How Social Media Helped Make Me Social IRL (In Real Life)

So, a few weeks ago I posted about the Top Ten Reasons I Royally Suck at Social Media. This post was really cool for me, because so many other people feel the same way! Here I thought I was some sort of alien, and I discovered that if I am, that means a large number of other people are, as well.

Cue sigh of relief. I hate being the weird one. (Haha! You're weird too!)

So the other day I was thinking about this post, and I realized something pretty interesting-- the changes I've been trying to make, to improve my social media-ness, have carried over into my real life. I've never been a truly social person-- usually preferring the company of my husband and my animals, or a handful of very close friends, to most social situations. But lately, something is . . . different.

Specifically, GOOD different. I knew things had changed when one of my co-workers (also new, hired for the same position as me) told me a couple weeks after we started that she had complained to her friend how it was unfair that I got along with everyone already. I wasn't hung up on the complaining about me, because two things struck me about what she said. First, someone was jealous of how SOCIAL I was. ME. What?! And secondly, she thought I got along with everyone! WHOA!

That was a wakeup call. By which I mean, I realized that yeah, I was a lot more social at work than I have been at other jobs in the past. So far, there's not a single person there that I don't get along with, or can't have a nice long conversation with. It is, frankly, awesome. But what's different? What changed?

Well, I like to think I changed. I mean, I kind of had to. But I think I've narrowed it down more than that. I think this is the difference:

1.) I say hi to EVERYONE, with a smile.

This may feel like cheating, but the thing is, I mean it! I'm just so happy to have my job that I am genuinely overcome with joy and friendliness when I'm there. But I wouldn't have had this habit if it weren't for blogs and Twitter teaching me that it's okay to start conversations with other people you don't know. And, more importantly, HOW to start those conversations.

2.) I am getting better at small talk.

You pick up small talk pretty quick when you only have 140 characters to say something! Also, I've learned how to pick up on little things to initiate conversations with people. Things I probably never would have noticed before, if it weren't for social media.

3.) I am not intimidated by anyone, even my supervisors.

In the past, intimidation/ awed respect for my managers has made it difficult for me to get close to them. Social media has COMPLETELY cured me of this by making it totally possible for me to tweet at Nathan Fillion, or Neil Gaiman, with nary the touch of a key. Now, I chat with the director of my department as easily as the people who just got hired with me. It's not that I don't have respect for them anymore, it's just that I'm not letting that respect keep me from talking to them. And I like to think they've noticed!

4.) I've learned to see the common ground I have with anyone.

Social media is pretty good at getting you to spot what you have in common with someone else. Aided by years of Facebook and blogging practice, I've branched out into the real world and now have seized on common things with pretty much everyone at work. The easiest one, for most, is our love of animals :) But it's helped me a LOT connecting with other people, and helping them remember/ know who I am.

So there. I'm sure there's more but this post is coming after a verrrrry long day of finals, so that's all I've got for now. But here's hoping that the lessons I'm applying will make the difference between this being a seasonal job, and one that I get to keep!

What Moves You?

So there's something I've been wondering. It's pretty obvious that when I read a book, I don't enjoy it the same way someone else might. Of course, it's possible that I can, and will, but there's no accounting for individual taste.

I love finishing a book, or a movie, and experiencing a catharsis afterward. That feeling of openness, and sanity, and a story well-told and well-wrapped, that stays with me for days. My favorite stories are the ones that I just can't stop thinking about. They earn an exalted place in the Top Stories of All Time list that I carry around in my head. You know, like the kinds you find in the sidebar of someone's Facebook page.

Stories that move me in this way tend to be any combination of epic, gritty, original, romantic, and tense. [Insert any other cliche movie review adjectives you can think of here]. I love the romantic tension in YA books, along with the (usually) upbeat plots. I love a good puzzle thriller, and the occasional spy/ suspense novel. I love quirky fantasy, a la Piers Anthony. I love sweeping mythos and world-saving adventures in MG books. And of course, a good mystery is always great fun!

