On Social Media and Writing

In my novel Friend Request, the protagonist Louise, a woman in her early forties, receives a Friend Request from a girl she bullied at school … a girl who disappeared, presumed drowned, more than twenty-five years ago. Skipping back and forth in time between the present day and 1989 when Maria disappeared, we gradually discover what really happened to Maria.

As Louise gets more and more messages from whoever is behind the request, she begins to realise that she may have given away too much of herself online, and indeed some reviewers have commented that it’s made them think twice about Facebook and about what they post on social media.

As a writer, social media can be a wonderful thing. I use it to keep in touch with readers and reviewers – especially on Twitter. It’s a wonderful, instant way to find out what readers have thought of the book (although sadly it doesn’t differentiate between good and bad reviews!).

As a reader myself, I also love being able to tell an author direct that I’ve loved their book and get a reply from them. I’ve also “met” lots of writers on Twitter whose paths would never have crossed mine in the real world, and from whom I’ve received wonderful support as a debut author; sometimes their paths actually do cross mine, and I’m able to go up to them and say “Hi, we know each other on Twitter”. It gives me an opening when otherwise I might be too shy (although recognising people from their Twitter photos is a skill all of its own).

The major downside of social media as a writer is, of course, the terrible distraction it provides. When I’m writing, I have to leave my phone in another room and use a programme called Freedom which temporarily cuts off my access to the Internet on my laptop. I simply don’t have the willpower otherwise, which in itself is quite a frightening thought. I write full-time these days, and sometimes I feel that I’ve lost the focus I had when I was squeezing my writing into a few spare hours between my job and my family. When the (school) day stretches invitingly ahead of you, it’s easy to think that you’ve got plenty of time to read that blog post, check your Facebook notifications, reply to that tweet: scroll, like, retweet, repeat. Suddenly it’s nearly time to pick the kids up and I’ve barely written a word.

There’s a darker side too. Facebook I mostly use for personal, rather than writerly interactions (although I do have an author page too) and that can be full of pitfalls. Everybody seems to be having a better life than you, with their toned bodies, exotic holidays, charming children, wonderful husbands. It’s hard sometimes to remember that they are only showing you what they want you to see. It’s not real life. It’s Facebook.

As wonderful as Twitter has been at providing a supportive community of writers, it’s hard to resist the siren lure of other people’s good news, which seems designed to turn one into a bitter, jealous hag. I’m fully aware that I am part of the problem, as guilty as everyone else of re-tweeting good reviews, competition success; but neither am I immune to the green-eyed monster when someone posts yet another foreign sale, the cast list for the movie of their book, a star novelist endorsing their novel. Why hasn’t MY book sold in Kazakhstan?

Why hasn’t Marian Keyes read MY book? It’s absurd and spoilt and I hate myself for it. I am one of the lucky ones. I’ve got an agent, a book deal. But social media seems designed sometimes to make you compare yourself against others, to bring out the worst in you, showcasing that awful mean person inside who only has one use for others’ success: to flagellate herself with.

At the end of Friend Request, Louise deletes her Facebook account altogether, vowing to focus on rebuilding the real-life relationships that she has let slide. I’m not sure I could go that far, but I know I would benefit from spending less time on social media. And I will, I really will. First, let me just quickly check what these notifications are …

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Somewhat ironically, you can find me on Facebook at LauraMarshallAuthor or Twitter @laurajm8

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Laura Marshall grew up in Wiltshire and studied English at the University of Sussex. After almost twenty years working in conference production, in 2015 Laura decided it was time to fulfill a lifetime’s ambition to write a novel, and enrolled on the Curtis Brown Creative three month novel writing course. Friend Request, Laura’s first novel, was shortlisted for both the Bath Novel Award 2016 and the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize 2016. Laura lives with her family in Kent.

Find out more about her on her website http://www.lauramarshall.co.uk/

ABOUT FRIEND REQUEST

1989. When Louise first notices the new girl who has mysteriously transferred late into their senior year, Maria seems to be everything Louise’s other friends aren’t. Authentic. Funny. Brash. Within just a few days, Maria and Louise are on their way to becoming fast friends.

2016. Louise receives a heart-stopping email: Maria Weston wants to be friends on Facebook. Long-buried memories quickly rise to the surface: Those first days of their budding friendship; cruel decisions made and dark secrets kept; the night that would change all their lives forever.

Louise has always known that if the truth ever came out, she could stand to lose everything. Her job. Her son. Her freedom. Maria’s sudden reappearance threatens it all, and forces Louise to reconnect with everyone with whom she’d severed ties in order to escape the past. But as she tries to piece together exactly what happened that night, Louise discovers there’s more to the story than she ever knew. To keep her secret, Louise must first uncover the whole truth, before what’s known to Maria-or whoever is pretending to be her-is known to all.

With her mesmerizing debut, Laura Marshall offers a timely and essential story of how who we were shapes who we become, the hidden cost of our increasingly connected world, and the dangerous shape that revenge can take in our modern era.

 

Tags: featured, social media, women writers

Category: On Writing