Facebook

Think about social media and the way it changes things. Never before has there been a time you could, at the click of a mouse, connect with your best friend from third grade. Your mom. Or your insurance agent. Or your child's grade school teacher.

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So where do you draw the line? With whom do you connect or not connect?

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We all have our own thoughts about this.

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As a writer my guidelines are a bit expansive. Not only do I connect with family and close friends, church family and old acquaintances, but with bloggers, authors, publishers and other industry insiders. People I'm genuinely interested in, and people I need to know, too. It's part marketing for myself and my writing. Networking.

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My daughters' art teacher is also my church sister. Under that latter premise we are connected on Facebook. We are part of each other's lives. What's curious is that I can see she is friends with all her co-workers--the other teachers who fill my daughters' days.

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Sometimes I think I'd like to connect with them, because I'm interested in who they are, in their lives, their comings and goings. We could be friends. You know, real pals. What's to stop us? And then there's the networking benefit, too, the getting my writing out there to as many people as possible.

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I haven't connected with them, because I don't want to cross that line. That professional school-is-school and home-is-home line.

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But is there a line? Even with the way social media has changed things?

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When has it ever before been appropriate for parents to connect with our kids' teachers, outside the school setting?

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Is it appropriate now? Since educators push the idea that parents and instructors really are a team who must work together?

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I'm not asking for advice, I just want to know your thoughts. How do you handle social media, and what's your personal rule for the connections you make?

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Photo from North Dakota State University extension program.

Meeting of the (Writerly) Minds

While in Florida this last week, I met with Terri Tiffany and Jessica Nelson for dinner (that's the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store in the background). It was our second time having done such, and I think we're all agreed in making it an annual sort of thing.

I'm so pleased to know these two women writers. While in real life they're grounded and personable, along writerly veins, they're knowledgeable and encouraging. I very much enjoy talking with them. Above all that, I consider them friends.

If you're not familiar with either woman, visit the blogs linked above. Terri's site is full of inspiration and love, and she always has a lesson tucked away somewhere. Jessica shares her experiences with craft in creative and applicable ways, and she has such an interest in others.

And, of course, you can find a little living at each place, too.

Have you ever met blogging or online friends in person? How'd it go?

New Ideas For The Back Burner

I spent some much-needed time with two friends today. During the lunch we shared, one told me she'd had a dream a few nights ago. In the dream she seemed an outsider, as we've all likely experienced before. A story unfolded in front of her and, subconsciously, she told herself, "I have to tell Janna of this. What a great book idea!" And as she relayed the dream to me, I had to agree. I absorbed all she could recall and quickly jotted down the most pertinent details. Maybe someday I can transform her dream into a novel.

It makes me feel good, as a writer, to place new ideas on the back burner. It means my inspiration and imagination are still intact, and I enjoy looking ahead to the publication of my current novel (it WILL happen!) with the reassurance that there's work to be done afterward.

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The family and I'll be taking a short roadtrip over the next couple of days (yup, the one we had to reschedule due to snowy blizzards). As always, I'll be armed with my notebooks and pens, and I hope to do some handwritten work on the WIP... Which leads me to believe it's time to invest in an AlphaSmart, a magical word processor that weighs 2 lbs and lives on batteries for up to a year. Write on the go, then plug it into your PC at home, adding the new stuff to your WIP. Oh man, am I coveting one (I use that term 'coveting' loosely).

Sure, a laptop would do so much more, as my husband points out. But doesn't it stand to reason that a laptop would provide more distractions? And just look at how cute and compact the bugger is. One day, AlphaSmart, you will be mine. Oh yes, you will be mine.