Gary Hurtubise

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Social Media Self-Promotion

April 25, 2021 / / 1 Comment

If I were a superhero, with the ability to soar through the sky (bad knees, so nope), the strength of Hercules (going to physio for tennis elbow, so that’s out too), and a gift for precognition (never would have predicted this as one of my powers, tbh…), I’d – of course – have to have a tragic flaw.  And I know exactly what it would be.

Gary’s Achille’s heel: self-promotion on social media.

Wait. No need to even be that specific. My weakness is social media, plain and simple.

Now, I’m not a troglodyte (I assert to myself regularly), but I am in that particular age bracket that straddles two eras: pre-social media and… well, social media.

I was in university when UNIX-based emailing was just beginning, and I was all over that like a cheap suit.

But after that, something… stalled. 

My path, and the evolution of social media diverged.

Social Media – I Missed the Memo

            MySpace came along in 2003 (I know, cuz I looked it up), then Facebook in 2006 (ditto).  But I missed the boat.  Actually, no – I never even knew there was a boat to begin with. 

I only grew peripherally aware of the existence of these and other platforms as years went by. Had you asked me back then, “Gary, what’s this Facebook thing?” I’d have given you a belligerent stare, then stopped returning your telephone calls to my land line.

How Not to Be a Luddite

            Perhaps not surprisingly, being a teacher of high school students has helped keep me ‘connected’ (I use that term very loosely) to our evolving virtual world.  Via sometimes-confusing, peripheral indoctrination, I have managed to catch on to the ‘what’, if not entirely the ‘why’ of apps like Instagram, Snapchat, Vine, and most recently TikTok.

            Choosing to become an author has also drawn me forward out of the Meghalayan Era.  I force-fed myself WordPress a few years back, to create this website, and even ventured onto LinkedIn and Twitter, finally delving into Wix for my ghostwriting site.

Using Social Media Effectively

            So that brings us to the present.  I get social media now, I do.  At least the ‘what’ and the ‘why’.

            But the ‘how’?  Ugh.

            My first book (under a pseudonym) came out last week. Yay!  What could I have done better throughout that process? The marketing.  The self-promotion.  The ‘how’ to use social media to forward my career.

            And that’s where I am right now.  I could be writing the next chapter of my current science-fiction manuscript right now. Instead, I’m fretting over how many times per day to tweet… not to mention what I should tweet about (seriously – who honestly cares what my thoughts are regarding the Florida woman hit by a flying turtle the other day??).

(for the record, I haven’t lost any sleep over it yet.)

            I know I’m not the only one worrying about this stuff.  Thank goodness for posts like this one from NY Book Editors. Social media self promotion doesn’t have to be a dirty word (phrase?), nor does it have to be that onerous.

            So, take five minutes (and a deep breath) and do your requisite daily tweeting. Then get right back to the fun stuff (writing)! 😉

~CONSTRUCTION UPDATE~

My standing desk is here, as promised. If my books wrote themselves as easily as this desk built itself, I’d have a dozen published novels under my belt…!

In any case, here are the pics. Check my previous posts here and here that detail the evolution of my desk project.

Desk assembled and stained.
Polyurethane coats on, and set up in my second-office (aka bedroom).

I’m a writer… now own it!

March 11, 2021 / / 0 Comments

I was in the dentist chair the other week, for the first time since the pandemic began.  I had a new hygienist, and she was doing the normal, get-to-know-you routine before shoving her hands in my mouth.

dentist making oral examine of patient with uv light equipment
Photo by Evelina Zhu on Pexels.com

One of her first questions was, “what do you do?”

Without thinking, I uttered, “Oh, I’m just a writer.”

Just.

JUST?

If you’ve been following my blog, you know I’ve taken a hiatus from teaching to focus entirely on my writing.  Up until that very moment – reclined in the squeaky faux-leather dentist chair as I was – when people asked me what I did, “physics teacher” rolled off my tongue quite easily.  It was a no brainer.

Now that I’ve been away from teaching for over a year, though, it feels less legit to use that automated response.  What am I doing nowadays?  Well, I’m writing.  Actually.  Seriously.

So why the ‘just’?

Oh.  OH. I think I know.

I bet I harbour internalized shame about being a writer, don’t I?

The thought of being a writer is still a secret thrill – like something I can’t believe I’m getting away with, rather than doing a JOB, because… well, because I’m an adult, and adults to JOB’s, right?

I decided to check if I could quantify my shame, to determine if it did indeed exist.

A few Google searches later, I had some options.

First, I tried a ‘guilt and shame’ test… not exactly what I was looking for, but it was worth a try.  It turns out I have a shame level of only 28%, which didn’t help explain where the ‘just’ had come from at all.

