Learning for Writing - Do You Need a Platform?

Sometimes to stay focused on your writing, you need to spend time increasing your skills at other extraneous tasks which are just as important. So, while I am not actually writing, I am learning. I am on the email list for Gabriela Perreira's DIY MFA updates. She sends out some great info on increasing your writing skills as well as things you need to learn to build your base.

I tapped into a great FREE webinar from Gabriela yesterday. And while it was a teaser for her upcoming Pixels to Platform workshop, it provided some important information that writers need to think about. Their social platform and how to build one.

All too often, writers do one of two things...spend all to much time on social media trying to sell their books at incredibly low prices, or they spend most of their time writing and forget all about their social media platform.

The biggest question I have is, "How important is it to have thousands of followers in order to be picked up by an agent or publisher?"  I see some writers who have 20 or 30 thousand followers on Twitter and I wonder if they bought all those followers (which you used to be able to do) or if they cultivated them organically.  Obviously, the latter method will take work and a semblance of a posting schedule. This takes away from precious writing time. If, in fact, it's necessary to have a platform that supposedly provides some guarantee of readership to a potential agent or publisher, then you must choose the best way to develop one.

I have a Facebook page, a Twitter account, and a blog. I really don't see the point in an Instagram account because I don't draw or paint or take photos. For me, writing in the blog is the exercise that keeps me in the zone. Then, all I have to do is share it on Twitter and Facebook, right? Not exactly. There is a whole science to gaining followers on Twitter. And these are the followers you want to fill in your for your potential readership. So you interact on Twitter. You follow people, you mention people in posts, and you like or retweet their posts. In turn, they follow you and retweet your posts. Eventually, you create a network.

Organically creating a following is a long journey. I only have 600+ followers. But, I've been lax of late -- got side-tracked for a long while and ignored the Twitterverse. But, as much as we writers need to be writing, apparently we also need to be social -- online anyway. My suggestion is, if you don't know how to build a platform, you can find many resources to learn from. Find one that resonates with you and good luck building your platform!! Oh and don't forget to follow me on Twitter -- @NCOverton313. Thanks!!