On K. J. Harrowick’s recommendation, I have S. M. Roffey with me today to talk about the Twitter hashtag #TeamOptimism, its evolution and more. S.M. Roffey is a writer, mother, and volunteer cosplayer living in the Northeast with her genderqueer spouse and three LGBTQ+ children. She is the Administrative Assistant to #RevPit’s Jeni Chappelle (with whom I chatted about editing on the series), the Social Media Coordinator for the Writer In Motion Project, and the creator of #TeamOptimism. Her poem, “40 Years in a Breath”, is included in the Pact Press Anthology, Speak & Speak Again, and her personal essays have been featured on The Good Men Project, Huffington Post, and BlogHer, though her primary passion will always be writing adult fantasy fiction.
Welcome to The Creator’s Roulette, Sandy! What is #TeamOptimism and how did it start?
#TeamOptimism began a little over two years ago as a simple hashtag on Twitter. I originally designed it to boost other writers during online pitch contests and keep their spirits up when writing makes everyone stressed out and out of sorts. Every writer needs human contact, even if it isn’t in person, and I wanted to facilitate that. I wanted to help new writers become better at what they do and encourage all of us, at every level of writing, to keep going, even with rejections and failures along the way.
One of the greatest misconceptions about optimism is that it means you can’t ever feel bad, or that you have to be positive every second of the day. On the contrary, it only means that when you do, you can eventually see the light at the end of the tunnel—and that’s where I’ve always wanted #TeamOptimism to come in.
To that end, after two years of punny GIFs and double entendres, I want more for #TeamOptimism. I’m reorganizing from a simple hashtag to several platforms meant to engage members of the writing community and expand the #TeamOptimism goals.
What does the new format look like?
Beginning in July 2020, #TeamOptimism will have a new format and new spaces for writers to connect. First and foremost will be the new website page. There you’ll find information about #TeamOptimism, our latest tweets, and our upcoming events.
The (almost) Daily Boost: This is our regularly scheduled GIF encouragement to lift the spirits of writers in the “trenches” of querying and pitch contests.
The #TeamOptimism #TuesdayPrompt: This is a new initiative to get more writers to interact on the #TeamOptimism hashtag. The prompt will generally be a photo or GIF, and you can either use it on your own, or complete a tweet-length story and post it.
#TeamOptimism #QuarterlyLift: This is another new step, which will include a set of Positivity Passes beginning in September and occurring quarterly. The term “Positivity Pass” was coined by Katie Golding, and it is just what it sounds like—an entirely positive review of your work, to keep impostor syndrome from dragging you down or dulling your optimism.
Newsletter: Along with the QuarterlyLift we’ll be sending out a newsletter once every few months. The content will focus on upcoming events like the #QuarterlyLift, sef-care tips for writers, and members of the writing community who go out of their way to make the experience more positive for other writers.
Watch the team optimism hashtag and Twitter feed for news of our new website and more information.
What are some goals for #TeamOptimism?
The largest goals for #TeamOptimism are to provide positive support in the writing community and to promote writers who engage the writing community in positive ways.
How has the writing community received this movement?
In an overwhelmingly positive way. When I first started posting GIFs, it was to keep my spirits high as well as boost my fellow writers. I didn’t expect it to resonate as much as it did, and it truly touched me that so many responded.
There is a lot of learn in the world of publishing and even with writing, editing and making the story its best possible version takes a lot of time. Can you elaborate on some of the challenges (mental and industry wise) that writers face and #TeamOptimism helps combat? Your mention of imposter syndrome speaks to that to me.
Writers have to be made of steel…but we aren’t. In any step of our writing journey, there can be disappointment, rejection, and sometimes even very painful critique. We put our hearts into what we write, so to have it torn down can really take its toll. You start to doubt who you are, if you’re even a writer, or if you’re just not as good a writer as you think you are. And we all do need to keep learning craft, keep pushing ourselves to be better, but sometimes when you get that rejected query letter, it’s maybe the fifth time this month, and doubt settles in. You start thinking maybe it’s not something you can learn or you simply don’t have the talent. The entire purpose of #TeamOptimism is to remind writers that this is a journey, this industry is subjective, and even the greatest writers of all time have received rejection letters. Keep at it. Don’t give up. Yes, let yourself have that bowl of chocolate ice cream, but then jump back in and keep writing, revising, and querying. Or, alternatively, if querying isn’t for you, understand that traditional publishing isn’t the only way to get your book out there.
Is there any memory that comes to mind that will always be your favorite for #TeamOptimism – something you have done or a conversation you had?
There was one GIF I sent out, and I remember clearly that a writer sent me back a note saying “You have no idea how much I needed to hear this today. I was about to quit writing.” That was the moment I realized people did really need that boost, and it was in that instant I started thinking of expanding the reach of #TeamOptimism.
As an organizer, what are some challenges of keeping people involved in #TeamOptimism?
The greatest challenge is my own self-doubt. Sometimes I wonder if people even notice the posts. But as I mentioned above, just that one person who reached out was enough to make me think it was worth it.
But expanding is important to me, because I think it’s going to give people more opportunity to interact (when it’s a GIF, there’s not much more to do than “like” it, you know?) I’m planning Positivity Passes four times a year, as well as a newsletter that will focus on positive role models in the writing community and self-care tips for writers. I think that will really allow more engagement, and I hope the same will happen with the new #TeamOptimism #TuesdayPrompt. I also have bigger ideas coming, but they’re for next year! So I hope everyone will really engage and get to know #TeamOptimism, and then come on this great journey as we grow.
I’ll be focusing on positive influences in the writing community in the new Team Optimism newsletter. Do you have someone you’d like to be featured? If so, please contact me at goteamoptimism@gmail.com.
Want to be a part of the #TeamOptimism community? Follow them on Twitter. You can also connect with S. M. Roffey via Twitter or Instagram.
Banner image from Unsplash.
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