Moving forward, I tried something called the ‘Rosenberg self-esteem assessment’.  Turns out I’m quite full of myself, so that was no help either.

I then found myself caught in the weeds reading about the links between guilt, shame and motivation, but clicked back and re-focused my efforts.

Pushing forward, I followed a link to The American Psychological Association, where I read about the TOSCA-3, or ‘Test of Self-Conscious Affect (3rd version)’.  This sounded like the real thing.  Sadly, it wasn’t available for me to try.  Unlike those online tests that revealed secrets about your psyche based on what type of ice cream you like best, the TOSCA-3 was reserved for professional psychological analysis.  I clicked back.

After a bit more searching, I finally came across a seemingly legitimate quiz that dealt with internalized shame.  This would put the whole issue to rest for me, I was sure.

Seven-and-a-half minutes of probing, inner-reflective questions later, the results were in:

You are a procrastinator.

(ok, that was my conclusion, not the quiz’s)

It was time to get back to writing.

It was time for me to… just do it.

Just write.

And that’s what I’m doing – I’m just writing… and you know what?

It’s awesome. 😊

~CONSTRUCTION UPDATE~

My standing desk is coming along!  (see the design here, in my previous post)

All the pieces are cut, and sanding is underway.

Pieces cut – awaiting sanding and assembly.

 The smell of spring is in the air! With the warmer temperatures, I’ll be able to take the work out onto the driveway.  I’ll pre-finish all the pieces, assemble it, then stain and seal it.

In my next post, I’ll feature the final product in action!

Sneaking Back to Writing

January 27, 2021 / / 3 Comments
Don’t mind me as I creep back to being a writer…

Do you think anyone will notice me quietly getting back at it?

I saw the date on my last post here and cringed. But s$*% happens in life, right? At first, it was ghostwriting that started to draw me away from my fiction writing – who could complain about that? But then it was the virus, followed by our decision to have the kids do virtual-schooling from home.

Before I knew it, through the whirlwind (or doldrums, depending on your perspective) that was the new paradigm, I’d completely lost my grasp on the one thing that was keeping me sane… my writing.

In an effort to re-establish a writing routine in this new world of ours, I’ve brushed off this site and my ghostwriting website, and I’ve tossed a new manuscript into the wind, to see if it produces any fruit.

I’m also going to build a standing desk that I will put in a room with a door, since my present writing area is within 10 feet of two noisy school children and their virtual classmates.

…here’s the back of the napkin sketch… next post will have the finished product!

It always looks good on paper.

Ok, keeping this post short and sweet – it’s time to build up those writing chops again!

Talk soon – stay safe!

Autumn – Season of New Beginnings

September 24, 2019 / / 0 Comments
New beginnings start here! (image by Johannes Plenio from Pixabay)

            “Uhh… Gary?”  I can hear you saying.  “Don’t you mean spring?  Isn’t fall when everything dies or goes to sleep?  As in the season of endings?”

            “Pshaw!”  I say to you.  “Don’t pester me with your pedantic prattle!  I’m the blogger, and I declare that autumn reigns supreme as the season of new beginnings!”

Autumn and Writing

            So, I love autumn.  Always have.  There’s a je-ne-sais-quoi to the air during the months of September and October (sorry, November – by the time you’re in full swing, we’re pretty much just waiting for winter), that energizes me.

            I find myself reaching for my Aran sweater, lured outside by the siren call of the nippy air, cloudy skies, and forests of orange, yellow and red.  My mouth waters for hearty soups.  I binge on scary movies…

Could there be a more beautiful sight? (image also by Johannes Plenio from Pixabay)

            …and this particular autumn, I get to call myself a full-time writer!!

            Yep.  I’ve taken a leave of my senses absence from teaching this fall to dedicate myself 100% to writing.

He’s a Full-time Writer?

            Now, immediately upon reading this, you’ve probably fallen into one of three categories:

1.         You go, girl!  Follow your dreams!

2.         You quit your day job?!  What about the kids?!

3.         Silence.

            To those of you in the first category – dankeschön.  Your support and confidence are noted.

            To those of you in the second category – yeah, I get you.  I thought for a long time that I could do both – keep the security of a steady pay cheque, but still squeeze-in a side-gig doing what I most wanted to do.  It was the smart thing to do.  But it got me nowhere.  (other than increasingly frustrated and bitter.)

(without getting into details here, hubby and I mitigated the financial risks of this by planning ahead.  Because, yes, it would have been monumentally stupid to jump in without some sort of security net… but I’ll leave this for another post).

The ‘Right Time’ to Follow a Dream

            And to those of you in the third category… I know what you’re thinking.  Because I was you.

