Am I Tweetering now?

A couple of years ago I witnessed a particularly hilarious moment on the Today Show.  Without warning, the anchors wandered off the beaten path of over-blown news reports and segments on making a Thankgiving centerpiece out of leftover Ikea hardware and dental floss and veered into the territory of The Internet.  Specifically, Twitter.

Gem-like questions were unearthed including: How do I know if I’m Tweetering?  Who should I be friends with on the Tweeter?  And the instant classic: Am I Tweetering now?  I laughed at them from the safety of my hand-me-down couch in an area of Brooklyn that can only be reached via the F train.  Despite my jaded snickers, I must admit that I am not, in fact, a Twitter master (not like some, ahem, @reaganart).  It’s only 140 characters and yet the stakes—for resonance, wit, and zeitgeist-y momentum—are so high.  Let’s face it folks: I’m still learning the fine art of the Tweet.

If you’re brand-new to the game or if you’ve got a handle but are unsure where to go from there, let us make things easy for you.  Follow authors.  And here is a list of great ones, which we say without any bias whatsoever:

@pelecanos1 George Pelecanos

@elinhilderbrand Elin Hilderbrand

@emmarathbone Emma Rathbone

@tednotedward Ted Thompson

@jameshynes James Hynes

@elenamshapiro Elena Mauli Shapiro

@jezebelannan Anna North

@mmitchmoore Meg Mitchell Moore

@meganeabbott Megan Abbott

@Beathhigh Ian Rankin

@patrickerville Patrick Somerville

@natashasolomons Natasha Solomons

@stuartnadler Stuart Nadler

@elizmccracken Elizabeth McCracken

@kathleenkent214 Kathleen Kent

@Sherman_Alexie Sherman Alexie

@EowynIvey Eowyn Ivey

@annezouroudi Anne Zouroudi

@JacksonBrodie Jackson Brodie (okay, so he’s not real but his twitter feed is)

Here is a small selection of other entertaining writer/tweeters who deserve a special shout-out for conquering the medium:

@HalfPintIngalls

@leverus

@aswinn

@mary_roach

@tejucole

And finally, follow us!

@reaganart

@ltisdel

@SJMurphy

@lenabitts