HAPPY ALMOST SUMMER EVERYONE! I HOPE EVERYONE IS STAYING SAFE AND HEALTHY!
I have had people reach out to me and ask how to get more involved in the #WritingCommunity. I am no expert and don't have as many followers as some, but wanted to share a few things I have done to get more involved!
Use the Hashtag
This should be obvious, but it is important. Anytime you tweet use the #WritingCommunity hashtag.
You can also search the #WritingCommunity hashtag and it will take you to the top tweets. These are tweeters who have had the most comments/likes on their tweets. There is the option to go to the latest tweets (next to top) and I actually find that to be better for interacting, but more about that below.
Here are a few other hashtags I feel are important to add to your tweet. I don't know why, but I have found that adding #WritingCommunity first has made my tweets gain more interaction. It's not proven that it works better, just an observation.
#writerslift Great for certain days. More on that below.
#writerscommunity Not as popular as the others, but have seen it more lately being used.
Interact and Comment
When it comes to getting involved, commenting on peoples tweets is essential. As I stated above, you can search the #WritingCommunity hashtag and will see the top posts. Commenting on any of those is helpful, but I find using the latest tweets section is more beneficial.
Latest tweets are people who recently posted in the community. Being one of the first people to comment on the thread is ideal. As others check out the tweet, your comment will be one of the first, thus your comment and profile will gain exposure. People will notice you and this could also help you gain followers in the community.
This is where I will say don't be shy. Mostly everyone I have come in contact with in the community is supportive. We are all on unique writing paths and it is embraced in the #WritingCommunity.
Start a Conversation
For me, this is the most important step to getting more involved. Of course you can tweet anything, but asking a question to get the community chatting has worked best for me. It could be a simple writing question or a "tell us your genre and say hello" post. I have done both, and both have been a success. This also helps other members of the community meet each other. It really is a win win for you and the #WritingCommunity. A few examples of my own tweets are below for reference. REMINDER: DON'T FORGET TO USE THE HASHTAGS!
The Right Time and Day
Certain days and times are more active in the #WritingCommunity. I have broken down the days below, but I will touch a bit on times.
From my experience, I have noticed my posts have more interaction if I post them in the morning. I suggest around 8-9 am in your time zone. If that doesn't work, try in the evenings around 7 or 8 pm. My posts don't get much traction in the afternoons. They did when most people were working from home and lock downs from the pandemic were in place, but before then I didn't notice much interaction. It makes sense, as more people are at work during the afternoons. This isn't proven, just something I noticed through my years of twitter posts.
All days of the weeks are active in the community, but some specifically more than others. I have outlined that below. I encourage you to post every day, if possible, and especially on these days.
Wednesday- The #WritingCommunity is big on this day for #WritersWednesday and #writerslift. Some start threads calling out your favorite twitter authors or ask you to share your work on the thread. Both great ways to meet new people in the community.
Friday- This day is more for #FF or #FollowFriday where writers give suggestions of whom to follow in the #WritingCommunity. It is a great day for shout outs and to follow others who you may have not been following before. Hopefully they follow back and you gain some new friendships!
Saturday- Saturday is all about #ShamelessSelfPromoSaturday. This hashtag has writers sharing their work on the thread. I host one each Saturday morning and retweet writers work throughout the day. Not everyone does this, but I like to add a little extra to mine. I have seen some holding this on Sundays, as well.
I know there are other ways to get involved, but these are a few ways that helped me. I didn't touch on weekly writers chats that are hosted, but plan to make a list of those in the future. If you find one, add it to the comments! Regardless of how you get involved, it is always nice to support other writers and the #WritingCommunity is a fantastic way to do that!