Azure Blue April Skies

Hello Lovely Readers

In the south-west of England, the 2022 spring has been yo-yo-ing back and forth, unable to decide whether to spring or not. This week it would seem the decision is made. Azure blue April skies, cotton-wool clouds and verdant green shoots bursting out all over. The Dorset landscape is alive with the frantic flapping of fertile frolicking pigeons, interspersed with cheerful, chirping birds – how could it not lift the mood? I think we are there!

So with the birth of a new season, I am proud to announce the birth of my new website www.sashiradley.com which has been beautifully crafted and designed by the talented Tom Wanstall, Chief Wizard at Wizard Websites. Thank you Tom, for your patience and understanding of my desire for a certain shade of bluey/green and font style which actually only ever existed in the chaos of my head.

My former websites: www.author-radley.co.uk and www.bright-spirit.com have been merged to make life simpler. So, if you are used to receiving newsletters and updates from either of those sources, I will be including you in my www.sashiradley.com communications. The option to unsubscribe is always yours. Of course, I would much rather we kept in touch.

will still be offering Face & Soul readings, Soul Numerology readings etc., and the information is on the new website along with all things “Writing” related. 

To tweet or not to tweet – that is the question?

Over the winter months I spent some time trying to get to grips with Twitter. I have had an account @AuthorRadley for several years but not wanting to dilute my precious writing time, I admit, I neglected to keep it current. This led me to do some research on how to get the best out of social media, particularly Twitter.

Firstly, I have been told by other authors, that if you wish to find a traditional publisher or an agent you really do need to have a solid social media presence. If you don`t have followers stretching into the thousands then you may not be considered a viable option, particularly if you are previously unpublished. With this in mind I have been working on upping my followers. It is hard!

The biggest problem I have encountered is becoming visible. I started with a personal Twitter account. I could not break the boundaries of a couple of hundred followers. Twitter then started asking if I would like to change to a Professional profile. So, I did. I admit this was only a couple of weeks ago, but my followers are increasing in a steady upward trend. Yay!

As you will know from my newsletters, I tend to write exactly as I speak. I find it a more personal way of communicating and you get to know me better, I think. This works well on Twitter. Here are a few pointers I have picked up on the journey that may help you along.

Twitter Tip No. 1
Use a vibrant picture for your profile and try not to keep changing it. People get used to your profile picture it becomes part of your online identity. Constantly changing it may cause the audience to skim over your tweets if they don`t realise it is you! I made the mistake of using a black and white photo. Colour is suggested as the best option.

Twitter Tip No. 2

Hashtags. Use the correct hashtags for your audience. As a writer, the ones most helpful to me have been #writerscommunity #writerstips #writerslife #AuthorsofTwitter etc. You may grow your audience by going off piste a bit. Depending on my posts I sometimes use my wider interests for example, #LoveLabradors #NaturesTwists #DorsetLife #MondayMotivation #LoveVegan. #Hashtags which are relevant to me.

Twitter Tip No. 3
Engage with other writers. Ask their advice. Reply to their queries if you have something to add. Show your human side. Follow those, whose tweets you find interesting. Check out other people`s profiles and how many followers before you dive straight in. If they have no followers or very few, then probably best not to engage unless it is obvious they are newbies, and not simply trying to chat you up😊

Twitter Tip No. 4
Do not make every tweet a hard sell of your products, books or merchandise, you will pee people off. Give your fellow tweeters something to make them smile, little snippets of quirky information and amusing anecdotes go down well.

Twitter Tip No. 5
Make your tweets short and punchy if you can, add an engaging picture, video or link. Always be kind! Avoid commenting on anything which could trigger a backlash.

Twitter Tip No. 6
Retweet other interesting tweets and if someone takes time to interact, let them know it is appreciated.

These are the things which have helped me navigate the choppy waters of Twitter. I am definitely no expert and I am grateful to all those who have helped me along the way, you know who you are!

Come and find me. @AuthorRadley on Twitter

My final piece of Twitter advice is to schedule your posts ahead of time. There is a facility to do this at the time of posting, this stops you from being seduced into spending hours and hours tweeting and not doing the things which make your heart sing. Once you have written your tweet – just to the left of the tweet button is a calendar/clock icon. This is where you schedule when to post.

Good luck.

Now we are hurtling headlong into a sunny April, I dont think social media will be my only distraction from writing. My garden looks winter weary, apart from a speckled lawn of cheery daisies, celandines and dandelions, it all needs some drastic attention. I fear that my daily writing count is going to suffer for at least a day or two. Of course, the upside is that getting down and dirty in nature always kickstarts the creative juices. So, thats a win win then!

Wishing you all a warm and uplifting springtime. For now, the only tweets coming from my home turf will be those of the cheeky chirpy blackbird who is calling me to the garden. Bliss!

Happy April
With love and blessings
Sashi

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