Social Media: 5 Things You Can Do To Support EWW

1.  Share quotes on Facebook, or other content.

In Facebook, when you see a post you like, there are three options:  like, comment, and share.  “Like” allow you to click a button and tell the person you appreciate their post.  “Comment” lets you say something to the poster about it.  “Share” takes that post, and let s you post it on your own “timeline,” the list of things you say and share.  You can say something with it or not, as you like.  This extends the reach of the post because it’s now seen by people not necessarily in the audience of the original post.

2.  Comment and interact with posts on Facebook, Twitter, and the ShopNotes blog.

The “social” in “social media” means that it’s about interaction.  Gone are the days of the static website, which was essentially just a poster on a wall or a magazine that people could read, but not talk with.  Now, the conversation is expected.

3.  Ask your Facebook and Twitter followers to “like” the EWW page. 

You’ve probably seen this done before, and it can be anywhere from annoying to polite.  I tend to err on the side of “If you’re willing, please consider liking,” rather than the ubiquitous “like my stuff” requests.  I find that has a better success rate.

4.  Share tips on writing or writing prompts that you like. 

Twitter has a 160 character limit, so it disciplines you to be brief; but if you just have to say something in more words then post to Facebook.

5.  A picture’s worth a thousand words.

Share pictures you take of writing events, cool gadgets, or things you see during your daily round.  We have a global audience.  What is “everyday and pedestrian” to you is exotic to someone living in a different place and culture.

Above all, join the conversation!  We’re writers and communicators by nature; let’s have fun together!

The Giant Metal Chicken

Seriously, folks.  A Giant Metal Chicken.

Check it out:

"And That's Why You Should Learn To Pick Your Battles"

(Thank you to author Dayna Hart for brining this to our attention.)

Silly Saturday - by Mark Hudson - "The Texan"

This piece needs a little introduction.  At a recent Prompt Group meeting, we played with a prompt from Ursula K. LeGuin called "No Punctuation."  The objective was to write a piece with absolutely no punctuation, from start to finish, as an exercise in understanding the role of grammar in our writing.  Her recommendation, if you can't think of something to write for the prompt, is to pick something with action such as the beginning of a battle or the first day of a large sale.

Mark Hudson, one of our regulars, read this poetic piece of alliteration and we roared by the end of it.  As you read it, try reading it out loud:  it'll make a real difference.  He added a few periods and commas, but we'll let him get away with it - you'll understand when you read it.  Awesome job, Mark!

I hope you enjoy! -A. Catherine Noon

"The Texan"
by Mark Hudson

The landlord told me that I had to get out the Texans were taking over the country and turning America into a giant Texas Tex the Texan was textin’ while I was reading a textbook, telling me to turn in the keys to his totalitarian tyrannical trickery I located the landlady and lavished a loud rant AND rave revolving around rent, reporting resentment about relocation referring to repulsive ricocheting ranch hands robbing me of my remaining rights. I tore up the lease and responded that my lawyer would love to list my loft locally, leaving limited love for the lone star local, letting a lobotomy loom literally left of the line between the legally loony and lost in limbo. Tex took a taxi to town to tolerate a timetable to tell me to take off to Timbuktu, and take my towels, tubs of books, toiletries, tapes and cds, turntable and toys, and try and take the turnpike to temporarily turn off and don’t trick or treat on the way to Tor’s techno-thriller table-top tournament. Slowly I turned, inch by inch, step by step, inch by inch, step by step, and told Tex to take his ZZ Top looking self back home.

Up In The Air

While the C-5 was turning over its engines, a female crewman gave the G.I.'s on board the usual information regarding seat belts, emergency exits, etc.

Finally, she said, "Now sit back and enjoy your trip while your captain, Judith Campbell, and crew take you safely to Afghanistan."

An old Master Sergeant sitting in the eighth row thought to himself, "Did I hear her right? Is the captain a woman?"

When the attendant came by he said, "Did I understand you right? Is the captain a woman?"

"Yes," said the attendant, "in fact, this entire crew is female."

"My God," he said, "I wish I had two double scotch and sodas. I don't know what to think with only women up there in the cockpit."

"That's another thing, Sergeant," said the crew member, "we no longer call it the Cockpit. It's The Box Office."