Is Facebook ruining your writing career?

Facebook can be a great writing tool. Or not.

Say what? You thought social networking was good for your writing career? Well, most of the time, you're right. There can, however be times when Facebook does more harm than good. For instance, when you spend too much time there.

You could be writing!

Have you ever seen those “Get to writing!” Facebook memes staring you in the face and felt guilty as all get out? That's because it's true. You really could be writing. You could be making money to pay those bills you just complained about in your status. Not only that....

What exactly are you doing on there?

Certain posts, memes and statuses can really turn your fans off. They can ruin your reputation in the eyes of those who disagree with you. Especially if you're a verbal activist like me. It's OK, though. Just make sure you friend plenty of people who agree with your choices and opinions. For instance....

If all your friends are writers....

The majority of writers are going to love your writing posts. They'll probably click on those that interest them. It's important to network with your fellow writers so you can support each other. Just make sure you friend plenty of people who would find interest in and click on your other posts too, not just the writing posts.

Facebook can be a mood killer.

It's pretty hard to write when you're all fired up about some post or another. Unless, of course, you write commentary. Otherwise, though, you could end up with an angry article that no one likes, simply because it's too toxic.

Writers block courtesy of Facebook.

You might also catch such a bad mood on Facebook that you don't really feel like writing at all. You could lose your train of thought by taking Facebook scrolling breaks. In other words, Facebook can give you a self imposed case of writers block.

Your deadline is looming.

You have an article due today. Or maybe your e-book needs editing so you can get it up and start collecting your pay. There is some urgency to getting it done today. You're stressed. You need a breather. So you click that pretty blue Facebook F on your toolbar. Not so fast! You might get too happy, start playing games and having fun, forget the time and miss a deadline.

Facebook can be a great writing tool.

It can help you promote your content and much more. Plus, we all need a break sometimes. Just don't get carried away. You might find yourself losing your writing career rather than enhancing it.