Agents, Twitter, and the Nincompoop (aka Me)

As a part of building my platform, I’ve been trying out Twitter, to mixed results. But one question occurred to me as I was looking for people to follow: when exactly should I follow literary agents on Twitter? It’s useful for getting to know them, certainly, but is there a protocol involved? Should I blindly follow all those agents who I might pursue? How does this work?

When to Start a Platform

When am I supposed to start my writing platform? After I’m established? Right before my first book comes out? Before I even finish a first draft? While starting a platform without even having a start to a book seems a little premature (especially for fiction), the rest of it tends to vary just as much as the rest of the “rules” of writing.