Because yesterday was Mother's Day, I wanted to come up with some maternal advice for this month's tip, so I mentally thumbed through all of my mom's favorite mantras. This is what I landed on (it's kind of tied in to last month's tip, but still a good one!)...
My mom constantly checks in to make sure I'm on my best behavior. She still asks if I send thank you cards when I get gifts (sometimes) and loves to talk about the importance of Ps and Qs. For any American Girl fans, she is basically Miss Manderly.
So for this month, my tip is mind your manners! Especially because you are so visible via social media, it's important to make sure you're on your best behavior when interacting with others, even if what you really want to do is do your best impression of a swearing sailor.
I'm guilty of slipping up with this every now again, but in general, whenever I want to react angrily to something I see on Twitter, I take a deep breath and remember that it will be on the internet FOREVER and I don't want a personal outburst to potentially affect the way people perceive me professionally. I've seen authors get into Twitter fights or be wayyy too into passive aggressive sub-tweeting, and this doesn't do anything beneficial for their careers.
You don't want agents, editors, or readers to think you are rude or unpleasant just because they witness one moment where you're not at your best (oh wow, that really sounded like my mother). To make sure that doesn't happen, when you find yourself getting ready to let someone have it, listen to your inner parent and remember: If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all! And then maybe vent privately to a friend.
