If you follow me and my editing / literary coaching business Heart of the Story on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, you may have noticed an experiment I’ve been running on Mondays. It’s called Question of the Week, a conversation starter where I post a question about writing and any writers who are interested can respond.
So far, some of the questions have focused on your current writing project. Others have been about reading (since reading is an instrumental part of being a writer, right?) or the highlights and challenges of the writing process. So the topic varies from week to week; and since it’s not a chat with a set timetable, it’s something you can drop in on at your convenience.
And who will read your answers? Me, of course! My greater hope, though, is that the writers who participate will also interact with each other. That way, you’ll connect with people from all over the world who share your passion and will support your pursuits. And who knows what kind of friendship you might strike up as a result?
How can you join in? Visit me on Twitter or Instagram on Mondays between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. Eastern, and look for the Question of the Week post. Each one will be an image that looks like this:
From there, just enter your answer as a comment or reply. Easy, right?
Also, if you like this week’s or any future Question of the Week, feel free to invite one of your writer friends who you think might be interested. Just by doing this, you’ll help make the conversation that much more engaging and fun. You’re also welcome to share the link or retweet the question.
A Facebook Page or a Closed Facebook Group?
After some thought, I’m considering “retiring” my public Facebook page and starting a closed Facebook group for Heart of the Story. It’s getting more and more difficult – and frustrating – to reach and interact with followers unless your posts are boosted by ads, and right now that’s not a place where I’m interested in putting my money. But I still want to be part of the writing community on Facebook, too… and I wonder if having a Facebook group instead of a public page might be the way to go.
This is a brand new idea, so I don’t have an actual group created yet or any guidelines in place. All I know at the moment is it would be a closed Facebook group (meaning you’d need administrator approval to join) for writers to talk about their projects, ask questions, get feedback, and make new friends. I’d also post Heart of the Story’s Question of the Week there on Mondays, interact with members, and keep everyone posted on news regarding Heart of the Story (services / offerings, events, etc.).
If you’re a writer and a Facebook user, would you have a couple minutes to answer these questions? Any feedback you might have about your experience with or interest in being part of a Facebook group would be extremely helpful.
- Are you currently a member of any closed Facebook groups? (You don’t need to identify which ones.) What has your experience been as a participant?
- Would you be interested in joining a closed Facebook group for Heart of the Story? If so, what would make the group beneficial or interesting for you?
You can answer these by either commenting on this post or emailing me your answers via the Contact page. Thanks in advance!
Sara Letourneau 
It was a while ago, to be honest – and was the impetus that prompted me to decide to self publish some of my output. I had put one of my novels into an open submission for a major publisher, then got a note asking me to send the complete m/s. I kept checking back as a series of encouraging and apologetic posts on their website explained that the response had taken them by surprise and if we hadn’t heard back, then the book was being seriously considered. Until, nearly a year later, I got a handwritten card telling me it was a really strong contender and so nearly made the cut – and would I please consider sending them my next project in due course?
I cried and raged and used a lot of words my grandchildren would be shocked to hear fall out of my mouth. To get that CLOSE to signing a contract for such a major publishing house – and fail… I allowed myself to grieve. But, fortunately, by then I was already in the middle of writing something else – and since then not only have I self published a trilogy, I have had a novel signed with a small indie publisher, who are a delight to work with – I have also submitted 3 short stories and had all of them accepted and published. It can’t last, of course – the odds are completely against it. But it’s fun while it lasts:)). And thank you for giving me the opportunity to write about it, Sara!
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I belong to several closed groups and the sort of things that you want to discuss aren’t something that I would want on Twitter or Instagram. Too public and personal, to visible to agents, etc. Let me know when you’re at the point a hangout with my SFF group would work.
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Good points, Morgyn. I hadn’t thought of those previously.
Regarding your SFF group: I’ll email you from my business email account. Are you still using the same email address from our previous chats a couple months ago?
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I’ll keep an eye out for those Heart of Story questions! I didn’t know about those. And I’m a member of lots of groups. I’m interested in joining though I’ll mostly just answer the questions of the week.
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