Saturday, January 25, 2014

Is It Just Me?



Am I the only writer who doesn’t care much for social media?  I notice that other authors seem to spend a large amount of time posting about how much they need to get off Facebook and write...then half an hour later they post they are NOW leaving FB to write...then, like an hour later, they’re back on posting how much they’ve written.  Then one or two hours later, according to the timestamp thing that FB has to let you know how recent the post is, they comment they are going back to write a little more.  But first, they have to share an adorable cat picture.

I’m left wondering how they manage to get anything done.  I also wonder if I’m the big oddball here.  For a writer, I spend what seems like such a small amount of time hanging out on Facebook.

I check in first thing in the morning with my morning cuppa.  I’m back right after lunch with my midday cuppa.  Then post-dinner cuppa.  After the kid’s in bed, I take one more look around.  Just to catch up and see what, if anything, I need to respond to.  Once that’s done, I’m outta there.  I’m a hit-and-run Facebook user.  Wham, bam, thank you spam.  I’m in quickly and out even quicker. 

I often wonder what people think when I post something or reply to a message and they get right back to me.  Then I don’t respond for several hours, because Tracy has already left the F-book.  I hope they don’t think I’m being rude.  It’s just that I’ve got stuff to do, you know?  That writing thing, in fact.  Nobeks in particular get cranky and stop talking to me if they don’t get tons of attention.  Imdikos pout.  And Dramoks...well, you never keep a control freak Dramok waiting for anything.

Sure, the memes are fun to read.  The autocorrects make me cry from laughing so hard.  And touching base with my friends and readers is the main reason I sign on.  Yet I don’t see the appeal of hanging out and watching the newsfeed for hours on end or showing up every few minutes to check on it.  If I spend half an hour at a time on FB, I’m really indulging in it.  This is not a stab at those who enjoy Facebook, by the way.  If you’re on social media, then I feel I can safely assume you’re not committing war, hosing down grandmas, or eating puppies.  Carnage and chaos is at a minimum, so it’s all good.  Carry on and enjoy yourselves.

I acknowledge that I’m not the most social creature in the world.  I hate talking on the phone, I find texting a monstrous headache, and don’t get me started about going to a crowded party.  Even my closest friends and family can go for ages without hearing a peep from me if they’re not on Facebook.  Once in a great while I’ll have a few days or weeks of being a social butterfly with one or two people...then I’m back in the writing cave, being a hermit again.  Don’t ask me why; it’s apparently just the way I am.  I seem to be missing the gregarious gene in my DNA.

Facebook is as close as I get to a lot of interaction.  As I’ve described, it’s a limited thing.  Even the small amount of time I’m on there, I’m lurking more than anything else.  So again I have to ask – is it just me?  What is the attraction for everyone else that they can spend ages on that site?  Especially the writers, who can easily fritter away precious writing time?  What am I missing out on?

Anyway, if you want to enlighten me on that matter, I’ll be back to check in a few hours.   Meanwhile, I’m back to the writing cave.  I’ve got work to do.  But first, here’s a cute cat picture (just so I can pretend I’m part of the gang):


12 comments:

  1. Yes procrastinators are every where :-) some people need that deadline to fet their butts in gear. It might be that posting to FB or other media helps with writers block or it is just a routine that they have gotten into.

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    1. I can relate to the routine idea...since I work on more than one project at a time, I usually need something to help me transition from one story to another. I usually take a walk or exercise between projects. I suppose surfing the 'net might do the same for others.

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  2. I guess that I'm a lot like you I hardly ever post on facebook or get on that much, and when I do it's not very long and I'm off it. Not a phone person either except maybe my sister she likes to talk a lot on the phone. I hate big party's too. But that is me.

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    1. That's me too. Sometimes I worry that I live too much in my head...but they know me there, lol. ;)

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  3. I've always wondered the same thing with the writers. Big authors like KMM have a personal assistant who FB's for her, but what about the plebs? Is that the ADD writing process? I've taken January off from FB, and I have to say, I've gotten a lot accomplished, but I feel like a shut in. Especially since it's colder than heck and all my instincts are screaming for me to hibernate. My husband keeps updating me on what's going on in other peoples lives. I've been hearing things like, "Did you see Bob and Diane are moving? Oh yeah, your not on FB. They posted pics of their new place. It's nice." Meanwhile I've been updating my status to strangers at the grocery store, and texting random pics to friends.

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    1. What I wouldn't do for a personal assistant...how nice that must be! But even as anti-social as I am, I still prefer to talk one-on-one with all of you. I do feel somewhat like a shut-in myself, however. I plan to get a gym membership this year, so maybe that will help alleviate my hermit-like existence. Or maybe I'll just chuck barbells at people who get too close. We'll have to wait and see.

      Re: updating status at the grocery store ... hahahahahahaha! Wasn't there a commercial out about that recently? Some guy walking around yelling his status at random people? Hilarious. If I ever crept out from under my rock, I would be tempted to do that. Will they cancel my gym membership for shouting out, "I have just completed 15 reps!" every few minutes? "I am toweling myself off because I'm sweating like Vladimir Putin shaking hands with George Takei! I am going to the bathroom now because the bran cereal is kicking in!" Yes, I believe that would be a short-lived membership.

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    2. You'd be the talk if the gym, but not nearly as creepy or weird as the overly friendly naked lady in the locker room who wants to chat up everyone while naked. Every gym I've ever been a member at has one. Those ladies are usually arm touchers too.

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    3. Ewww...haven't run across any of those before. That would be bizarre.

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  4. I resort to facebook only out of necessity. I originally got on it to spy on my teenagers. As they never tell me anything, if not for facebook I'd never know what's going on in their lives. Now that I have a novel that I'm trying to get published, I'm finding out that I'm going to have to get intimate with facebook and twitter and all sorts of other things that take time away from my writing. I resent that. There are never enough hours in my days already. My characters are banging around in my head, waiting for their stories to be told and they don't like cat videos either.

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    1. Social media is a necessary evil for a writer. It's been an amazing tool for me to get my work out there for others to see. I completely agree that there is always more writing to do than time to do it! Maybe that's why I can't stand to spend much time on FB...all I can think about is what book I should be working on.

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  5. I must be worse then most. Never signed up for FB and have no interest in high school friends finding me from long ago....would rather spend my time with a good book, especially those hot Kalquorins

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    1. It's funny you would say that. My husband keeps getting irritable with old high school acquaintances contacting him on FB ... people he wasn't close to. He says, "There's a reason why people don't stay in contact. Why does Facebook make them feel compelled to find you and act like you were best buddies back in the day?" :D

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