I love Twitter. I do. But here’s the thing: You have to be pithy to use it well. No, I don’t have a lisp. Pithy I said, and pithy I mean. Pith, as we all know because we paid close attention in plant biology, is the central core of the stems of most flowering plants. So “pithy” means getting to the heart of the matter. Pithy tweets are the best.
Sure, you can post a series of tweets, and that’s fine, when it’s necessary. That’s fine, when you’re having a conversation with somebody. When you’re just making an observation and throwing it out into the timeline for God and everybody to see (sure God tweets–if He’s omnipresent, he has to be on all the social networks, doesn’t He? All three of Him?), you want your whole thought intact in one tweet.
If you’re a writer trying to drum up interest in your work, or any other type of snake oil salesman, you want your whole pitch in 140 characters, and you want most of those characters to be more than a link to additional information.
It isn’t Friday, but I just rediscovered this post at The Blood-Red Pencil on this very subject, so I decided to share it today.
As for the title of this post, it comes courtesy of a high school friend of my #4 daughter. #4 and I love Ishtar. Ishtar has a bad rep, but we think it’s one of the funniest movies ever made, though less funny now than it was before the Middle East really did become inflamed. At any rate, our heroes were crawling through the desert, and Friend suddenly shouts, “Die faster! You’re not dying fast enough!” Apparently, Friend did not share our high opinion of the movie.
Others DO share our opinion. Here is a tribute to the film from another person who claims Ishtar as a family favorite.
So now you know what kind of sense of humor I have.
WRITING PROMPT: Write a promo for a book, yours or someone else’s, in 140 characters or fewer, including spaces, punctuation, and link.
MA
Mary Montague Sikes - Monti
March 28, 2011 at 10:40amMarian, I need to tweet faster, write faster, move faster…it’s tiring to think about all this!!!
Thanks,
Monti
MaryMontagueSikes
Marian Allen
March 28, 2011 at 4:16pmI know! I’m trying to add a new promotional tool every month. I’m not doing Goodreads properly, so far just enjoying reviewing books. 🙂 I had an idea this morning about the next thing I want to try, but I forgot what it was! lol!
Sarah G
March 28, 2011 at 1:52pmLesbian vampire learns that the true name of horror is “Homeowner’s Association”. http://www.sarahglenn.com
Marian Allen
March 28, 2011 at 4:18pmExcellent, Grasshopper! Well done! :|= <–appozabee fangs
Clarissa Draper
March 28, 2011 at 2:53pmTweeting is so complicated! I only use Twitter to announce my blog posts. I’m not pithy enough to handle more right now.
Marian Allen
March 28, 2011 at 4:19pmOh, you could pith if you tried hard and drank lots of wa– I mean, it just takes practice.
Holly Jahangiri
March 28, 2011 at 6:35pmTrockle: Sleepless boy harbors scared l’il monster under bed. Both procrastinate while trembling under covers. Moms exasperated, amused, reassuring.
A Puppy Not a Guppy: Irma can’t imagine fish can fetch. Borrrring. Wants a puppy, not a guppy. Will dad give in, or will Irma learn to love what life hands her?
Marian Allen
March 28, 2011 at 6:45pmHolly, I LOVE ’em! 🙂 You are SO gonna be the hero of “By The Book”!
Sara Deurell
March 29, 2011 at 11:08amYay, Ishtar!!! Why don’t more people love that movie??? I guess someday I’m gonna have to start Tweeting, but I’ll have to sharpen my wittiness beforehand.
Marian Allen
March 29, 2011 at 2:42pmEven the people who love it don’t usually fall on the floor laughing, the way you and I do. “It takes a lot of nerve to have nothing at your age.” oh–oh–i can’t breathe