Don’t worry. Enjoy it.

Being into tech of all sorts, I was pretty excited to find out that we’d be focusing on social media in this class. Though I follow many writers and agents on all different platforms—from Blogger to WordPress, and from Tumblr to Twitter—I personally only use Facebook. I’d really like to change that and become more confident in using these platforms to connect with others in the industry.

Before I get into my other hopes for this class, here’s a bit about me and my writing:

I hold two editorial positions at Hot Metal Bridge: Nonfiction Co-Editor and Book Reviews Co-Editor. For the latter position, one of my main duties is the formatting and posting of reviews to the website, so I've learned quite a bit about WordPress through that… and I’ve found that I really have zero preference between it and Blogger. Though I think that WordPress is WAY easier to customize.

I spent this past summer in Boston as a Bedford/St. Martin’s intern. It was such an amazing experience, both personally and professionally, as I really hadn’t wandered too far from SW-PA before then. Though BSM is an educational publisher—not my area, exactly—it was great to sit in on editorial meetings and see what went on behind the scenes.

As for my writing, my most recent long-form piece was a photo essay on demolition and urban decay in Braddock, PA. I have a blog with my first draft of the piece and all of the associated photos. (Because of the photos, I want to keep the blog private; let me know if you’re interested in seeing it and I’ll add you as a reader.)


Now, what I’d like to get out of this class:

- In discussing our readings, I’d be especially interested in talking about writers’ research processes. The writing of Three Cups of Deceit, for example, entailed such an incredible amount of research; I’d be interested in talking about how Krakauer went about gathering, selecting, and organizing his data. (ETA: I see that over at Robyn's blog, she's offered some great points on this same topic. I wonder how much of Krakauer's research never even made it into Three Cups of Deceit.) 

- On the social media front—I want know to more about the major platforms and how writers have used them effectively to further their careers. I’m particularly curious about Tumblr, seeing as it’s currently just my go-to site for hilarious gifs. On the other hand, I’m also very interested in writers’ online mistakes. (One obvious no-no: Using “sock-puppet” accounts to argue with 1-star reviewers on Amazon.)

- I want to be less of an Internet wallflower! I'm a super quiet person in real life, but I'd like to break through that in my online life.

Finally, about my blog’s title—it comes from a quote by Neil Gaiman, one of my favorite writers. He was asked what career advice he would offer his younger self, or any writer who was just starting out. His reply:

Enjoy it. Don't worry. Enjoy it.

And at the start of your career, you don't have much money, and you don't have any work, but you have an awful lot of time. Use it. Because if you're successful, you will have lots of everything except time.