Category: Twitter

Ready. Set. Write! {Sign-Ups}

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ready set write button

By now you may have heard… Alison Miller, Elodie Nowodazkij, Erin Funk, Jaime Morrow, and I are hosting a summer writing intensive called Ready. Set. WRITE! (detailed explanation HERE), and we’d LOVE for you to join us. We’re kicking off our summer of writing today, and we’ll write, write, write for two full months. We’ll update about what we’ve been writing and how we’re progressing, and we’ll share our goals for the coming days, all in weekly What’s Up Wednesday posts. Ready. Set. Write! is meant to be flexible and customizable — set goals that work for YOU, and we’ll be here to cheer you on!

The fun starts today, but the goal-setting officially starts tomorrow. Join us for What’s Up Wednesday and tell us what you plan to work on this summer (in the What I’m Writing section). Set your weekly goal (or monthly or overall goals — again, whatever works for you!), and we’ll keep the awesomeness going every Wednesday until August 28th. We’re SO excited to find out what everyone’s planning to work on!

Some Other Really Cool Stuff…

We’re going to try to host weekly Twitter writing/revising parties in which we “meet up” at a predetermined time to write, and then pop back in to Twitter later to recap our progress using the hashtag #ReadySetWrite. But to do all of that, we need to be twitter-connected. I’ve listed my Twitter handle below, as well as the handles of my fellow Ready. Set. Write! hosts. You’re invited to leave your Twitter handle in the comments so I can make sure I’m following you as well. 🙂

@katyupperman
@commutinggirl
@alisonmiller20
@MorrowJaime
@ErinLFunk

#ReadySetWrite

AND… Since Alison, Jaime, Erin, Elodie, and I LOVE giveaways, we’re including one as extra motivation! Mid-way through Ready. Set. Write! (halfway through July), one lucky writer will win a Writer´s Care Package. The package will include all kinds of fantastic writerly treats that will help you meet your word count goals. Want to be eligible for the giveaway? Keep track of your progress and be prepared to update on the Rafflecopter we post July. You’ll get points for setting goals and achieving them, following us on Twitter, and spreading the word about Ready. Set. WRITE!

Are you ready to commit to a summer of writing? Sign up for Ready. Set. Write! on the linky list below…


Don’t forget tomorrow’s What’s Up Wednesday post — share your goals and tell us about what you’ll be working on this summer. In the meantime, write a little. Or a lot. And don’t forget to grab our button and encourage others to join in!

ready set write button

One Space or Two?

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Lately, my husband and I (as well as some of our friends) have been involved in a rousing debate…

One space after a full stop (period, question mark, exclamation point) or two spaces?

I (being the brighter spouse) argue that ONE space is correct. Mr. Old School, on the other hand, swears fervently that TWO spaces are proper. I’ve shown him the online arguments for one space (specifically this article, which states: Typing two spaces after a period is totally, completely, utterly, and inarguably wrong.), as well as informed him of the history of typography and the typewriter and fonts, blah, blah, blah. Still, the man insists he’s correct. He’s even gone so far as to ask a (published) teaching professional who (astoundingly) sided (wrongly) with him!

Naturally, I took the issue to Twitter and, predictably, the writing community sided with me. Here are a few of the brilliant responses I received when I asked for opinions on The Great One Space/Two Spaces Debate:

Melissa Blanco – I’d say that teacher is old school. Although I do have to admit two spaces is how I was taught. I’m a one spacer now though.
Sarah Goldberg – Absolutely not correct! I think it was preferred on typewriters (one space can be hard to distinguish), but no longer… I teach college, too, if that helps. 🙂
Bailey Kelsey – It depends on the style being used. It’s not part of MLA and I’m pretty sure neither APA or Chicago either… One is definitely the norm. In my methodology course for English we were told two spaces was really, REALLY wrong now.
Tracey Neithercott – I say incorrect. Though I do remember being taught that in school. Maybe it’s preferred for academics?
Ashton E. Silver – It’s one space! Maybe the teaching professional has a stutter.
Kari Bradley – I’ve never heard a definitive rule. I know many editors change it to 1. I changed to 1 after being taught 2 back in the day.
Zanne – I say incorrect, at least for advertising and journalism. Maybe it’s different in school?
Erin Bowman – It’s correct if you’re using a typewriter. Otherwise, NO. Period, one space, uppercase. The end. The two space rule came from the monospacing of typewriters… how letters all had equal spacing (like the Courier font) and distinguishing between spaces was difficult because it all looked the same. But fancy computer fonts fix this!
Kris Asselin – I’ve made the switch. I now believe one space is correct. But it was within the last couple years. Was taught two spaces.

What do you think, trusted blog reader?
One space after a full stop, or two? 

No, we don’t sit around debating grammar and formatting ALL the time! We went to see The Band Perry and Brad Paisley last weekend and had a blast!