Okay, so my tastes tend to swing far and wide, it's true. This is probably why I write in so many different genres-- because I read in so many different genres. But these are the story elements that move me. I was thinking about this the other day, and thought it would make an interesting survey. So pray, tell me, what kinds of stories make you have an emotional reaction? What stories stay with you for days?

Round 2 PvP Results

It gives me great pleasure to say that most of you got this one wrong. Entry #2 was the Pubble - 

 The Tales of Tanglewood: The Lon Dubh Whistle by Scott Michael Kessman, a 4.5/5 star book. Of course, both short snippets, but I think it's evident our volunteer this week's quite competent.

If anybody's interested in participating, please email us at BaneOfAnubis@gmail.com. 

And, once again, many thanks to our test subject for submitting his/her piece for comparison.

Pubbles vs Plebes: Round 2 (YA Urban Fantasy)

For our second PvP match, we've got Chapter 1 (non-beginning) sections from two YAUF books. Can you spot the pubble(s)?

Entry 1:

Apinya reached toward the cold pile of deadwood and asked the fire to
come, her breath misting in the mountain air. Warmth spread from her
heart to her shoulder, her arm, her wrist… until Aunt Nit viciously
slapped her hand.

“I’m cold,” said Apinya, rubbing her reddened skin.

Nit frowned. “Use matches. Or better yet, pound some rice.”

Apinya had hoped to avoid that, but she knew better than to disobey
Aunt Nit directly. Picking up her schoolbag, she walked the dirt road
between homes of woven bamboo. At least Aunt Nit didn’t lecture her
on the importance of staying hidden or pretending she was someone she
wasn’t.

Pounding rice was hard, but it wasn’t the work that bothered her, nor
the occasional mocking she received from the other students. It was
the isolation, the reminder that in a village of hundreds – even
working alongside each other – she was different. And there was
nothing she could do about it.

The rhythmic pounding of the rice pestles could be heard over a kilo
away. It took days to husk the rice from a single field, so the whole
village helped in turns. Children who were old enough worked before
school, pushing the pestles up and down with their feet for over an
hour sometimes, then again in the evening when their homework was
finished.

Entry 2:

Mark traced his fingertips over the strange runes, and a twinge of excitement rippled through his body. Eager to continue the adventure, he stepped through the trees.

Upon emerging from the archway, he heard the noises. He was unable to make out distinctive voices, but there were many of them, and it sounded like hearty, joyous singing.

Creeping as silently as he could, he approached the chorus of voices, moving deeper into the undergrowth, pressing aside outreaching tree limbs that sought to block his path and protect the denizens of the forest.

Deeper into the woods he traveled, his way lit by a mass of fireflies signaling their mates. Trying desperately to be silent, twigs cracked and leaves crunched under his weight. Perhaps the creatures of the forest would teach him to move silently as they did.

His house far away now, little more than a memory, he began to feel as if he had been birthed here, living his young life among the trees and the earth, cradled within the leafy arms of the forest. How he longed to make this dream real, to banish his true life to some nether-region, replace it with one free of school and homework and all the complications grown-ups seemed to accumulate as they grew older. None of that would be found here, he knew.








We will be back tomorrow to reveal the Pubble(s), whilst the brave and willing plebe shall remain anonymous. Feel free to make comments about our experiment or the two pieces, but, as always, be respectful and courteous of your fellow writers.

Round 1 PvP Results

So, a little more than half chose the correct answer from yesterday's match, which was The Lark and the Wren (Bardic Voices: Book 1) by Mercedes Lackey.... and was Entry #2.

Now, as Anita Saxena commented last week, we can't really draw full-bodied conclusions by comparing two short snippets, but hopefully we can at least see that the difference in writing quality between pubbles and plebes might not be as discrepant as some might believe (or at least in this case). Let's go picket Random House just for fun :).

Now, since this is an experiment and our first run at it, we'd like to get feedback to improve our process. Any suggestions for improvement (e.g., expanding to 500 words, which would be roughly 2 pages worth) are greatly appreciated. Or, if you think this totally sux, we'd like to know that, too.

Also, we've got a couple more volunteers lined up, but the more the merrier. If you're interested, please email us at BaneOfAnubis@gmail.com. 

