I use Twitter, I post on Instagram, and I still have a Facebook account. Please note that “still have” implies that even though my account exists, I never log into it. Facebook is a dark, negative place I realized I didn’t need as soon as I finished graduate school. Good semi-riddance. I look forward to finding an alternative way to keep up with my friends overseas—because that’s the only reason why I haven’t deleted my account. Now that I think about it, I’m not even keeping up with them that much: I uninstalled the messenger app from my phone. I might have dozens of unread messages from people from uni *freaks out. Tries to remember her Facebook password. Fails at friendship*

Back to the subject: I am on social media, like most people with access to the Internet.

My Instagram is a memory wall, yet I seldom post selfies or personal content. I mostly use it to follow accounts I’m interested in: science, space pictures, bizarre settings and locations, art, gross shit (pimple popping, anyone?), alpacas, baby animals, street art and travel accounts (the ones without models sipping champagne though. Nothing against them, but it’s hard to not hate myself while I’m working on Excel instead of enjoying seemingly never-ending luxury vacations somewhere in Polynesia like they do). Anyway, I have almost no followers on Instagram, and that’s great: freedom for me.

Then there is Twitter, which seems to be where most writers hang out. I opened my new, anonymous Twitter account earlier this year, with the sole objective of whining about the query process. Fortunately, I connected with other writers quite fast, and now use Twitter to share thoughts, discuss experiences, and cry (what did you think? That I’m past that phase? NEVER, MAN). IMO, Twitter has its pros and cons though, as follows:

PROS

• Connecting with other writers (and becoming friends with some of them! Yay!)
• Exchanging information on agents, publishing tips, writing tips, etc.
• Sobbing together (it helps! Nobody wants to suffer in solitude. NOBODY).
• The gifs!
• The moral support: the #amwriting community is remarkably supportive.
• #Procrastination

CONS

• #Procrastination
• Twitter can fuel your impostor syndrome: I’m careful not to follow agents, editors, and publishers. Why? Seeing their tweets would add to the pressure of landing an agent and a book deal, and I haven’t even finished editing my completed book.
• Let’s be honest, aspiring authors: there’s too much info on Twitter. Book deals that aren’t yours to announce. Contests you didn’t win. Agents and reviewers raving about books than arent the ones you wrote. I’m happy for everyone’s well-deserved success, but when I’m wrestling with my MS’s edits and drafting, I just don’t need to be reminded of the goals I haven’t achieved yet. I don’t need to worry about deals and awards right now: I must focus on my projects and enjoy my own process. I need to keep on working in freedom and to become a better writer. None of that will happen if I obsessively compare myself to others and fret. Does it make me sound slightly selfish? This blog is honest, mate.

There’s no silver lining to this post: if you are writing and enjoy social media, make the most out of Twitter, but a) try not to share your book ideas there and b) curate that timeline to the max: make of it a happy place, not a source of self-deprecation and stress.