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| Photo by Benjamin Balázs on Unsplash |
I shied away from Twitter for the longest time. It was noisy and I always found myself stuck in a time continuum there. I'd wake up groggy and wondering if I hadn't been abducted by aliens. While there is still a lot of static and it can suck my time like a vacuum set on turbo, I've recently begun to embrace this platform.
So, I wanted to share some of the chats, events, and hashtags that I've found useful as a dark fiction writer, and hope that it will help you find better engagement on Twitter, as well.
Chats
Twitter Chats are live discussions that use a hashtag to filter and stream the conversation. (For Twitter Chats I like to use Tweetdeck.)
#DarkLitChat Third Tuesday of every month 8-9pm ET hosted by @darklitchat, @deapoirierbooks, and @e_teskey. Get a reminder email by signing up at www.dhpoirier.com
#CreatureChat Wednesday chat regarding non-human characters in science fiction and fantasy 8-9 pm CT hosted by @OfTheWilds
#MagicalMon a chat for Fantasy Writers Mondays from 7-10pm ET. @MagicalMonWords Hosts: @wordcaffeine @saraofwhimsy, and @abookbumble
#CreatureChat and #MagicalMon aren't specifically geared to dark fiction, but they may discuss elements you are writing about. I'd check out their weekly topic to see if it is something that interests you.
Events
Twitter events for writers are scheduled events using a unique hashtag and can include weekly topics for you to share lines from your work and/or aesthetics, pitching your manuscript to find an agent and/or publisher, find a critique partner, beta readers, and more. Each event has its own rules, dates and times, so be sure to check the event's or host's profile for more information.
Weekly Event Hashtags
@writevent posts topics for many of weekly writer event hashtags and way more information on contests and Twitter events than you'd probably ever want to know. But a great place to start seeing what's out there.
Here are some of my favorite weekly events. Hmm, make those my favorite Wednesday and Thursdays events. I'm sure awesome things are happening throughout the rest of the week. Maybe.
#1lineWed managed by @RWAKissofDeath (Wednesdays)
#weirdwriters managed by @chipmunkofpower (Wednesdays)
#thursdayaesthetic hosted by @literarilyjess (Thursdays)
#folklorethursday @FolkloreThurs managed by @DeeDeeChainey and @WillowWinsham (Thursdays) - This one isn't a writer event but has some great inspiration.
Pitch Party Events
#PitDark @PitDark a bi-annual (May/Oct) pitch party for dark literature. All genres welcome if the manuscript has an element of horror or darker writing. Hosted by @JasonHuebinger jasonhuebinger.com/pitdark/
#PitMad is a quarterly pitch party. This is the most popular Pitch Party and includes all categories and genres. Hosted by @PitchWars pitchwars.org/pitmad/
There are many other Pitch Party Events, several accepting multiple genres, and categories. Some worth checking out are #DVPit (Marginalized Writers), #KidPit (YA and MG), #AdPit (NA and Adult), #IWSGpit and #SFFPit.
Other Pitch Events
#PitchWars @PitchWars is a mentoring program, ending in an agent pitch round. pitchwars.org/
#CPMatch is a pitching event to find a Critique Partner or Beta Readers. Hosted by @Megan_Lally meganlallywrites.blogspot.com/
General HashTags
Here are some general writing community support and accountability hashtags.
#amwriting (tip: try adding your genre to the end of this hashtag and you might meet others writing in your genre)
#5amWritersClub for A.M. Writers
#OwlWriters for P.M. Writers
#amediting
#writerslife
#mswl is a hashtag used by agents, editors, and publishers to announce their Manuscript Wish Lists. Fortunately, you don't have to scroll through this hashtag to find a match for your manuscript because some divine beings have already done this for you and are posted in a database on http://mswishlist.com/mswl You can then search them by genre or by agent, etc. I highly recommend this if you are querying.
Are you already using Twitter? Are there other chats, events, or hashtags you recommend? Let me know in the comments.
And if you find yourself in the Twitterverse, be sure to stop by and visit me @ShadowLeitner.
Stay beautifully haunted, Night Writers,
♥ Shadow.
