“Forgive me for writing such a long letter, I did not have time to write a short one,” is a philosophy attributed to many writers throughout history. (Who said it first is under debate.) This quote applies wonderfully to tweeting. With 140 characters or less, writers have to choose their words wisely. On top of just writing, Twitter offers writers (some of whom tend to be awkward hermits) a cloud of community and conversation with established authors, other aspiring writers, publishing gurus and literary critics, as well as a way for independent authors to promote their books.
To start writing: create a doc on desktop or manilla folder. Title it, ie More Great Prayers; Sorry & Yay. Scribble down ideas. Save. Repeat
— ANNE LAMOTT (@ANNELAMOTT) May 27, 2014
1. ANNE LAMOTT — @ANNELAMOTT
Twitter Bio: Author – Bird by Bird, Traveling Mercies, Some Assembly Required, Help Thanks Wow. Mom, Nana, activist; elder at St. Andrew Prez—services at 11:00.
Followers: 76.5K
Need for Feed: Often called “the people’s author,” Lamott’s openness about her life and her path as a writer maker her a great person to follow. Her tales of struggle and success give any aspirer hope.
Me too. Lamy 2000 is a glorious pen. RT @emspag: @neilhimself@techbadger I’m a big fan of #Lamy fountain pens myself
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) May 29, 2014
2. Neil Gaiman — @neilhimself
Twitter Bio: will eventually grow up and get a real job. Until then, will keep making things up and writing them down.
Followers: 1.99M
Need for Feed: Gaiman is a prolific writer in many different mediums, and twitter is one of them. His feed offers humor, words of wisdom, and he regularly retweets and replies.
Find out whether you should say “graduated college,” “graduated from college” or “was graduated from college”: http://t.co/FosM9MtU9E
— Mignon Fogarty (@GrammarGirl) May 29, 2014
3. Mignon Fogarty — @GrammarGirl
Twitter Bio: Podcaster. Author. Entrepreneur. Skier. Founder of the Quick and Dirty Tips network. Grammar Pop developer. Peeve Wars creator.
Followers: 242K
Need for Feed: Spell check and grammar check have made our generation quite weak when it comes to grammar. While improving grammar can’t hurt, incredible writers (Fitzgerald, Austen, Yeats, to name a few) had challenges in grammar and spelling. Thank goodness for editors.
I admire anybody who has the guts to write anything at all. E. B. WHITE #amwriting#writing#writingroad
— Jon Winokur (@AdviceToWriters) May 29, 2014
4. Jon Winokur — @AdviceToWriters
Twitter Bio: Writerly wisdom of the ages collected by the author of Advice To Writers, The Big Book of Irony, and The Portable Curmudgeon
Followers: 176K
Need for Feed: Tweeting quotes from renowned writers about writing, this feed is like a devotional that offers daily inspiration and guidance for scribes.
“Eye See You” – 10 Book Covers Worthy of Framing: http://t.co/5uXos5jOge#TheMetamorphosispic.twitter.com/uRzeSepnQk
— Paste Books (@PasteBooks) May 30, 2014
5. Paste Books — @PasteBooks
Twitter Bio: Book and Comic Reviews, News and Features from @PasteMagazine. Section edited by @McNairWrites,@seanmedgar and @franniejack.
Followers: 1,588
Need for Feed: I know, it’s a little cheeky, but @PasteBooks is truly a great place to read about reading. With interesting book reviews, fun listicals about all things writing, and breaking news in the book world, I couldn’t resist putting them on this list.
Publishing consultants want to foster competition among retailers by making consumers miserable http://t.co/DUEEkFp5Wy
— The Publishing Guru (@PublishingGuru) May 29, 2014
6. The Publishing Guru — @PublishingGuru
Twitter Bio: Writing, Publishing, and Book Marketing Information
Followers: 35.1K
Need for Feed: One great thing about modern technology is the opportunity to self-publish. Honing skills in marketing and social media (cough, cough, twitter) are key to succeeding. Follow the Publishing Guru for advice in all forms of publishing.
George Guidall wins Lifetime Achievement Award! #audies#Audies2014
— Publishers Weekly (@PublishersWkly) May 30, 2014
7. Publishers Weekly — @PublishersWkly
Twitter Bio: The international source for book publishing and bookselling news, reviews and information.
Followers: 438K
Need for Feed: From covering the Book Expo of America to who won what award, this feed highlights the trades and trends of the publishing world.
Things to Think about Besides your Manuscript http://t.co/xK0Lw1QeNx
— Joseph Michael (@ScrivenerCoach) May 29, 2014
8. Joseph Michael — @ScrivenerCoach
Twitter Bio: Entrepreneur | Speaker | Scrivener Coach | teaching you how to get#Scrivener to do EXACTLY what you want & accelerate your writing career in less than 1 week.
Followers: 6,737
Need for Feed: Running coaches help runners’ legs move faster, chess coaches help students’ make the right move, and writing coaches help writers … keep their head up. Writing is hard, both as an art and as a career, and writers aren’t known for being the happiest bunch. @scrivenercoach feeds you hope and support, until you make enough money with your writing to actually buy a meal.
Will reviews sell your book? There won’t be many authors who would disagree! #bookreviews#authorshttp://t.co/Zitfb562l4
— BookViral (@BookViral) May 29, 2014
9. BookViral — @BookViral
Twitter Bio: BookViral is all about great books. Working with Authors & Illustrators to reach new readers and help great books go viral.
Followers: 33.6K
Need for Feed: Book Viral focuses on the business side of books, trying to help bring books to light (preferably reading lights).
A final farewell: Maya Angelou on identity and the meaning of life http://t.co/CUc4f25ecBpic.twitter.com/DDkmk5ePce
— Maria Popova (@brainpicker) May 30, 2014
10. Maria Popova — @brainpicker
Twitter Bio: Interestingness hunter-gatherer obsessed with combinatorial creativity. Editor of @brainpickings & @explorer. Bylines for @WiredUK & @TheAtlantic. MIT Fellow.
Followers: 452K
Need for Feed: If you’re going to follow one person on this list, follow Maria Popova. In providing beautiful coverage of all the important writings and happenings in books, Popova helps her followers stay abreast of all they need to know about the craft.
There you have it—a drop from an ocean (or at least a sizable lake) of good Twitter feeds for aspiring authors. How about you, Paste readers—what are some other good Twitter feeds for people who love to write?
Madina Papadopoulos is a New York-based freelance writer, author and regular contributor to Paste. You can follow her on Twitter.