Today we have a guest post from Bryan Thomas Schmidt. Bryan runs #SFFWRTCHT (Sci-Fi writer chat), a weekly twitter chat that interviews science fiction and fantasy authors. He blogs about the event's origins here, and today, he shares some tips about how to run social media events.
In late October 2010 at World Fantasy Convention in Columbus, Ohio, I found inspiration for utilizing social media and my past experience in entertainment and journalism to bring authors together to discuss and learn about the craft and business of writing Science Fiction and Fantasy. Knowing I wouldn’t likely attend many conventions the following year, for budget reasons, I decided to bring the panel to us and created SFFWRTCHT, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer’s Chat. My little idea grew within months to a major platform and has cemented my reputation and network in the industry, leading to opportunities I had only dreamed of. So Livia asked me to blog a bit about how to do a social media event, and I offer the following tips.
On Turnips and Routines
Me: I added something to my novel that I love.
Secretly-Supportive-But-Very-Mischievous-Husband: [Tears eyes from computer screen.] What?
Me: In the second scene when Flick and Kyra eat dinner, he takes the turnips out of his bowl and absentmindedly pushes them to Kyra, and then she EATS THE TURNIPS.
SSBVMH: I see.
Me: That adds like sooooooo much. Do you know like HOW MUCH that adds?
Secretly-Supportive-But-Very-Mischievous-Husband: [Tears eyes from computer screen.] What?
Me: In the second scene when Flick and Kyra eat dinner, he takes the turnips out of his bowl and absentmindedly pushes them to Kyra, and then she EATS THE TURNIPS.
SSBVMH: I see.
Me: That adds like sooooooo much. Do you know like HOW MUCH that adds?
The Psychology of Attraction: Uncertainty
A while back, I was reading a romance. In the story, the girl meets a charming, handsome guy, and things are proceeding as usual. But then, out of the blue, a boy she’d hated for years suddenly kisses her and runs away. ZOMG! I was mildly interested in guy number one, but when guy number two showed up, I really took notice.
Jump cut to another story, where a girl meets an old flame. He's distant, but sometimes shows flashes of interest. As the shared moments continue, I’m avidly turning the pages. Soon, he's actively courting her -- bringing her lunch and supporting her through emotional trauma, and . . . I lose interest.
In both cases, the guy who might have been attracted to the girl was more interesting to me than the guy who definitely was attracted to the girl. Which got me to thinking. What is it about uncertainty and attraction?
Jump cut to another story, where a girl meets an old flame. He's distant, but sometimes shows flashes of interest. As the shared moments continue, I’m avidly turning the pages. Soon, he's actively courting her -- bringing her lunch and supporting her through emotional trauma, and . . . I lose interest.
In both cases, the guy who might have been attracted to the girl was more interesting to me than the guy who definitely was attracted to the girl. Which got me to thinking. What is it about uncertainty and attraction?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)