Twitter

I will admit when Twitter first started to get big, I was not that much of a fan. I didn't get it. I couldn't see how it would be beneficial to know John was eating a bagel or Missy was feeling blue.

It was a professor of mine who encouraged me to get a twitter account to other journalists for a story I was working on. It worked. I got several interviews through the site. But I still didn't tweet.

Then I started getting on it more as a way to connect with friends from whom I moved away. I started realizing there were authors that I admire on it. Then I realized there were other writers just like me using it.

Since the day I've started, I've made many friends and had several fangirl moments. I'm so connected to the news and authors in the field I want to go into. Twitter has really become invaluable to me - which is something I never would have imagined saying two years ago.

Writers can easily connect on Twitter, but some ways are easier than others. The best way is through hashtags. Here are a few of my favorites.

• #amwriting: This is the most generic and used hashtag. There are a lot of people who use it, and so a lot of opportunities to connect. It is also very easy to be drowned out and lost in the shuffle. Although, when you have a question you want answered, I've always combined the #amwriting tag with #quickquestion and have never failed to get an answer. 

• #writetip: This is a great hashtag if you're looking for inspiration or help that someone's given. This is a great way to find what other writers are struggling with or working out. It's also a good way to share what you've learned so far. 

• #pubtip: This, like the last one, is all about getting published. A lot of publishers and editors and agents use to share tips about getting published. There is some great advice out there, so make sure you are keeping your eye on it.

• #NaNoWriMo: This one goes along with @NaNoWriMo and @NaNoWordSprints. They are generally centered around the month of November. NaNo is where a lot people come together for a month of literary abandon. I've talked about this before. @NaNoWordSprints runs timed writes where participants write as much as they can in whatever span of time the NaNo gods choose. They are set with breaks for rest in between so you can do what needs to be done before the next one.

• #wordmongering: This and the next tag are actually my favorite hashtags recently. They were created by a fellow writer for a way for others to writer together. The principle with #wordmongering is a set wordsprint that starts on every hour and is set for a half an hour. Anyone can jump in at any time and total words are announced at the end of the round. However, positivity is the key with these people, so check your negativity at the door.

• #editmongering: The same as #wordmongering only you edit. Started by the same people, it's supposed to be a half an hour of editing starting at :30 every hour. Although, I will admit it's become much more lax and used recently whenever anyone is editing.

There are many more hashtags out there for writers, but these are my favorites. What ones do you use the most?