Tumblr – The Missing Link for Writing and Social Media

by Martina Boone

I love to blog about books and writing. I do. And I love the amazingly warm and supportive writing community on Twitter, although when I’m writing or knee deep in the quicksand of (gulp) actual work, I have to resort to Tweeting vicariously through Google Reader.

I don’t totally love Facebook yet, and I’m mostly on it because my son went to college and he wants me to keep in touch with what he’s doing without having to repeat himself. (So yeah, I’m on Facebook because I raised an efficient kid. And oh, good, I just admitted that out loud.)

As much as I loved all this social networking though, until this weekend, there was something missing. All the time it takes up was time I used to spend reading newspapers–yes, Virginia, they DO still exist–or craft books. My craft book time has dwindled, and my newspaper reading has become nonexistent. I still devour actual book books as much as I can, but I find that it is reading nonfiction and looking at art and the world in general that opens my mind to perspectives, thoughts, and break-throughs. Without the random nonfiction fix I’d been getting through the newspaper, I felt like my brain wasn’t getting as much imagination fodder, and without that, I started to worry that my writing would eventually become dull and uninformed.

I needed a quick way to catch up with the stuff that feeds other areas of the brain: social issues, fashion trends, culture, news, scientific breakthroughs, etc. And then Tahereh Mafi introduced me to Tumblr.

Game chANging! Epically. Brilliant.

Tumblr has blogs on all the topics I just listed. And they are visually-based. I can go through and quickly collect a whole slew of different topics, think about these briefly, and squirrel them away under appropriate tags like Story Ideas, Inspiration, Genetics, Faeries, etc., all in the blink of an eye. With enough time to spare to actually–oh, I don’t know–write something.

So now, here’s how I look at the different social media I’m using:

Blogging gives me a chance to coalesce my thoughts about writing, craft, inspiration, the market, whatever. In the process of collecting the best articles for our Friday posts, I learn so much and stay on top of the publishing industry. Our Monday posts usually keep me up to date on new releases and what people are saying about them.
Tweeting is a quick way to find new blogs, new writers, and connect with the writing community. It’s an amazing community. And if I need a pick me up, a kick in the ass, or whatever else, there is ALWAYS someone there to administer it. How cool is that?
Facebooking lets me stay “friends” with my friends, connect on a personal basis.
Tumblr exposes me to a stream of images and information as broad as I want to make it. While the information isn’t necessarily “deep”, I can dig deeper when something interests me, and meanwhile, I see all sorts of things that make me pause and think about the beauty and problems in the world at large.

I finally feel like I have a balanced diet of social media.

What about you? Are your thoughts Tumblred? No? Come on, what are you waiting for? Shake things up a little!

Happy social networking,

Martina

Martina Boone

Martina Boone is the award-winning author of the romantic southern gothic Heirs of Watson Island series, starting with COMPULSION from Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse and the Celtic Legends Collection of novels set in Scotland, Cornwall, and Ireland beginning with LAKE OF DESTINY. She’s passionate about improving lives through literacy and the love of books, and she runs the Compulsion For Reading program to distribute books to underserved schools and libraries.

She lives with her husband, children, Shetland Sheepdog Phinney, and Zoey the lopsided cat, and she enjoys writing contemporary romantic fiction with a hint of magic set in small towns and beautiful places. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.

Post © Martina Boone and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Aug 30, 2011

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: Martina Boone | Social Media | Tumblr

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p>
<p>Your main character needs to be:<br />
• Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br />
• Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br />
• Active enough to drive the story<br />
• Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p>
<p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />

The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p>
<p>But your theme needs to be:<br />
• Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br />
• Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br />
• Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br />
• Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p>
<p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />

The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p>
<p>In general, your plot should:<br />
• Hook readers fast<br />
• Build tension that a child can follow<br />
• Create page turns that feel natural<br />
• Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p>
<p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.

The Arms of your story are the side characters.

The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p>
<p>Your setting should:<br />
• Make your character's world feel real<br />
• Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br />
• Connect different scenes and moments organically<br />
• Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p>
<p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black.

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