jongibbs

Best of luck to all who take part.

jongibbs

Hi everyone,

We all know a great title is an excellent way to pull someone into a story, but now it can bring you fame and fortune too!

Okay, maybe not 'fame' exactly (and to be honest, not fortune either), but it can win you a Meager Puddle of Limelight Award as well as an I are a writer! mug/Fur-Face CD combo.

If you think your short story title's good enough to win a Puddle, click here to read my blog post about how to enter.

Best of luck to all who take part

jongibbs

As promised, here's the second half of 20 questions with award-winning writer, Jonathan Maberry. If you missed the first half, you can find it here.

11. How important is an online presence to you?
Crucial. In 21^st century publisher an online presence is the primary way to get known, create and sustain buzz, get to know readers, and become part of the global book community. I’ve made a huge number of friends –readers, librarians, booksellers, reviewers, and colleagues—through social media. Most of these folks I would never other have met.

12. What’s your take on e-publishing? 
It’s a fact of life, but it won’t entirely replace print. All of my books are simultaneously published in print and in e-format. I’ll all in favor of it.

13. Who’s your favorite fictional character (and why)?
It’s a toss-up between Sherlock Holmes and Kane (the swordsman-sorcerer created by the late Karl Edward Wagner).

14. What are the best thing and worst things about being a writer?
I get to play inside my own imagination all day long, AND share that with hundreds of thousands of people. It’s like having the keys to a toystore and inviting everyone you know to come over and play.

15. How important is a writing/critique group for people wanting to get on in this business?
Writers suffer in isolation. They thrive in community. I learned that from experience. It’s vital for writers to be around other writers, and groups like the Writers Coffeehouse provide for that. When writers are with other writers, they are with their own kind. They’re with people who get them. People who understand the stresses, frustrations, demands, processes, and joys that are unique to writers.
Also, by networking with other writers…there’s a much greater chance of getting ahead in their careers. Writers are very generous people as a rule, and every genuine pro I know loves to see other writers break in and live the writing live.

16. Karen W. Newton would like to know if you were in a writing group before you got published, and if so, are you still a member?
No. I was first published while still in college, way back in ’78. I didn’t join a community of writers until 2001, when I attended my first writers conference. I wish I had done it decades sooner, though. I’ve been so much happier since becoming part of a writers community; and being around other writers has energized me so much that my career has gone from loping along to a vertical climb. I credit a lot of this to being part of a community of writers.

17. Tell us a little about The Liars Club. How did it get started? How did you get involved?
The Liars Club was something I cooked up with noted fantasy author Gregory Frost. We were networking over a few beers one day, sharing info each of us had on book signings, social media, etc. We realized that together we knew substantially more than either of us did individually. So we decided to build on that. We formed the Liars Club and invited other writers to join. 
We selected writers who share certain qualities. They have to be fair minded, generous, interested in community-building, and under contract to a major publishing house. A daffy sense of humor was also a plus.
The Liars Club is very busy. We throw parties for bookstores, we do events at libraries (to help build awareness and support), we give classes and workshops, and we participate in panel discussions and fundraisers. And we have a lot of fun, too.

18. Would you care to share some writerly advice for the Wall of Wisdom over at FindAWritingGroup.com?
Sure. Couple of quick things. First, never EVER rewrite ANYTHING until you have a completed first draft. Then revise what needs revision.
Don’t lock yourself into one genre. Be open to trying anything. My career has been built on doing a bit of this and a bit of that.
And---this is big—understand that ‘writing’ is an art; ‘publishing’ is a business. Never confuse the two. The art is between the writer and the reader; but in order to get it into the hands of the reader, the writer has to pass through the publishing business machine. The lesson here? LEARN how the business works, and work within the business.

19. What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you first started writing? 
How to write a good query. I made some legendary blunders in that regard until someone finally gave me a clue about to write a good one.

20. One last question: Who do you think would win in a fight, astronauts or cavemen?
Technology trumps brute force every single time.

jongibbs

Hi everyone,

I'm hosting a networking social for my writerly friends over at An Englishman in New Jersey.  If you'd like to take part, you're most welcome.

Have fun