The Sprint of Twitter

Twitter turns a marathon runner into a sprinter. The shorthand and speed of the game take time to absorb and put into action. It energizes my creativity and humor.

I completed a course on ways to use Twitter for students in my college writing classes. Before the class, I read tweets then tweeted my blog entries but not daily activities.  Three weeks of study provided a different world of opportunity.

The first lesson, to participate in a live event, raced over my head. What did a “live event” mean? Instructor said to see what others did. We also had to add a companion. That didn’t help so I created my own live events. 

I tweeted a kite festival designed with photo, fun and imagery. Feeling buoyant from the first attempt, I added an evening in Las Vegas with Johnny Depp and a sunset camel ride. Unfortunately, the instructor did not agree that my humor and fantasies filled the bill. Another attempt needed.




Searching again, I tweeted the NCAA track and field championship to satisfy the assignment. By the time the tweet posted, others in the class had asked about the location of my festival. Learning by innovation always keeps me going.

  

Neither Henry James nor William Faulkner would have relished a communication in 140 characters. I can imagine Hemingway chuckling in delight. Dr. Seuss might have tweeted a greet and repeat. Shakespeare's humor would blaze. Poets weave words with rhythm, so it feels natural to tweet. Fortune cookie creators have a blast, I'm sure.

Tweeting for yourself and hoping for an audience seems like the norm. Social media appeals to writers to promote their work. Most have Facebook pages and blogs. Platform development increases with the outreach and results in responses from around the world. 

Could Twitter reach beyond the basics of publicizing what you have written and/or proving that you still exist? Definitely. I visited an educators' group tweet that provided myriad ideas and insights although the pace made my eyes twirl. 

Errors abound in 140 spaces. Grammar does not rule. I have noticed the misuse of words, apostrophes, plurals and more. If tweeters can't get to the point in nouns and verbs they resort to initials, abbreviations and cyberspeak. In one corner, numbers count down to red to reveal the space remaining. A sprint in editing happens backwards. 

One day the Twitter potential will appear in my writing classes. I have to practice wind sprints to run the 140 at a faster clip. My marathon mind will outlast with one step after another in @, # and RT's. As I discover simple ways to reveal the intricacies of tweeting, creativity will increase. Onward to investigate tweets in other languages.

Creative Tweet:  Express a mood to fill 140 spaces.



*In gratitude to coach, Lisa Chan for an intense workout!