Enter “writer” on We Follow and close to 20,000 names come up on Twitter. And those are the ones who registered on We Follow. The majority of those writers are published authors, so it would be safe to assume that maybe 4-5 times as many writers on Twitter aren’t even being counted.
So in a place where there are so many authors, writers, agents, and publishers online, how can a writer stand out from the noise that is Twitter?
Simply stated: use Twitter to connect. Take less time talking or promoting your writing, and more time making a real effort to connect with other writers. Then talk and promote their works.
Everyone thinks that once you have your profile, a online presence and a manuscript, people will flock to you. Not even close. You have to constantly work it and always be connecting.
Here are just some examples of writing communities growing through Twitter:
Friday Flash: You can use #FridayFlash on Twitter to share your flash fiction or short scenes of your writing with others.
Tuesday Serial: Follow #TuesdaySerial on Twitter and have a chance to submit your serial installments.
Three Word Wednesday: This is a cool one. Each week, three words are shared and writers are asked to write a piece using those three words. Then you read other works and comment on them.
Writer Wednesday: Yup, you can also recommend Twitter writers to others on Wednesdays as well. Best way is to tell others why they should follow the people you recommend. Follow the stream here: #WriterWednesday
Sample Sunday: Here is a new one you can add to the Twitter stream. It is #SampleSunday and you can add sample pages from your works in progress.
AmWriting: Follow the hashtag #amwriting and connect with others who “are writing.”
And if you want to see a list of Twitter hashtags related to writing, this is a great post here: Twitter Hashtags for Writers.
In addition, here’s my open invitation to any writer on Twitter. If you reach out and follow @julito77, I will make it a point to read anything you want me to read and to share any comments. The goal is to foster a formidable writing community where people feel supported.
So feel free to connect. If you have a published work, I would be more than happy to share it with others. Let me know what you are writing about, and if you have a blog or web page where I can read what you are writing. Add a comment here with your link and I will add it to my blogroll. Feel free to ask me to RT anything you need RT’d. Writing, at times, can be the loneliest and most painful task in the world. Twitter might ease some of that.
Franky Benítez 
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Adrian T Dayton, Julio Ricardo Varela, Taylor Fisher, Brian Lofrumento, Kevin Vandever and others. Kevin Vandever said: RT @julito77: An Open Invitation to Twitter Writers: http://wp.me/pp13w-lO […]
Thanks for the solid connect, Julio.glad t meet you. I have a book, Stormrider, which I’m very proud of, available in Ebook format with a free sample at http://bit.ly/9R0Gcn – about to be published in hard copy in Inda in 2011. That after many books published here in the US. Thanks for the opportunity to get this stuff out there!
A pleasure, Peggy, will check it out and send a tweet about it later tonight. Congrats! Good luck with your efforts!
Excelente… Great invitation I think a few more people have to take this approach.
have a great Thursday
I am so surprised that more people aren’t doing this. It really perplexes me sometimes.
Julio, please keep up with your preaching on the “good way” to do twitter. I am so tired of the accounts without any “@” engagements in their last 100 tweets. Engage already! Twitterfeed, auto-posting, future-tweeting – blechhh! Makes me ill. Thank you so much for sharing your philosophy, it has really helped me loosen up and focus on building relationships on twitter.
Very cool of you to post that comment here. Thanks again! You a doing a fantastic job with it!
Muchisimas gracias, Julito … oh, sorry – I lived in Mexico for 6 years and I have lapses now and then 😉 Thanks very much for the #TuesdaySerial shout out – I began contributing to #FridayFlash about a year and a half ago and it’s a really terrific community of readers and writers. #TuesdaySerial began as an offshoot of #FridayFlash to be a collection of links for writers who were posting serials as Friday Flash. We have a great community of readers and writers now who are not just interested in online fiction, but who are specifically interested in online serials. Anyway – thanks for the mention. It’s so good to meet new writers who like to connect on Twitter, as Bear mentioned.
Thank you for reaching out and commenting here. Great to connect. See you around the stream.
Thanks for the #FridayFlash mention. Much appreciated. And welcome aboard.
~jon
Thanks, Jon! The community on Twitter is amazing. Well done on a great job.
Hi Julio! Nice to meet you! I’m sure more hashtags will evolve, too.
Thanks for stopping by today!
Let me know if you would like me to read anything of yours. Just find me on Twitter whenever.
Sure thing! The web serial I’ve been promoting through the #tuesdayserial site for many months now is this one: http://daron.ceciliatan.com/start-here
I’m following you on Twitter now too.
Got the follow and thanks. Checked out your site quickly and bookmarked it for reading. Very nice design.
I love #fridayflash and #amwriting. I’m still doing work on manuscripts and stories, but I’m doing all I can to be known before I’m out there. I keep my blog updated many times every week, and I talk with other writers. I’m even working with another writer on a very personal story. I met them on Twitter, so that site has made me want to get out there even more.
Very cool, Jeremy. Thanks for your comment. Please feel free to tweet me when you have a new post on your blog.
Julio,
Thank you for this invitation. I learn so much from other writers and I am always looking for new ways to connect. I have been writing poetry for about 25 years, some of which is published on my blog, She’s Writing
Currently, I am stretching my wings into the world of fiction writing. Therefore, I am looking for all of the support I can get and hoping I can offer some to others as well. I was not aware of a couple of the hashtags that you mentioned. Thank you for listing them.
Looking forward to connecting. Happy writing!
Sheila Moore
Twitter @Shewriting
Sheila, thanks so much for taking the time visit my blog and accept the open invitation!
Thanks Julio! I’m writing historical fiction set in Restoration England. I’ll send you more info when I find an agent (: Currently looking to connect with readers and writers on Twitter. This info really helps!
Awesome, Marci, glad to be of help.
Thanks Julio, you encouraged me to shake off the cobwebs and work on my raw manuscript called “The Latin Conspiracy”
Thank you for rekindling, that spark in us ! Que dios te bendiga !
I like the title!
This is a link to my blog:
http://joannacannon.wordpress.com/
I’m a doctor, working in the UK. I write to purge my mind, but I’ve only just found the courage to send my ramblings to anywhere but my documents file. The support and friendship I’ve found on Twitter has been amazing.
@JoannaCannon
Yes, Twitter is a very amazing community for writers.
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Julio Ricardo Varela, Julio Ricardo Varela. Julio Ricardo Varela said: @meningioma here is one I shared with http://wp.me/pp13w-lO it also includes all the hashtags with Twitter […]
Hear Hear! Comments and stats are meaningless unless you’re out there bigging up your pals.
I know of now other way, Jason. Anything else is just fake.