            You’ve got what I have.  You know, that ‘other thing’ you’d rather be doing.  The one that only gets talked of after the second bottle of red wine is open, when the kids are in bed, over that long weekend while at the cottage, sitting by the fire or out by the water…

Who wouldn’t want to think of their dreams in a place like this?
(Image by NickyPe from Pixabay)

            You’ve been there too.

            But the next morning, you pop an acetaminophen, tidy up, pack, throw the kids in the car, and head home.  Cuz there’s work tomorrow, and stuff needs doing.  And there’ll be time for your dreams… later?

            later.

            When does ‘later’ become ‘too late’?  I didn’t want to find out.  So I held my breath and took a leap.

            Where did I land?

            I guess we’ll all find out in a future post.

            In the interim – get out there and let autumn inspire you!

Wow – yet another awesome image by Johannes Plenio!
Thank you Johannes, for your inspirational artwork in this post!

Reading *and* Writing?

July 12, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Does reading *really* help you write?

            No doubt, you’ve heard this before: one of the most important things a writer should do is read a lot. 

            Great.  Fantastic advice, and easy to follow too, since how many writers don’t like reading?  (I don’t know the actual number; I think its approximately most-to-all.)

            “But wait,” you cry (and yes, I can hear you, fellow-part-time-writer and I’m nodding along with you), “…how do I find time to read if I should be using every spare moment to write?!”

            or, vice versa:

            “…how will I ever become a writer if I’m expected to read every new book that comes out in my genre?!”

            Well, good question.

Writing without reading

            As I’ve alluded to in previous posts, I’m currently splitting my writing time between what I WANT to do (write my own fiction!), and what I NEED to do (write other people’s stuff while getting paid well to do it).

            (Alas, recently, it’s been more of the latter and not enough of the former. A writing career with zero income is no career, sadly, so I do as I must.)

            Since focusing on my ghostwriting, I’ve learned that I CAN write without reading! At first, things went well – I was busy gathering clients, writing and editing for them, and getting paid (not quite so) well for it (yet)…

            As this went on, though, I started to feel different.  Writing for other people became like staring at a plain white wall, stuffing myself with dry, unsalted crackers.  I could do it.  I like crackers!  And I’m used to staring off at nothing while stuffing food in my face (but that’s a whole other issue I won’t be tackling today).

sitting at a table, facing a blank wall, eating tasteless crackers...
writing, writing, writing other people’s stuff…

            But cracker after cracker after cracker, and nothing but a blank surface to stare at… it numbed me after a while. There’s a blankness now – a rote-ness – to my writing.  And it’s not good.

Reading without writing

            Before I decided to become a writer, I was a Reader (intentional capitalization).  Boy, could I read.  I was voracious.  My visits to the library would be the equivalent of a 1-hour strength session at the gym, with all the squatting to read titles on the bottom shelves, and the lifting of the dozen-or-more books I’d lug around as I perused the shelves…

A typical trip to the library…

            (that work-out reference is for you, Trevor!)

            Now that I consider myself a writer, however, reading has changed for me.

            I’m sure many of you fellow-writers are familiar with this: we now read with a critic’s eye.  And it can ruin a good book.

            …Ok, maybe I should say it can ruin a bad book, but one that wouldn’t have been ruined back before you were a writer.

Every book now subject to my critic’s eye…

            What tops my critic’s eye, though, is that I now grow anxious each and every time I sit down to read.  I’m anxious to be in front of my keyboard; anxious to be writing my own story.  Great twists in a novel no longer simply satisfy me – they inspire me.  And if I don’t drop everything and get my inspirations down, I’ve lost them forever.

Reading *and* Writing!

            Writing without reading is mind-numbing.  Reading without writing causes anxiety. 

            What do we do as budding writers?  Well, we do both, of course.  Just like they told us.  But here’s the real reason why we should:

            Writing drains you.  It’s like you’ve got a reservoir of ideas up there, and you squeeze them all out through your fingers when you write.  What comes out at first is pure magic, but by the time you’ve been draining that pot for a while, all that’s left is the dry-cracker dregs.

            Reading fills you up.  You read and you read and you read, and you’re brimming to overflowing with what you’ve read.  Your reading bladder is full-to-bursting, and you gotta… well, you gotta let it out.

you gotta let it out!

            So, you write, until you’re back to nothing but dry crackers.

            Then you read again, to the bursting point.

Rinse and repeat.

DIY MFA Prompt: Fav Story Type

February 23, 2019 / / 0 Comments

            I’m going to focus on the idea that Gabriela lays out in her book: “Story is about power struggle”.  She outlines three options for protagonists and antagonists to interact, namely,

  • protagonists interacting with antagonists with greater power
  • protagonists confronting antagonists of equal power; or
  • protagonists confronting themselves.

Writing what you’re comfortable with…

            Looking back over the stories I’ve written – long and short – I’d have to say that I automatically lean towards the underdog story, whereby the protagonist should not stand a chance against the antagonist – be it individual or institutional.  I don’t know that I like that story type best; I just write that way.

