Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Status Updates, Writerly Style

What would you inject into a person to calm them WAY down? Like if he was having a psychotic frenzy and in danger of hurting himself or others?


Yep... that's my status update, currently garnering mucho attention on Facebook. I had to chuckle when my friend and fellow writer Katie Anderson replied:

This cracks me up. Surely this is for a story? I hope so.

Yes, for my WIP!!! A few other status updates Suzette and I have posted go something like this:

What's the weirdest thing you ever put through the washing machine?

Do teenagers still say "dude"?

What is the location of your first kiss?

Why is it so freaking hard to write a synopsis when the manuscript came out of me with the inexorable force of a hurricane?


What's the weirdest status update you've ever put? And if we aren't already Facebook friends, click on the link in the toolbar. I'd love to be friends.

Also, the Querytracker blog has a very necessary article for those of you who are seeking literary representation. Check it out if you have a few minutes.

--Bethany

28 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm sure my weirdest status update involved something to do with my kids - I can't make up stuff that's stranger than some of the things they say/do!

As I'm about to begin seeking literary representation, I loved today's Querytracker post - thanks!

jdsanc said...

Yes. I am so with you on the synopsis. I think it should be a required to be an agent. Must write good bio and synopsis in order to represent agency's authors. It's only fair. We did write the whole damn book all by ourselves.

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

One question- "What is the location of your first kiss?"

location on your body that you got the kiss or where you were when you got the kiss?(lol)

Kayeleen Hamblin said...

Just this week, I wrote "Don't eat the fireplace. Things I never thought I would say." It was about my kids, of course.

Scott said...

I was seriously worried when I read your status update today. Good thing it's for a WiP. Well, at least that's your story, and your sticking to it, right? Ha!

If Suzette suddenly goes missing, though . . . : )

Candyland said...

Today I said "Are you looking for your butt?" In reference to today's blog post.
LOVE the QueryTracker post today, btw:)

Bethany Wiggins said...

LOL, Scott!!!

KaraLee said...

Recent Facebook status-slash-research for my WIP:
"How many rental homes are available at any given moment in the Chicago area?"

I got an answer (from one of my FB friends who is a Realtor) within 10 minutes, along with several comments from others, upset that I was moving.

DL Hammons said...

I keep forgetting there are such things as Facebook status. I probably have had the same one for months now. OMG...I sure hope I'm not still wishing everybody a MERRY CHRISTMAS!! :/

Anonymous said...

Is it bad to kill someone in the first five pages?

Anonymous said...

I try for strangeness with most of my status updates. Must keep people interested, y'know... :)

Stephanie McGee said...

How about this little gem?

"Drat it all, I'm joining a convent."

Or when I posted "Yargh" as a status update. I've no idea now what was so bothersome that day.

Oh, this epitomizes my paper-writing mentality.

"Should write that paper. Think I'll work on WiP instead."

I'll stop boring you now.

This was a fun post. And it's shown me that I need to update my status more often than I do. (And get activity on my profile that isn't just virtual farming related.)

Jessie Oliveros said...

I don't update my author facebook status enough. My friend/family facebook status usually has something to do with my kids. Very exciting.Thanks for the link.

Bish Denham said...

LOL! I'd probably be on Facebook. I've tried twice and both times the program wouldn't work and caused me such fits that I quit.

Jemi Fraser said...

Those are awesome updates! I haven't ventured into the world of Facebook yet. Just not enough time in my life to add even one more little thing :)

Gail said...

This is good to know....when planning to ask FB friends odd questions, preface it with "this is for my WIP. Of course, if they don't know writer jargon, they may wonder if you really meant "whip" and that opens a whole different dialogue! :-D
Gail
www.writefromthesoulvisualeyes.
blogspot.com

Shannon O'Donnell said...

I don't spend as much time on my Facebook page as I should. I guess I'd just rather be blogging! :-)

Thanks for the QTracker link.

L. D. Nash said...

I so love random updates! I used one just last night...

"Duct tape + children = silence. Just joking, they're locked in the shed..."

I love, love, LOVE it!

P.S. I would use thorazine for that unruly victim...er...character.

Jennifer said...

Ha! This is great. I post things like this, too, sometimes, and I always get weird, weird, weird looks at school the next day.

Oh, and as for the "do teenagers still say 'dude'?" one? Yes. Yes we do. And many of us say "like" between, like, every, like, other, like, word. Heh.

Lisa K. said...

My weirdest FB status update probably involved my cat and a kraken. Writers and status updates are definitely interesting things, aren't they?

Stina said...

Oh man, I knew I should check out FB more often. I haven't had the time. And I haven't posted anything weird there. More for Twitter ... but I don't remember what I said.

Shelby said...

haldol.. for the injection. loved this post.

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Ooh, do teenagers still say 'dude'? Uh...I do.

Katie said...

I've had the lyrics to a few strange songs as my status before. But I think nobody thought I was a freak since the lines rhymed. It still felt a little weird saying "I want to exorcise the demons from your past," though...lol

Anonymous said...

I don't know that I get too wild with my Facebook. I think I'll have to switch things up around there.

G. B. Miller said...

Strangest ones usually revolve around my health.

Hannah said...

The weirdest/funniest status I put on facebook referenced to an episode of Star Trek: TNG. At least I thought it was funny. ;P

Alyssa Kirk said...

Those are riot. I'm I so agree with the synopsis issue!