A is for Addiction

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You might remember when, a few weeks ago, I posted about a trip my husband and I took to Vancouver. In a nutshell, it was glorious… except for one teeny, tiny detail: My cell phone does not function internationally. “Oh, boo hoo,” you’re probably thinking, and you’re right. There are certainly greater tragedies than being unplugged for forty-eight hours. Still…

Admittedly, I’ve become quite attached to my phone. I use it for everything–calls (obviously), email, Twitter, Facebook, blog reading, blog writing, Instagram, weather checks, random Google searches, photography, Pinterest, calculating, directional navigation, Goodreads, blah, blah, blah… Plus, when I’m idle, like riding in the car or waiting in line somewhere, I fiddle around with Solitaire or read an iBook. So, as fun as Vancouver was, needless to say I was a *little* high-strung about not being able to get online. I mean, if something cool happens and you can’t tweet about it, has it really happened at all?

When my hubby and I crossed back into the US of A, we stopped at Bob’s Burgers for lunch (’cause that’s how we roll), and the second we sat down at our table I gleefully logged on. As I sat, zoned out, tweeting my little heart out, my husband created this (super flattering) sketch:

I at once tweeted a photo his artwork (YES), but I did take his message to heart.

I’m Katy, and I am a social media addict. (Hi, Katy!) But here’s the thing: I don’t necessarily think my addiction is a bad thing. It doesn’t (usually) get in the way of my day-to-day activities, and I connect with like-minded people online because 1) They’re almost always awesome, 2) I learn A LOT, 3) Professional contacts are never a bad thing, and 4) It’s fun!

My husband doesn’t get it at all, but to his credit, he doesn’t give me too hard a time about my love of the Internet. Thank goodness!

Tell me: Are you a social media addict? What’s your medium of choice?

Facebook vs. Twitter

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A few weeks ago, my cousin posted this as her Facebook status update:

Read this online:
“Twitter makes you love people you don’t know.
Facebook makes you hate people you do know.”
Had to laugh.

I immediately “Liked” her post (what I do when I want to retweet something that strikes me as funny or clever or profound, but can’t because Facebook doesn’t have a retweet equivalent). Then I replied:

Sounds about right.

True Confession: I like Twitter SO MUCH MORE than Facebook.


In fact, I don’t like Facebook much at all. I only have an account (which, admittedly, I update fairly regularly) because I have friends and family sprinkled throughout the country and I feel obligated to share pictures and anecdotes having to do with my daughter. Every time I log onto Facebook I’m inwardly cringing. I know with a fair amount of certainty that there will be some random update from an acquaintance that’s an over-share, a complete bore, a bitchfest, or riddled with spelling and grammar errors. Ugh… and the ads. I’m so over the ads. And the games… Farmville? Really? And that little thumbs up next to the “Like” button… that really bugs me.


And then there’s Twitter. I LOVE Twitter. I love the people I’ve “met” there. I love the fast pace and the ease with which information is exchanged. I love the mix of fun and networking, entertainment and business. I love that I can follow or unfollow people at will, without hurt feelings or dramatic blow ups. I love that I can connect with people who enjoy what I enjoy (books, reality TV, tasty treats) and who do what I do (write, read, parent). I love the unique perspectives and the diverse cultures. I love refreshing my feed, knowing I’ll laugh or learn something new or bond with an online friend over something as silly as brownies or annoying stray roosters.

I like to hope I wouldn't need this reminder...

I know people who think Twitter is dorky, to which I reply: What?! Clearly these people are not tweeting and they’re obviously missing out. Twitter is all about swapping information and building genuine connections. You know, a little like Facebook. Only better. 

Yes, I know there are all kinds of social media (most of which I know nothing about–I’m looking at you LinkedIn and Tumblr and Google +), but for now I’m sticking with Facebook (out of a warped sense of duty) and Twitter (because it rocks!).

What’s your social media drug of choice? Do you Facebook? Twitter? Other? Which do you prefer and why?

Oh, and have you entered my The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer giveaway? It ends this Thursday, so hurry! 🙂

Friday Five… Must Follows

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I’ve recently discovered Paper Hangover, a fantastic group blog that offers writing tips and advice, book reviews, weekly Friday Five topics, and teen interviews. I highly recommend you spend some time exploring the site–they have so much to offer! Today I’ve decided to give Paper Hangover’s Friday Five a shot. Here’s the prompt:

And here are my Must Follows (Click the links to be redirected to each Twitter page):

Savvy Authors – An online writing community for writers of romance, offering tons of diverse workshops, forums, and pitching opportunities. I met a few of my super talented CPs at Savvy.

YA Highway – A group blog focusing on (duh) everything young adult lit.

Gayle Forman – YA Author (If I Stay and Where She Went… LOVE) who always has thoughtful, witty Twitter contributions and awesome blog posts.

Georgia McBride – Founder of YALitChat, extremely knowledgable, host of Wednesday night YA Twitter chats, and overall awesome.

Vickie Motter – My agent… Hello! Of course you should be following her!

*BONUS* If you like reality TV of any kind, you follow Andy Cohen – He’s got nothing to do with writing or publishing, but he’s Bravo TV Royalty, and he’s absolutely hilarious!

Tell me–who are your must follows on Twitter?