If you use Twitter, you’re probably already familiar with the idea of hashtags. These are simply a way of categorizing particular tweets by including within them a keyword prefixed with the hash or “pound” (#) symbol. So, for example, tweets containing writing advice will often contain the “#writetip” tag. The point of this is to make it easier to find all tweets containing writing advice : you just search for “#writetip”. Similarly, you could find a stream of publication tips by keeping an eye on tweets with “#pubtip” in them.
Using relevant hashtags in your own tweets also increases the likelihood of others seeing your post and becoming a follower. They’re a great way to engage with a particular community of Twitter users.
The following is a list of some of the hashtags that will be of interest to writers. The list can never be exhaustive because anyone can invent a new tag at any time. Most are self-explanatory, although some need explanation :
#amediting posts from people who are editing
#amwriting posts from people who are writing
#askagent agent questions and answers
#author
#authors
#editing
#fictionfriday
#fridayflash flash fiction on a Friday
#nanowrimo national novel writing month
#novels
#novelists
#poem
#poet
#poets
#poetry
#pubtip publication tips
#publishing
#scifi
#selfpublishing
#vss very short story
#webfic web fiction
#weblit web literature
#wip work in progress
#wordcount
#writegoal
#writequote
#writer
#writers
#writetip writing advice
#writing
#writingtips writing advice
#wrotetoday
Some hashtags are specifically “chats” – which means they work in the same way as all tags, but are mainly used at certain agreed times :
#journchat
#kidlitchat
#litchat
#scifichat
#scribechat
#storycraft
#writechat
#yalitchat young adult literature chat
The following spreadsheet is a good place to keep track of the schedules for these Twitter chats if you’re interested in joining in :
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=ruaz3GZveOsoXUOOt86B3AQ
I have been known to use both #drabble and #flashfic on my twitter (which is @DavidWriting. The website I write for (nameyourtale.com) @nameyourtale uses #100words and #microfiction
David,
Thanks for the additions. I must check out your Twitter feed! The nice thing about #vss, of course, is that it’s relatively short
Here’s another relevant hashtag: #editmark
my only problem with #vss is that it’s fairly non-intuitive. I like #webfic a lot though, may start using that at times.
David,
Fair point – #vss isn’t particularly obvious, I’ll agree!
Thanks for the information on hashtags. I have only used a very few of these. jgwentworth
You might want to add #poettues to your list of hashtags for writer chats. It’s hosted each Tuesday by @RobertLeeBrewer.
Also, #zinechat is awesome. It doesn’t work on a schedule, but host @JayMGates gives the heads up when one is planned.
Enjoy,
JLB
Great list here.
Actually though I’ve actually found more people to use the longer #webfiction than #webfic to avoid any mix-ups with the similar “fanfic” term.
Thanks for the additions to the list. It’s a shame, really, that Twitter don’t maintain some sort of official list that people can easily find.
I’d love to add another to the list: #blog20XX – the Twitter tag for the annual month-long blogathon I host every May on WordCount, my freelance writing blog. This year more than 110 writers who blog signed up to post every day of the month. The hashtag was #blog2010. Next year’s will be #blog2011.
Thanks,
Michelle Rafter
Please don’t forget #teasertuesday – it’s for writers, too! Post an excerpt from your wip to your blog, tweet it with the hashtag and the rest of us can RT and read the excerpts easily by using the tag in a search 🙂
Great webpage. I’m new to twitter; had no idea what those #words were. I’m made your list a favorite.
Add #pblitchat too! Picture Books Only!
I have another addition – #Writers_Life is for tweets about living the writer’s life – psych, creativity, life, etc.
Thanks for the list – very helpful!
Oh, I just had to #tweet this post. Every #writer needs to read this. 🙂
Here’s one I created for people who aren’t writing for whatever reason — #amNOTwriting.
Simon,
Bless your heart; I’ve been looking for this list for a while! If I may, you also might want to add #PostaWeek2011 and #PostaDay2011
Thanks
Cliff
Don’t forget, #scriptchat – A weekly (Sundays) hosted screenwriter chat. Topics, special guests, tequila.
For deets check out scriptchat.com
Thanks for this list. I’m fairly new to Twitter and still learning.
other relevant tage
For writers
#WW
For publishing
#epublish
#publishabook
Has anyone seen the tag #myWANA? What does that one mean? I see a lot of writers there too.
I’ve been looking for writers to follow and was pretty sure I was missing all of them somehow. Just what I needed!
Dianna,
#myWANA references a book called We Are Not Alone (WANA) by Kristin Lamb about the world of social networking. So in essence, it’s “my social netwk.”
Great and useful article for writers!
#shelfster is the hashtag of a new platform for writers.
Shelfster is the easiest way for writers to gather information for a book, article or paper.
Make an account on Shelfster.com and test for free a lot of tools for mobile, web and desktop.
I use #romance and sometimes #ebook (as that’s what I write) as well as #reading
Hey! These are great. There is also #wordmongering and #editmongering which are like word sprints. They happen at every :00 and :30 respectively for a half an hour. Anyone can do them at any time, but it’s nice to connect to the other writers who are doing them!
As a writer my ultimate target audience is actually NOT other writers – it’s readers. Which is why I use the #reader and #reading hashtags. I definitely use the #writing, #Iamwriting #Iamediting to find other writers and have made some wonderful connections, but ultimately it’s the #readers I want to find me and my books.
Thank you Simon for the list and big thank you Tony McFadden for noting this list is focused on getting writers talking to other writers. I was starting to wonder what the heck was going on there (but only for a minute. I know the scoop.)
I’d also note that the #reading tag is inserted automagically by the massive reader-centric site Goodreads. GR has an auto-tweet feature readers can use to share their progress on a book. The Goodreads site inserts the #reading hashtag (or it used to anyway). It has become a reader-centric “place” to be on Twitter, same as #writing is a way to rub elbows with fellow writers.
I use #freelancewriting. Not sure how widely it’s used though. Great list!
This one is kind of community specific, but I’m a big fan of #novelengage – it was suggested by the people at Storywonk, for spending some time every day ‘engaging’ with your writing; new words, editing, even just reading over what you’ve already got if you’re too blocked to do anything else.
There is a new hashtag : the #SundayShoutout, like the #FollowFriday, but the sunday 🙂