Should you join Mastodon?

I joined Mastodon as a writer looking to hang out with other writers and to have somewhere to share my blog posts. This was my experience.

Before you take any advice I have to give, you should know two things.

First, this is not advice.

Second, I’m very non-technical and don’t know anything.

Third, this is all just based on my experience.

Fourth, I can’t count.

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Concerning the appropriate level of silliness

The definitive* guide to the appropriate levels of silliness for all parts of your life. (* Not definitive)

Different social situations necessitate different levels of silliness. If I responded to my colleagues in the office the way I do to my friends on Twitter, they’d probably think I was insane.

Them: Did you break the photocopier?

Me: Sorry, that was probably my dragon. He thinks it’s funny to sit on it and take copies of his… never mind.

You can only say such things in the office so many times before people start to avoid you at the water cooler.

So what are the appropriate levels of silliness for different parts of life? Read on for the definitive guide.**

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A fantasy author asks, who is my audience?

I attempt to find and befriend an audience for my fantasy novels (that don’t yet exist) on Twitter. Dragons may or may not be involved.

I read a lot about writing, and one of the uncomfortable pieces of advice I run into repeatedly is this: no matter what kind of book you write, your audience is not “everyone”.

What do you mean everyone won’t like my book? But it’s going to be awesome (or so the writing elves tell me). How could anyone not like it?

The conversation that finally convinced me of the truth of the advice went something like this:

Hubby: I’ve finished my book and I don’t know what to read next.

Me: Why don’t you read [favourite book that is the most amazingest thing ever that I would marry and eat and wear all at the same time if I could]?

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Why Twitter friends are better than real life friends

Twitter friends are a wonder of social media, especially if you’re an introverted writer looking for community. Here’s why they’re so great.

Twitter friends are small, two-dimensional creatures that often take the appearance of models, bearded knights, cats, household items, or occasionally book covers. They live in an application on your phone or a tab in your computer browser, and provide inspiration, encouragement, commiseration, congratulations, or random silliness as appropriate.

You can never be sure what form Twitter friends take in the physical world or what their physical-world names are, but none of this matters.

Names are only labels for people, and handles work just as well for that purpose. (Mine’s @AkkalonAS, in case you didn’t know.)

As for physical form, as long as the physical form can type, it’s wholly irrelevant.

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7 facts you didn’t know about me: The Versatile Blogger Award

I was nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award, and so I’m going to tell you seven things about myself that you might not know (mostly writing-related, because that’s what you asked about).

Some time back, the delightful Jessica Matteliano (@jmatteliano) nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award. Today I am delighted to accept the award.

That means I’m going to tell you seven things about myself that you may not know. (I can’t entirely guarantee you don’t know them–internet stalking has come a long way in recent years.)

But first, the details of the award.

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