I wrote my first book (a YA sci-fi story) in complete isolation from social media. And that probably is one of the main reasons I’m proud of my work: I wrote it without expectations; never wondering what agents, publishers, and readers would like. I wrote for myself —and because it was either that or staring at the long faces occupying the seats around me on the train back and forth to work (fuck no).

When I finished (or so I thought), I created an anonymous Twitter account, to document my query process (aka rant about the soul-crushing nature of querying). Turns out, I stopped after sending out 9 queries, and went back to editing a bit more. A year has passed, and I have rewritten and edited so much I no longer remember what the book used to be like when I first finished it.

What I know is that Twitter has exposed me to both good and bad things.

A list (obviously):

The good:

1. Twitter can be an excellent window into the publishing world: writers, agents, and editors hang out there. They share info and insights, and most of them are happy to answer questions and interact (within reason. Don’t go and pester people now, man).
2. Lots of writers use Twitter. This means one can eventually find like-minded people and discuss whatever subject of interest one fancies, from books to how many different types of carrots there are (four!).
3. Writers often find critique partners and beta readers via Twitter. If you are a writer, you surely know how valuable that possibility can be.
4. You can follow alpacas, street art, graphic design, and travel-related accounts (the. best. stuff).
5. Twitter can be fun when done with people you get along with (gifs and banter!).
6. If you are lucky, you might find writer buddies. If you are even luckier, they’ll turn out to be genuine, kind friends.

The bad:

1. There are lots of people talking about writing on Twitter. As a consequence, Twitter can be overwhelming and misinforming.
2. Your timeline can magnify self-doubt: at one point or another, it will seem like either everyone else is doing fantastically well or quite terribly. How any of those affect you will depend on your personality and outlook, but there is always an impact.
3. Twitter and interaction expose you to jealousy and passive-aggressiveness (cuz #humans, guys). You will meet both friendly and unpleasant folks. Some of them will grow envious of other people’s talent or success (after all, everyone wants to be read and make money). Others will resent whoever exudes confidence. Do you write daily or every new moon? Surprise: both situations will be frowned upon, bud. Some people will make you feel like you should be doing/achieving more, while others will shame you for being productive. You can’t make everyone happy, yes, but in the “writing world?” Friend, people will make you feel like you should. It’s insane.
4. Having unpopular opinions is a risky business: if there is one platform that has taught me how people only want to hear what they want to hear and be told that they are perfect, talented, and always right, it’s Twitter. Dare to disagree with whoever you happen to disagree, and you will be bedeviled. Personalities, ideas, different points of view: there are packages for those (and agendas). People will tell others how ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ they are no matter what they say and what they keep to themselves. Dog-eat-dog is terrifyingly real on Twitter.
5. People will push their agendas on you: “You HAVE to write about this specific subject I’m interested in!” “Why didn’t you include this or that theme?” “Why did your characters do that thing I don’t like?” “Why didn’t your characters do that other thing I do like?” “Why aren’t you talking about this other stuff?” “Why are your characters like that and not like this!?” “Your book is too _______” “Your book isn’t _______ enough.”

Great fun.

Some days, I love Twitter. Others, I realize how poorly it suits me. Mostly, I have learned a thing or two about writing and people via that strange but useful platform.

Now, why did I write this post at all? To vent, and to tell myself that it’s okay to take a break and finish writing my second book in silence, without the wants and needs of the world screaming at me from a screen.