then you know what I’m talking about. There’s no way you pay attention to all of those tweets. If you do, I suspect you’re behind on your writing goals.

Think about the tweets you do read, or the tweets you want to read if you’re new to Twitter. I’m guessing your answer is not, “I want to see constant updates about author X’s upcoming release on Kindle.”

An “authentic following” comes down to this: Twitter doesn’t work without followers who actually read your tweets. The good news? The steps below will help you avoid talking to yourself on Twitter and wasting your time. Let’s get to work.

FIVE STEPS TO AN AUTHENTIC FOLLOWING:

The Art & Science of Twitter. Part 1: The Science

By Nina Badzin / August 27, 2011 /

Therese here. Today’s guest is Nina Badzin, who’s here today–and tomorrow–to talk with us about Twitter. (Basics today, technique savvy tomorrow.) Nina is not only an aspiring novelist and inspired Twitter Queen (@NinaBadzin), she was one of our quarter-finalists in our search for an unpublished writer to contribute to WU back in 2010. Since that time, she’s been busy gathering lit credits, including articles in The Drum Literary Magazine, Midwestern Gothic, Monkeybicycle, The Pedestal Magazine, The Potomac, and others. One of her stories published in Sleet Magazine, “Son,” was also nominated for a prestigious Pushcart Prize.

If you know little about Twitter, don’t understand the buzz; or if you’ve signed up for Twitter and maintain a page with a post a month, read this. Twitter pros, tune in tomorrow for more. Enjoy!

THE ART & SCIENCE OF TWITTER

Part One: The Science

Twitter is invaluable for writers. I can’t provide statistics about how many books you’ll sell, or how many agents or publishers will discover your brilliance because of it, nor can I guarantee you’ll win the Amanda Hocking self-publishing jackpot when you promote your work on Twitter.

I can promise you this: Twitter connects you to others in ways that Facebook, email blasts, and Goodreads simply cannot. I can also promise that Twitter will devour your writing time if you don’t manage it properly. I’m here to make the time you spend on Twitter as effective and efficient as possible.

What is a tweet? A tweet is a message of 140 characters or less. We’ll get to what you should tweet about (the art) tomorrow. First things first.

WHEN YOU SIGN UP:

Me, Julia Roberts, and The Pie in the Sky

By Nina Badzin / October 17, 2010 /

Therese here. Today’s guest is Nina Badzin, who was one of the quarter-finalists in our search for an unpublished contributor for the blog. Since our search, Nina has had a story published by Sleet Magazine–“Son”–which was also nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Other fiction credits include works in Literary Mama, Scribblers on the Roof, Talking Stick; and another that will soon be published in The Potomac: a Journal of Poetry and Politics. (Go, Nina!) We’re thrilled she’s agreed to let us share her WU entry with you here today–on being a writer, saying it, believing it, owning it. Enjoy!
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Me, Julia Roberts, and The Pie in the Sky

For the unpublished novelist, saying, “I’m a writer,” takes tremendous confidence. I’ve published a few pieces in small journals and dabbled in stories all of my life—writing them, telling them, reading them with a flashlight in the middle of the night. But I’m reluctant to call myself a writer to anyone other than my mother who’s been scanning the bestseller lists for my name since I won a playwriting contest in seventh grade.

Maybe I hesitate to use the label because I’ve yet to make a dime from my efforts. Maybe I’m waiting for an agent, a sale, and that gorgeous hardcover book. I’m not sure. All I know is that on the occasion that people ask me how long I’ve been thinking about becoming a writer, I give them two answers. And I rarely say the words, “I’m a writer NOW.”

My initial response is, “For as long as I can remember.” It’s the insecure, self-deprecating, pie-in-the-sky answer I use to avoid discussing my goal of publishing a novel, a notion I imagine sounds as preposterous as my saying I’m jetting out to L.A. and auditioning against Julia Roberts for a starring role.

My second answer is the one I hope will transform me from a doe-eyed day dreamer into a bona fide author. I tell people I’ve been “working on” becoming a writer for four years.

And it’s accurate—at least the timeline.

Posts by Nina Badzin

Me, Julia Roberts, and The Pie in the Sky

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