…Reading what you like.

            The stories I like to read are quite different.  I’m drawn to protagonists or (often) supporting characters of great power, such as Lestat, from Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, or Cormac, of Neal Asher’s Polity universe, or Nynaeve, from Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series.

            I guess I like to see the exercise of great strength; perhaps I’m just not comfortable writing about it.

            That’ll be the last writing prompt for now!  I want to thank Gabriela Pereira and her DIY MFA Program for providing food for thought these last few weeks.  Time to get back to drafting my latest novel, THINK, Inc.!

            Keep writing!

DIY MFA Prompt: Fav Supporting-Character Archetype?

February 8, 2019 / / 1 Comment

Short Stories vs. Novels

I started today’s writing prompt reflecting on characterization in my novels versus in my short stories.

I love and hate short stories.  Love them for how (relatively) quickly I can pump them out and submit them; hate them for how I inevitably end up cut-cut-cutting the hell out of them, because they always go over prescribed word counts <sigh>.

All that being said, my shorts are protagonist-focused, of course, and so my supporting characters tend to come out pretty one-dimensional (ie: they serve a single purpose in advancing the story).

Novels – Where Supporting Characters Shine

The supporting cast get to shine in my novels.  And many of them seem to fill the role of BFF / sidekick… with one unique caveat.

I’ve discovered (today, as I reflect and write on this…!), that my ‘main’ supporting characters each seem to possess skills that surpass my protagonist.

For example, in my novel DARKSEA, ‘Ragna’ is a badass warrior woman who accompanies scrawny, ill-adjusted Egin on his blundering adventures.

A fantasy portal novel that I’m world-building, has two supporting characters picking up the pieces, while the self-centered protagonist forces his way through the story.

And without giving away spoilers, my latest work-in-progress, entitled THINK, Inc., has a supporting character who unknowingly out-classes my protagonist in skill by many orders of magnitude…

            I guess you could say my supporting characters act as portable deus-ex-machina’s, should there be a need to overcome some of the more mundane obstacles my protagonists face, leaving the main-dudes to work through their personal issues, unfettered.

Shall I Try a Different Archetype for “The Next Novel”?

Now that I’ve read more about some of the other archetypes Gabriela writes about (nemesis, mentor, love-interest, fool), I’m wondering if I might inject future stories with someone other than a good-ol’ BFF to hangout with my prot?

            Happy writing!

DIY MFA Prompt: What’s Your Writing Superpower?

January 28, 2019 / / 0 Comments

In this prompt, we were asked to take the Storytelling Superpower Quiz (why don’t you try it too?), to determine what aspect of our personality helps us write our best stories, and to inform us as to what type of character we should be writing about.

My Writing Superpower: the Disruptor

            According to my results, I’m “drawn to larger-than-life characters who rebel against the status quo,” and that my stories are all about me sharing my ideals with the world… yeah.  Ok.  That sounds about right.

            As my hubby can attest to, I definitely don’t sit idly by and let the world have their piece of me.  I’ve never looked up to authority; rather, I’ve sought to be it.  And that is most definitely reflected in my characters (Egin, for example – the protagonist of my novel Darksea – is an autistic young man who can’t listen to others… it’s simply not in his makeup.

As Gabriela – a fellow disruptor –  alluded to in the prompt, going against the grain or questioning, well, everything, does land me into trouble, in that inconvenient thing we call real life (I’ll choose not to include examples here, for my Monday morning ego’s sake).

DIY MFA Prompt #1: How did you become a writer?

January 24, 2019 / / 0 Comments

            This is the first in a series of written responses to prompts, provided by Gabriela Pereira of DYI MFA.  I’ll do my best to keep them short and sweet!

            I suspect my superpower is not writing per se, but planning (ie: storyboarding, creating backstory; the opposite of ‘pantsing’).

            From as early as I could write & spell, I busied myself drawing maps, creating place- and character-names, imagining back-stories, and setting the stage for many a story… (To this day, they’re all sitting on a shelf in my office, waiting with dusty, inert patience to be brought alive.)

            Writing came later, catalyzed by a trio of elements.

  • A job at the library while in high school fed my ceaseless appetite for books, expanding my mind – and my vocabulary;
  • OCD-fueled perfectionism helped polish my craft (there, their and they’re?  You can be absolutely sure I *don’t* mix those up);
  • Unremitting introvertism kept me in my room late at night, trapped at my keyboard as words burst forth from my fingertips.

            Combined, I use my powers of planning, and my honed writer’s craft, in the quest to reach the mighty ship, ‘Author’, battling that evil monkey, ‘The Procrastinator’, who plots tirelessly to bring an end to my written endeavours.

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