Poetry Friday ~ Instagram

Hi, everyone! Welcome to The Writer Next Door (Blog).

I’m Vashti Quiroz-Vega (Vashti Q).

 

Let’s talk about Instagram. I joined Instagram a while ago but I created the account, managed to post some pictures and then never looked at it again for months. There was a lot going on in my life at the time and I couldn’t handle another social media site. I’ve gotten a lot more involved on Instagram in the last few months and I plan to stick with it, because it’s actually a great site. Now, I’m not claiming to be an expert. I’m still learning and making mistakes left and right but I’m beginning to catch on. I just discovered how to do an Instagram story and I’m having some fun with that.

I love photography and art, so at first, I had joined Instagram to look and share beautiful and interesting photos and art. Now, I realize that Instagram is a lot more than just a gallery for pretty pictures.

Did you know that Instagram has been around for about 9 years already? Did you know that influencers are charging up to $100,000 for a sponsored post?

Like Facebook and Twitter, hashtags are also used on Instagram and posts with at least one hashtag average 12.6% more engagement. As authors, we know the importance of engagement. And speaking of authors, Instagram is now the new social media place for writers. It’s a place where creativity and bookworms abound. So here are:

10 Instagram Tips for Writers | Jane Friedman

Book cake from the launch party of ‘A Touch of Gold‘ by Annie Sullivan

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Also check out, 25 Instagram Facts That You Want To Know – PastBook

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As authors, it is extremely important for our work to be seen. What’s the point of writing books if no one knows about them or reads them? I believe we can gain visibility, followers, and increase sales by being active on social media and my favorite sites right now are Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

If you haven’t joined Instagram yet, give it a try.

Check out my Instagram and follow if you like.

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UPDATE:

I’m done with the first draft of The Rise of Gadreel! Yay! I’m busy doing my first round of edits. I’ll probably do one more round of edits after this one, before I send it to my beta readers.

Here’s today poem for Colleen Chesebro’s Poetry Prompt Challenge. It’s the first challenge of the month, so it’s ‘Poet’s Choice of Words’.

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BOOK

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See me, read me, please!

I was written in her blood

for your enjoyment.

Unread I’m not a story.

Reading me will make me live.

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I’d like your opinion on my WIP’s title, The Rise of Gadreel. What do you think? Is the title interesting, intriguing? You can be completely honest.

 

Haiku Friday – Bliss & Brawn

Hi, everyone! Welcome!

♥

Don’t build your paradise on sand or online. Sometimes the world is too bright. That’s because we’re looking into a screen. I’m blinded by false smiles. Status: Happily married. Happy and married until the moment you go off line? Although there are many genuine people on social media and I know a bunch, there are also people living their lives in a digital utopia. Family and friends are my paradise.

Two things upset me this week. The first, I came across a picture of a friend on Instagram. She wore a huge smile and looked happy and radiant. Then I read the caption. She wrote that just before she took the selfie she had been crying her eyes out. I called her to find out what was going on. It turns out she was devastated, because her cat had died. I understand not wanting to post about her cat’s demise, but why then post a picture depicting herself as being happy when she clearly wasn’t?

Then I got the news that another friend was getting divorced. It came as a complete shock to me and apparently everyone else, because there were a myriad of photos online of the happy couple hugging and kissing at the beach, smiling lovingly into each other’s eyes, looking like the perfect pair. Some of the pictures were dated a day or two before the announcement was made. To say I was confused is an understatement.

I guess no one wants their feed cramped with sad pictures and people griping about their problems. I get that. If you’ve travelled, made a discovery, baked a cake, had a great meal, accomplished something, by all means, post it online but be honest about it. I want to know the good with the bad. Maybe I can learn something from your experience.

I love social media as much as the next person but I wouldn’t post a picture of myself grinning from ear to ear unless I was truly happy at that moment.

Also, be present when you’re with your loved ones. Enjoy their company. Put away that iPhone, pad, laptop. They won’t be around forever, so be present in the moment. Life is made of moments and we need to experience each one, because we don’t know which will have an impact on our lives.

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Bliss and Brawn are this week’s prompt words chosen by Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes.

Ron hosts a challenge that anyone could participate in called Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge every Monday, and you have until Sunday to create a post featuring your haiku poem. He is an author and poet and also does author interviews and much more on his blog. Be sure to check it out. Read Ron’s Haiku Prompt Challenge Guidelines for more information.

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The world is broken

Our strong family bond

Is our paradise

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Live in the Moment

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Search for bliss online

Virtual hugs comfort none

I prefer real flesh

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Have a great day!