And, finally, many thanks to our first test subject for submitting his/her piece for comparison.

Small Print PS: regarding punctuation, please keep in mind that some transcription errors may occur (which we, of course, will try to spot, but once we go to post, we'll leave a piece as is) and, as a couple of people mentioned, punctuation usage varies among authors (heaven knows I wanted to put several more commas in The Hunger Games).

Pubbles vs Plebes: Round 1 (Fantasy)

For our very first match, we've got the opening paragraphs from two fantasy books. One or both are published. Can you spot the pubble(s)?

Entry 1:

Yan Faren dropped his silver pieces, one coin at a time, onto the decaying wooden table in front of Ol’ Bran Taber the Lodge Master. The small dusty shack he stood in was no different than any of the other piles of wood and sod that cluttered the city streets except that inside was where the Lodge conducted their business with the outside world. Yan did not like debts to settle any more than he liked dealing with unlawful men but some things could not be helped. He had needed the money when the taxes were levied and now it had to be repaid. It had taken him over three weeks in the market to sell enough barley.

The moneylender’s long gnarled fingers counted the silver with surprising speed for a man with such creaky bones. When he had sorted the last piece of silver into neat little stacks in front of him he looked up and his mouth spread into a grin, showing the yellow of his teeth. “You’re eight pieces short.”

“Come now.” Yan said “I don’t owe ye but twenty.” He may have been no master with numbers, but he was no fool either. “Count again. You’ll find it’s all there.”

“There’s twenty here. You owe me twenty-eight.” Ol’ Bran’s eyes gleamed the same grey color as the grease in his hair, daring Yan to disagree.

Entry 2:

The attic cubicle was dark and stuffy, two conditions the tiny window under the eaves did little to alleviate. Luna reached up to the shelf over her pallet for her fiddle case, and froze with her hand less than an inch away. Her mother's nasal whine echoed up the stairs from the tavern sleeping rooms below.

"Luna? Luna!"

Luna sighed, and her hand dropped to her side. "Yes, Mother?" she called over her shoulder. She'd hoped to get a little practice in before the evening customers began to file in.

"Have you swept the tavern and scrubbed the tables?" When Shara said "the tavern," she meant the common room. The kitchen was not in Luna's purview. The cook, Camille, who was also the stableman's wife, reigned supreme there, and permitted no one within her little kingdom but herself and her aged helper, known only as Granny.

"No, Mother," Luna called down, resignedly, "I thought Bev—"

"Bev's doing the rooms. Get your behind down there. The sooner you can get it over with, the sooner you can get on with that foolish scraping of yours." Then, as an afterthought, as Luna reached the top step, "And don't call me 'Mother.'"

"Yes M—Shara." Stifling another sigh, Luna plodded down the steep, dark attic stairs, hardly more than a ladder down the back wall.

We will be back tomorrow to reveal the Pubble(s), whilst the brave and willing plebe shall remain anonymous. Feel free to make comments about our experiment or the two pieces, but, as always, be respectful and courteous of your fellow writers.

An Experiment

Matt, Stephanie, LT, and I are interested in running a bit of a social writing experiment. On occasion, we see agents discussing the difference between pubbed and unpubbed authors. And while our experiment may or may not fuel this debate, we'd like to do an anonymous comparison between the pubbles and the wannabes. But we need volunteers. This is what we'd like:

250 words from one of your pieces (preferably a chapter/section beginning, though not necessarily the first). Give us the genre (e.g., YA, Fantasy, etc.) and location within your manuscript (e.g., -- opening page, chapter 2, etc.)

This is what we plan on doing (on a weekly, biweekly basis - will depend on interest):

Paste a page of a published piece versus a page of an unpubbed - both anonymously and of similar genre - and see who can tell the difference. Obviously this won't take into account (too much) pacing, character and plot development, but it will allow for writing Xs and Os to come through to an extent.

If interested, please email me at BaneOfAnubis@gmail.com. Also, feel free to include another 250 words from a pubbed piece if you'd like us to compare yours to that (if you do this, give us the title of the pubble's book). We will change character/location names in both pieces to reduce chances of ID.