writing interruptions

Well, that Hurt: 20 Ways to Navigate Twitter as an Author with Less Pain and Anguish

/ jlgfellers

I’ve been on Twitter since (checks self) 2015 as @jlgfellers. No, I don’t have other accounts, but I do manage one for a small publishing company. Neither has a huge following, but my author account has more because it’s been around longer. That said, here are a few things I’ve learned, especially in the last two years, about navigating the minefield that is the twitterverse as an author that might well keep you out of trouble with the twittergods, your followers, and your readers. These aren’t quick-fix solutions that’ll give you lots of followers and engagement. Rather, these are survival tips.

1) I didn’t mean it that way: Use hashtags with discretion. Research each by opening Twitter on a new tab and searching the hashtag. Nothing is sacred or safe online, so be careful. A hashtag might well mean the opposite of what you think.

2) Beware of misinterpretation: Just because you tweet something doesn’t mean your followers will interpret it the way you intended. Use your 280 to make your point crystal clear. GIFs and photos can help there if need be.

I didn’t engage those

bridge-loving vagrants.

I blocked instead. 🚫

3) Trend Bombs and Trolls: Twitter trends can be educational and fun until the trolls get on board (those trends can also be horrifying and misleading, but I’m not going there today), and believe me when I say that the trolls will appear sooner or later. The last trend I was involved in… I don’t remember the hashtag, so I’ve apparently blocked it out. Anyway, while the trend seemed fairly innocuous, it landed me a whole lot of new followers along with enough trolling to last me a lifetime. No, I didn’t engage those bridge-loving vagrants. I blocked instead because, as we all know— and if you don’t please learn this now— thou shalt not feed the trolls. I akin them to energy vampires. They live for conflict and would suck negative engagement through a straw if they could. Save yourself the stress unless it’s your sort of thing then, by all means, have at it. Me? I have better ways of occupying myself.

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#KeepingHouseNovel #RainbowSnippets #PromoLGBTQ Ninety-Five: I’ll Fly With Them

/ jlgfellers / 12 Comments

Hi, and welcome to #Rainbowsnippets*! This one is uniquely mine, but there are lots of other great snippets to read so after you finish here click the FB link at the bottom of the post to discover other great LGBTQIA authors and their works.

I had surgery a few weeks ago, so this post was created ahead of time. Feel free to comment but please know it might take me longer than usual to respond.

This week we’re picking up where we left off in Chapter Three of Keeping House. Stowne’s stressed, Cent wants to go home, and Dane’s ready to fly. What a mess.

Note: The first paragraph, in orange, comes from last week’s snippet, and Dane’s speaking about Cent’s sigils, which have been applied with Sharpie permanent markers.

     “All us Hunters got them, but ours won’t warsh off with a good scrubbin’, and neither will yours by the time you get back to Stowne.”

     “Sigils remain intact even if they cannot be seen by the eye.” Stowne’s mouth thinned with the stress Cent knew they were feeling. “If the sigils are applied in perfect love and trust, that is. Rest assured, Centenary’s were.”

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#KeepingHouseNovel #RainbowSnippets #PromoLGBTQ Ninety-Four: A Good Scrubbing

/ jlgfellers / 12 Comments

Hi, and welcome to #Rainbowsnippets*! This one is uniquely mine, but there are lots of other great snippets to read so after you finish here click the FB link at the bottom of the post to discover other great LGBTQIA authors and their works.

I had surgery a couple of weeks ago so this post was created ahead of time. Feel free to comment but please know I might be slow with my response.

 

 

 

This week we’re picking up where we left off in Chapter Three of Keeping House. Cent’s family has seen she’s protected for what lies ahead, something Dane finds… Well, see for yourself.

Note: The first paragraph, in orange, comes from last week’s snippet, and it’s Cent speaking.

     “Sorry, not sorry to disappoint you, Dane.” She unfurled her wings and rolled her shoulders to shake them open.

