“Like good morning Twitter peeps! Let’s like, start this Saturday with like a fabulous retweet and writer’s lift!”
You’ve seen it. You’ve probably scrolled past it without thinking. Maybe even liked something out of habit.
But stop for a second.
Read it again.
Because buried inside that cheerful, over-caffeinated sentence is everything that’s wrong with how many authors present themselves online.
First problem—time.
It’s not Saturday. Not everywhere. It’s not even morning everywhere. Where I am, it might be Sunday, early afternoon, quiet, cool drink in hand, while somewhere else the day is ending. Social media is global. That tweet? It assumes a single time zone, a single audience, a single world.
That’s not just inaccurate—it’s narrow-minded.
Writers, of all people, should understand a wider perspective. We build entire worlds from shifting viewpoints, yet some can’t step outside their own timezone when addressing a global audience.
Second problem—language.
“Like… let’s like… start…like, like…”
If words are your craft, why treat them like filler?
This is where things should get uncomfortable.
Because a tweet from an author isn’t just a throwaway line. It’s a sample. A preview. A micro-advertisement for everything you claim to be capable of.
Readers notice. The right readers notice.
They don’t always say anything—but they notice.
And here’s the brutal truth: if a writer can’t structure a clean, purposeful sentence in under 280 characters, what confidence does a reader have in 80,000 words?
As kitchy and fun as it feels to write this way, you don’t get the benefit of the doubt anymore. Not in a space as crowded as this.
Social Media Is Not Casual for Writers
There’s a common misunderstanding that social media is “informal,” and therefore quality doesn’t matter.
That might work for influencers.
It doesn’t work for writers.
Writers deal in one currency: words.
Every post, every caption, every tweet is part of your brand, whether you like it or not. It tells people how you think, how you construct ideas, how seriously you take your craft.
And when that presentation is sloppy, repetitive, or careless, readers make a quiet decision.
They scroll on.
Or worse—they mute.
Or block.
You won’t be notified. There’s no alert. No hints. No red flag. Just silence.
A door closes—and you don’t even know it was shut and locked forever.
The Invisible Cost of Getting It Wrong
Most writers think failure on social media looks like low engagement.
It doesn’t.
The real damage happens invisibly.
Someone reads your post, hesitates, then decides:
“Not for me.”
That’s it.
No argument. No critique. No feedback.
Just absence.
Multiply that by hundreds—thousands—over time, and you begin to understand why so many authors shout into the void and hear nothing back.
It’s not always the algorithm.
Sometimes it’s the words.
The Noise Problem
Now layer that onto the reality of platforms like Twitter (or X, or whatever it’s calling itself this week).
It’s chaos.
An endless feed of competing voices—promotions, opinions, arguments, trends—stacked on top of each other in real time. Imagine a room filled with televisions, all blasting at full volume, each demanding your attention.
That’s the environment your tweet enters.
Even a good post can disappear in seconds.
So what chance does a lazy one have?
Very little.
Which is why precision matters.
Not perfection—but intent.
Clarity.
Purpose.
You Don’t Need to Be Perfect—But You Do Need to Be Aware
Now, to be fair, none of us gets it right all the time.
I don’t.
Social media moves fast. Trends shift. Tone changes. What works today might fall flat tomorrow. I’ve missed the mark more times than I care to admit.
But there’s a difference between missing the mark and not aiming at all.
If you’re writing for an audience—especially an adult, thinking audience—you need to speak as if you respect them.
Not pander.
Not dilute.
Not pad your sentences with noise.
Just write.
Cleanly.
Directly.
Intentionally.
What a Tweet Should Actually Do
A strong tweet doesn’t need to be loud.
It doesn’t need to beg for interaction.
It doesn’t need “like,” “retweet,” or “follow” stuffed into it like a checklist.
It needs to do one thing:
Earn attention.
That might be through intrigue. Precision. Tone. A sharp observation. A line that feels like it came from a writer—not someone trying to sound like one.
Because ultimately, that’s the difference.
Anyone can post.
Not everyone can write.
Final Thought
Social media gives writers something unprecedented—direct access to a large pool of potential readers.
No gatekeepers. No middle layers. No waiting.
But with that access comes exposure.
Every word you put out there is judged, quietly and instantly.
And while one bad tweet won’t destroy you…
A pattern might.
So next time you’re about to hit “post,” pause for a second.
Look at the sentence.
Strip it back.
Ask yourself:
Would I accept this line in my own book?
If the answer is no—
You already know what to do.
–Michael (Dark fiction. Author of SEETHINGS (the first book), free for a limited time)
SEETHINGS promises a gripping psychological thriller that blends murder, passion, and secrets of a sexless marriage. Forman’s vivid prose draws readers into a world where lightning illuminates the skies and hidden truths. As the storm clouds gather, Mitchell’s journey promises to unravel more than just the mystery of the murders.
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