Kick off 2014 with the See Jane Write Membership Mixer

Image by One Way Stock

Change of plans — instead of hosting a members only mixer on January 9, I’ve decided to turn this party into a membership drive of sorts. Therefore, this event is now open to all — not just official See Jane Write members.

Join us 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 9 at the Wine Loft in downtown Birmingham.

Come mingle with other lady scribes and learn more about See Jane Write.

I hope you also will find a writing partner — someone to encourage you and keep you accountable as you pursue your writing goals for 2014 and someone who will give you the support and feedback you need.

The event will feature a networking game, door prizes, and free food. 

The See Jane Write membership mixer is free, but registration is required. Click here to register. 

The See Jane Write Members Only Mixer

June 11 Members Only
Image by Jessica Quick via Flickr/Creative Commons


“Writing is a communal act…Contrary to popular belief, a writer is not a Prometheus alone on a hill full of fire… It’s good to know some local people who are writing and whom you can get together with for mutual support…Kill the idea of the lone, suffering artist. We suffer anyway as human beings. Don’t make it any harder on yourself.” – Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones

I quote Natalie Goldberg A LOT. I especially love to rattle off the wise words above about the importance of writers having community. I believe in those words truly, fully, deeply. My belief in the importance of community is why I started See Jane Write. 

On January 9, we will kick off the New Year with the See Jane Write Members Only Mixer. The purpose of this mixer is to help official members of See Jane Write get to know one another better and my hope is that they’ll find writing partners too. I hope each woman will find another woman who will encourage them to pursue their writing goals and projects and give them the support and feedback they need. 

The event will feature an ice breaker game with door prizes as well as free food. Details regarding time and location will be provided in the invitation sent to members. If you don’t want to be left out, click here to sign up to become an official See Jane Write member today.


See Jane Write 2014

How can See Jane Write best help you with your writing goals in 2014?

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Let’s #bloglikecrazy!

Thanks to Carol Marks
for creating this graphic for us!

Today is the day! Today is Day 1 of #bloglikecrazy. I’ll be participating in the challenge with my personal blog, The Writeous Babe Project.

Here are the rules:

1. Visit the See Jane Write Magazine announcement of #bloglikecrazy and leave your name, blog URL, and Twitter handle in the comments section of the article to let me know you’re in!

2. Publish a new post on your blog every day in the month of November.

3. If you’re on Facebook, share links to your posts in the See Jane Write Birmingham Facebook group.

4. If you’re on Twitter, tweet out links to your posts and use the hashtag #bloglikecrazy.

5. Have fun!

You’re free to write about anything you want this month, but if you find yourself struggling with blogger’s block, use these prompts for inspiration.

I’d love for you to also grab the code for the image above and add it to your blog sidebar in case your readers would like to join the fun. (You can find the code to the right of this post.)

Now let’s blog like crazy!

Don’t Take the Social Out of Social Media

Chanda Temple, Mitzi Eaker, and Jennifer Warren shared their web wisdom
at the See Jane Write social media panel discussion, I Tweet, Therefore I Am. 

On Tuesday, Oct. 29 See Jane Write Birmingham and See Jane Write Magazine hosted I Tweet, Therefore I Am, a panel discussion on social media featuring public relations pro Chanda Temple, Mitzi Eaker of the social media consulting firm Mitzi Jane Media, and Jennifer Warren of Alabama Social Media Association (ALsocme).

The evening’s conversation ran the gamut as we discussed Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Google + and LinkedIn. We discussed blogging as well. The focus of the panel was how people can better use social media to promote their projects including their books, blogs, and businesses.

Ironically, the major takeaway from the night was that the best way to sell yourself on social media is to not focus so much on selling. Instead focus on building relationships.

Don’t treat social media like traditional advertising, Eaker advised. Build relationships with people and they will sell your product or service for you, she said.

Eaker used an apt analogy to further explain her point. If you’re going to a party and you’re wearing a great dress you snagged at a great price, you don’t walk through the door and immediately announce where you found your dress and how much you paid. Instead you mingle and work the room, and as you do people begin to comment on your fabulous frock. And then you share where you bought it and for how much. Approach social media the same way: network and mingle and as you do people will comment on how inspiring, entertaining, or informative your tweets, posts, and status updates are. Then you let them know there’s more where that came from on your blog, in your book, or through your business.

While all three panelists agreed that scheduling tweets and posts through tools like TweetDeck and HootSuite can be a great way to manage your time, they also all agreed that live tweeting is essential. Authentic engagement is a must. Thank people for retweets. Respond when someone asks you a question.

Temple declared during the discussion, “I work HootSuite to death,” but she also shares plenty of live tweets especially when she’s attending events. Pay attention, listen, and then tweet out little nuggets that interest you, she said. Temple is known for her inspirational and informational tweets about business and Birmingham. On Facebook you can also expect amusing posts about ABC’s hit TV show Scandal on Thursday nights.

At events like Tuesday’s panel discussion it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, to feel as if you need to run home, sign up for an account on every social media platform that exists and devote hours each day working on your online presence. Temple’s advice, however, was simple: pick one or two social media outlets and strive to excel there. And later, if you choose to, you can move on to trying other tools. Eaker added that when choosing the platforms on which to focus be mindful of where your audience is. For example, if you’re trying to reach people who love fashion and food, Pinterest may be a great place for you to invest your time.

All three panelists said they find value in having a presence on LinkedIn. Keep this profile very professional, they said. In your headline explain what you do instead of simply giving a title. Use a professional headshot. Be sure your information is current and complete. Warren also advised checking your LinkedIn profile regularly looking for ways to improve it. You want your profile to present your best self, she added.

Warren also urged the audience to step away from the computer sometimes. Face-to-face networking is still important, she said. ALsocme, for which Warren serves as a board member, provides excellent IRL networking opportunities. And, of course, so does See Jane Write!

Be sure to visit SeeJaneWriteMagazine.com on Monday for an article by novelist Stephanie Naman on social media tips for authors.