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#WriteLGBTQ #WIP #KeepingHouseNovel: Chair

/ jlgfellers / Leave a comment

#writeLGBTQ #KeepingHouseNovel My self-applied theme is chair. Why self-inflected applied? I’m on medical hiatus at present so this post was written before the suggested theme was shared. I’ll be back soon so feel free to comment!

 

 

 

Armchair critic, high chair, rocking chair, chair lift, as scared as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs… Dane’s sitting in the chair across from Cent, and she’s chomping on Cent’s M&Ms.

   Cent worked alone in the office, creating payout categories and shuffling paperwork until Dane came in to sit in the opposite chair. “Is it still workin’ right?” She pointed to the computer.

   “Just fine.” Cent popped a peanut M&M into her mouth, scowling when Dane took three for herself. “You could buy your own.”

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#WriteLGBTQ #WIP #KeepingHouseNovel: Wash

/ jlgfellers / Leave a comment

#writeLGBTQ #KeepingHouseNovel My self-applied theme is wash. Why self-inflected applied? I’m on medical hiatus at present so this post was written before the suggested theme was shared, but I’ll be back soon so feel free to comment!

 

 

 

Washroom. Wash up. Wash and dry.  In Appalachia, you sometimes hear the word pronounced as warsh, but Cent’s had too much post-secondary education to ever say it that way. That said, she’s not exactly happy with her necessary untruths about now, but Mr. Jones would never ever understand.

   “I thought you got married last year,” said Mr. Jones.

   “I did. And my spouse knows Dane well. We’re all friends.” Ooh, that’s pushing things. But he accepted her answer because he had no idea what was really going on.

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#WIPpetWed #AppalachianElementals #WIP 4/24/2019 Apple Dumplin’ Shop

/ jlgfellers / Leave a comment

Ooh, ooh… gotta share.  Cleaning House is a Speculative Fiction finalist for this year’s Bisexual Book Awards! I’m stoked! Here’s a LINK to the announcement. The awards are in June so wish me luck!

Welcome to my contribution to #WIPpet Wednesday*, a blog hop where authors share from their current works in progress (WIPs)!  I’m still plugging away at my yet untitled WIP. Yes, I’ve a few titles in mind, but I’m not ready to share any of them as of yet.

If I’m slow to share your comments, don’t fret. I’m currently residing in the land of medical… stuff. I’ll be back in a week or three so comment way. I’ll reply as soon as I’m able.

I’m picking up where I left off last week.

In case you’re playing catch up…

 

 

 

WIPpet One: Something Brand New

WIPpet Two: Civilized Adult

WIPpet Three: No Daughter of Liberty

WIPpet Four: Mary’s Chicken

WIPpet Five: Johnnycakes

WIPpet Six: Short People Problems

Here’s my #WIPpet math for 4/24/2019 I’m snagging the four for four paragraphs from… I’ll think of a title someday soon, I promise.

Note: The first line comes from last week’s WIPpet, and these are Nub’s thoughts since we’re in his POV.

     I’m as tall as I’m ever going to be, and we both know it.

     “You’ve proven yourself to me big or small, but I worry if you’ll ever find a girl of your own.” Conall pats my stomach. “We need to put some meat on you.”

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#WriteLGBTQ #WIP #KeepingHouseNovel: Proud

/ jlgfellers / Leave a comment

#writeLGBTQ #KeepingHouseNovel My self-applied theme is proud. Why self-inflected applied? I’m on medical hiatus at present so this post was written before the suggested theme was shared, but I’ll be back soon so feel free to comment! Proud of yourself.  Proud as a peacock. Cent thinks Brinn shouldn’t be one bit proud at present.

 

 

   “I didn’t know you worked here,” said Brinn.

   “I just started, and why ain’t you in school?” Crystal leaned forward, nearly putting her head into the pickup to stare at Brinn. “I thought you were a senior this year.”

   “I quit when I turned eighteen.” Brinn sat up, puffed out their chest, and smirked.

    That’s nothing to be proud of.

