Saturday, February 23, 2013

Lady Luck is in the networking


By Monty Wheeler 


He walked with Lady Luck awhile, which is how they might say Monty Wheeler came to sign a publishing contract for his formal verse. He’d suffered the pains of rejection until deciding he’d had enough. Writing would be pure pleasure and hobby. Firm in the mindset that he’d never submit works again, he set out to enjoy life.

Life—like the world—changes. Never fear changing with the world. Networking is by far not a new concept, but as the world shrinks and the information highway is playground to faster and faster cars, social networking and interactive marketing become more common place. Through one avenue of social networking, and interacting with others across the Twitterverse, Wheeler met and interacted with other poets and writers, not realizing the scope of those reaches and how others’ lives might change as well, opening doors one might never expect.

When one whom Wheeler had befriended and interacted with on a social program known as Twitter offered guidance should he ever decide to submit a full collection of formal verse for publishing consideration, Wheeler’s vow to himself that submissions were things of his past faded, and he considered. . . Little did he know at that time, his fellow poet friend had ties to a publisher who favored new writers and poets. The walk with Lady Luck? Or direct results of this new social networking avenue?

As the release date nears for Wheeler’s debut collection of dark verse in meter and rhyme, he must remember, a contract does not mean success; there’s much to be done in the way of promotional work. The information highway and social interaction along such paths as Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, etc. . .play important roles in marketing and self-promotion as a writer and poet.

So whether by blind fool’s luck or an unguided trip through this new world of social networking, Wheeler will publish his first collection of poetry. He encourages those who’d seek to write and publish— or just to write—to change with it as the world changes and look to new ways of selling one’s self and one’s works.


Monty Wheeler, author of "The Many Shades of Dark", his debut collection of formal verse that comes to the shelves via Winter Goose Publishing in March of 2013, considers himself naught but a little old feller living out his days in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. With his work in meter and rhyme, he strives to keep the art of formal verse alive. His days, when not at the job that pays the bills, are spent in writing, fishing, hunting, and his newly-acquired want of gardening. You can find him on Twitter as @bumfuzzled2004, Facebook as Monty Wheeler and at GoodReads
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Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Private Critique Group Writer's Pen

Seeking new members


The PEN is for serious writers seeking publication.

We are looking for writers of fiction (novels or short stories). We are open to most genres: Young adult, fantasy, sci-fi, light horror, romance, steampunk, mainstream, etc. Absolutely NO pornography, Satanism or mockery of any God-based religion.

Members must be willing to post something (chapter/short story) by the 4th of each month, up to three posts not to exceed 6,000 words total. Members must also critique ALL posts by the last day of each month.

If you think this group would be for you, contact me at paulwwest@yahoo.com or send me a Private Message at the "Authors by Design" forum.
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Friday, February 1, 2013

Private Critique Groups

Since 2005 Authors by Design (AbD) offers to its members the option to join or create their own private critique groups for free. That means no paid memberships, the only requirement to join an AbD critique group is to be an active AbD member.

What are private critique groups?

Private Critique Groups, unlike public groups, can only be viewed by the members you chose to be in your group. No more worries about who's reading your work or if your work is now considered 'published'.

How does it work?

Each group decides its own rules and chooses its own moderator. Usually the moderator is the person who formed the group unless otherwise stated. If you were never a moderator before then one of the Administrators will explain how all the tools work. Its very easy.

Each group has a general discussion area and each member of the group has his/her own area to post their work in.

Example:

Private Group General Forum

Member 1 Forum

Member 2 Forum

Member 3 Forum

This helps members keep track of their own posts as well as their critiques without having to sift through everyone's post to find the one they need.

Authors by Design also offers a chat room and conference room. Groups can use these to meet and discuss their group's needs, offer on the spot feedback to their members, or even engage in some character role playing. Some of our groups have a rotation chat, where they meet once a week and focus on one member's story to offer suggestions, support and brainstorming.

How many members does a group need to have?

As many or as few as you like. The requirement to form your own private group is two members, after that you can add as many new members as you want.

What genre should the group be?

That is up to you. AbD is open to all genres therefore we will host groups of any genres. Usually its a good idea to form a group with members writing inside the same genre, but we've had mix-genre groups that have worked very well together.

Are there any requirements/rules for private group members?

Yes. Membership is free but there's a posting requirement for private groups. Members inside a private group have a mandatory posting requirement of one (1) post per week in the public areas of the AbD forum. This can be a reply to a topic posted by another member or you can start your own topic.

If you have further questions feel free to join us and contact one of our Administrators.

Happy writing!
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