Writing & Marketing Tweets from January 3, 2013

I was reading a post this morning 7 Key Habits of Super Networkers and #4 made me stop and think:

Finish Line
Air Force Marathon
September, 2012

“Share a memorable fact: When someone asks, "What do you do?" don't give a canned elevator speech about your company and career. Mention something personal that defines who you really are. Maybe you have a passion for playing an instrument or an obsession with collecting antiques. These are also "things you do," so make it a point to share them. Such personal details can help lighten the mood and get people talking.”

When I tell writers that I’m a runner, they find that fascinating. When I tell runners that I’m a writer their eyes grow large. “Wow, that’s cool.” And these are people who can run twenty-six miles in three hours. Takes me twice that long. It also takes me twice as long to write a book as my writer friends. I guess I’m just a slowpoke.

A slowpoke? Me? When in the world did that happen? Most of my life, I’ve done everything in double-time. I moved fast, cooked fast, cleaned fast, played cards fast, drove fast . . . well, you get the picture.

I think when I turned fifty, my world started to slow down. Priorities changed. Life changed. These days, the only thing that goes fast is the day—twenty-four hours seems to travel by the speed of light. Zoom. I wake up and it’s gone. Maybe it’s always been like that, but I moved so quickly, I got more done and didn’t notice.  

If I could have it either way, I’d stick with the way things are now. So, if you ask me “What do you do?” I’ll answer, “I’m a writer and a runner, but I’m slow at both and that’s okay.”

I hope you’re moving at a speed that makes you happy. Be sure to mention that the next time someone asks, “What do you do?”

~*~RUBY BROOCH

Show LessIf you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again: 

1. Notes from Tabor Lane: Writing & Marketing Tweets from January 2 http://ow.ly/gvjL6
2. Four Twitter Predictions For 2013 http://ow.ly/guAOb A roll out of all Twitter users' tweet archives, among other predictions
3. How To Write Action http://ow.ly/gvbVM Show action, reaction & describe, describe, describe . . .
4. Love Thy Neighbor by Donald Maass. How do you create a place of goodness, a safe corner for your readers? Good post! http://ow.ly/gvcaX
5. You Know What Happens When You Assume Things… http://ow.ly/gvchv "Playing with readers’ assumptions is just another tool in your toolbox"
6. 22 rules of successful storytelling: http://t.co/5PuKxS3k @lawnrocket @pbjpublishing RT @elizabethscraig Good Infographic to keep handy
7. What to watch for in 2013 http://ow.ly/gvcID 5 trade publishing trends to keep your eye on
8. Will Twitter Become The ‘De Facto’ Communication Tool For World Leaders In 2013? http://ow.ly/gvd24
9. A Simple Way to Make Images Stand Out on Pinterest http://ow.ly/gvdak It’s Visual Marketing Simplicity at its best!
10. Easy Ways to Create Original Images for Visual Marketing [PicMonkey] http://ow.ly/gvdkj I'm going to try this.
11. 10 Tips About Basic Writing Competency http://ow.ly/gvDsq
12. WRITING ON THE ETHER: Ingenious Pain http://ow.ly/gvKgW via @porter_anderson Don't let business make us forget the art we serve
13. Craft: Women Authors & Those Scarlet Initials http://ow.ly/gvLEF via @JaneFriedman
14. 10 authors give their best guess as to what trends we'll see in 2013 http://ow.ly/gvPez via Laura Howard
15. Ten Tips for a Terrific Antagonist http://ow.ly/gwDYx This is very good and something to think about. I've printed it out.
16. How Will You Be Useful in 2013? @JoelFriedlander "Being useful can make you a hero, can make your name & ideas spread." http://ow.ly/gwF0e
17. The Starburst Method: Discovering Your Characters by @woodwardkaren http://ow.ly/gwFrc

I’m always looking for great content to share. If you have a writing and/or marketing blog, or have a favorite that you visit often, please leave a link in the comment section. Thanks for stopping by.  

Happy writing & running, Kathy