 

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#WIPpetWed #AppalachianElementals #WIP 4/17/2019 Short People Problems

/ jlgfellers / 4 Comments

Welcome to my contribution to #WIPpet Wednesday*, a blog hop where authors share from their current works in progress (WIPs)!  I’m still plugging away at my yet untitled WIP. Yes, I’ve a few titles in mind, but I’m not ready to share any of them as of yet.

 

 

If I’m slow to share your comments, don’t fret. I’m currently residing in the land of medical… stuff. I’ll be back in a week or three so comment way. I’ll reply as soon as I’m able.

I’m picking up where I left off last week.

In case you’re playing catch up…

WIPpet One: Something Brand New

WIPpet Two: Civilized Adult

WIPpet Three: No Daughter of Liberty

WIPpet Four: Mary’s Chicken

WIPpet Five: Johnnycakes

Here’s my #WIPpet math for 4/17/2019 I’m snagging the seven for seven paragraphs from… I’ll think of a title someday soon, I promise.

Note: The first line comes from last week’s WIPpet, and Conall is speaking.

     “Whatever you said, it involves me and food.”

     “I said you appreciate my cooking.” I center my tricorn on my head. It’s larger than I need, but it’d been the right price when I’d obtained it… free. I don’t care who lost it, it’s a fine hat indeed, better than Conall’s truth be known.

     “It’s like you stayed by your mother’s side long enough to learn.”

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#KeepingHouseNovel #RainbowSnippets Eighty-Four: You Wanna Pull?

/ jlgfellers / 14 Comments

It’s #Rainbowsnippets Saturday, and I’m back! But first, a bit of good news: Keeping House will be released July 8th. Yes, that’s a full month ahead of schedule, but my publisher and I want it in readers’ hands ASAP. Yay!

It’s been a difficult couple of weeks, from making plans for upcoming knee surgery, to losing a beloved four-legged family member of over fifteen years, it’s simply been tough.  So difficult that I skipped last week’s Rainbowsnippet, something I seldom do.

But that’s okay, or it will be. My spouse and I are former military so we, as the saying goes, we soldier on.

This #Rainbowsnippets* is uniquely mine, but there are lots of other great snippets to read, so after you finish here click the FB link at the bottom of the post to discover other great LGBTQIA authors and their works.

Cent, from Cleaning House and Mama etc. is the protagonist in my current #WIP, Keeping House,  and she’s butting head with another character, Dane Gow,  she-king of the Hunter Fey,  so you’d best pay attention to the king or you might get hurt. The Wee Fey have flown into the circle now, and they’re not one bit happy that Dane’s there.

This picks up right where things left off two weeks ago, and the first line, in orange, is Dane being her wonderful self. She’s referring to the Wee Fey and, yes, this is more than six sentences, but I’m running behind so bear with me, please.

     “Lemme drink this, and we’ll bag ’em up for the trip home.” Continue reading →

#writerslife #selfcare Writerly ways to Sever Toxic Relationships in Your Life

/ jlgfellers

NOTE: I am disabling comments on this post for a whole lot of reasons, but you can still like and share at will.

*see the bottom of this post for a disclaimer

We all have someone in our life who, even from a distance, is fully capable of sucking the life out of us. It’s more than a matter of keeping distance or holding your relationship at arm’s length. Rather, it’s your shoulders creep to your ears at their mere mention. You can’t deal with this relationship for whatever reason. It’s triggering, it’s hurtful, and you need to cut all the ties that bind you.

For me, it’s someone who, at my core, I love, but I simply can’t deal with them or get beyond their past behaviors. The trust is forever gone, and I refuse to give them the opportunity to do even more damage to me or to my relationships with others. (Note: I am using gender-neutral they here not because this person is nonbinary but because I’m keeping their identity unknown.) I will not be accused of dragging someone through dirt I’ve already slogged through, of doing harm in the name of my own healing. I will not trigger them or provoke conflict. It’s a waste of my limited energy and, sometimes, giving someone credit for their damage (this is especially true for someone w/ Borderline Personality Disorder) fuels them to continue their ways. It empowers them and gives them the attention they seek.

Those who know me will easily realize who I am talking about.

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