WEbook Blog

AgentInbox Success Story #1

WEbooker and aspiring author Corey_Whaley (John Corey Whaley in the real world) submitted his YA novel to an agent through AgentInbox in October. In a few short days, one of our participating agents requested a full manuscript and by the end of the week, he had signed on with a prominent literary agent! Corey_Whaley, a middle school English teacher from Louisiana, wrote WEbook an email: "My life just changed." To find out more about this YA novelist, WEbook asked him a few random and not-so-random questions.

What was the inspiration for your novel? How long have you been working on it?
I originally came up with the idea for Good God Bird sometime in 2005 after hearing an interesting piece about the small town of Brinkley, Arkansas, on National Public Radio. The story was about the possible re-emergence of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in the woods near  the town, and included  interviews with townspeople as well as an original song composed in honor of the bird by singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens (which struck my original interest in the story). The story went through several phases over a two-year span after that. I re-worked it and re-worked it, but never got much done until the summer of 2007.  It was a few weeks after my first year of teaching public school English that I decided to finish the novel. With only  about 16 pages or so, I cranked out the rest of the novel in June and the first part of July of 2007. I wrote most of the novel on my laptop while camping at a lake in Arkansas.

What's the single most important thing you've learned as a writer?
I've learned to be patient and to let ideas come to me. I used to try and force myself to write, but now I just wait until I have one of those cathartic moments that forces me to drop everything and write. No more staring endlessly at flashing cursors for me.

What is the last argument you got into?
I had a small, silly argument over the pronunciation of cacophony the other night. We agreed to disagree.

How does writing fit into the rest of your life?
Right now, it's hard to find time to write because I teach middle school English and have just recently started getting involved in community theater here in town.  But, when I get a good idea, I try to fit in time on nights and weekends. Sometimes, when I get especially stressed at work, I will write things at my desk while my students are busy working. It sometimes makes for good distraction therapy.

When life gets hectic, what are you most likely to let slide?
When life gets especially hectic, I will let laundry pile up to embarrassing heights.

What was the first story you ever wrote?
My mother found this story --- we think it's from first grade. It was in my handwriting and the teacher wrote "very good story" at the top.

"Dr. Raccoon"
Dr. Raccoon was a nice doctor.  But, one day, a red fox came in.  The red fox was a nice fox, but one day he came in and said "Dr. Raccoon,  Where are you?" Then, he saw a red sign that said "No Foxes."

Corey, a huge congratulations from WEbook! This journey will no doubt be unforgettable.

John Corey Whaley grew up in the small town of Springhill, Louisiana, where he began winning writing contests in high school. He earned a B.A. in English at Louisiana Tech University in 2006 and began teaching public school English later that year in his hometown. Whaley earned an M.A.T. in Secondary English Education in 2009 and currently teaches middle school English in Shreveport, Louisiana.You can follow Corey on Twitter @Corey_Whaley.

WEbooker of the WEek Shares her Story

WEbook is a community of writers, so the new Community Storytelling Forum seems like a no-brainer. One person starts a story, and other writers contribute 500 words a piece until it's done. No feedback, no criticism, no discussion -- just writing, tag-team style. Sounds pretty fun, right? But it takes guts to be the first person to jump in, start a story, and let other people finish it. That's why this WEek's WoW badge goes to A_Netz, initiator of the first community story in the forum. Be sure to check out the story -- if you feel inspired, you can contribute, or even start a new story of your own! But first, let's get to know the newest WEbooker of the WEek.

Q: What's the brief story of your life, including your history with writing?

A: I was born in New South Wales, Australia but I moved up and down the east coast a lot during my childhood. Apart from that my life has been relatively uneventful. I come from a fairly big family and aside from the annual family holiday I haven't traveled much. I have been writing in my spare time for as long as I can remember. I find I can express myself better in writing. I have always suffered from low self esteem though and would rarely share my work with anyone. But I found if I wanted to sharpen my skills I had to get past that to seek constructive feedback, and that is what led me to WEbook.

Q: You started WEbook's first Community Story in the Community Storytelling Forum. What's it like sharing a story with other writers?

A: It was hard to come up with a concept that I was willing to let go of. Most writers, I believe, guard their ideas because when we have them we see where we want the story to go, how we want the characters portrayed, and we want to write it. However, that being said, I feel this is an extremely useful writing exercise and that is why I wanted to contribute. When I started it I had ideas of things I would like to happen during the story and I thought I would come back and make those things happen but it has gone in quite an unexpected direction. The different perspectives many people can have on the one idea never ceases to amaze me.

Q: Several of your books-in-progress involve schools and teachers. Who was your favorite teacher, and what was the most important thing he/she taught you?

A: The one teacher that made the most difference to me was a teacher I had in primary school. I remember clearly the day he asked everyone in the class what they wanted to be when they grew up and I said an author. He was a straight-talker and proceeded to tell me how difficult it would be. It drove me to keep trying and I now have a book published. He was a unique teacher who had a way of giving life lessons. One of the most important things he ever taught me was to never sign anything without reading it.

Q: You have quite a few books underway on the site. Which one is your main focus right now? How do you balance working on more than one project at a time?

A: I just finished the first Shadow Link novel and would really love to get more feedback on it. So far the comments have been really positive. I never really thought about it being a balancing act to work on more than one project at a time. I simply work on the story that I have an inspiration for.

Q: What was the first story you ever wrote?

A: The first story that I can remember was one about an ant who went into space and how he sneaked onto the rocket ship and his adventures while he was out there.

WEbooker of the WEek

Do you have a line on the wonderfullest writer on WEbook? The fantastickest feedbacker? Or anyone else who goes above and beyond to make WEbook the best writing, reading, and publishing community on the internet? Drop me an email, or visit my profile and send me a message with the title "WEbooker of the WEek" to nominate your favorite WEbooker and he or she will have a shot at joining the ranks of the immortals -- and getting a free WEbook T-shirt to boot.

Join WEbook Today

Sign up for WEbook today and start reading, writing, and feedbacking.

-- Melissa

WEbooker of the WEek is One Girl

WEbook poets are still hard at work gathering and submitting their three best poems to the WEbook Poetry Vote, which begins August 1 -- and WEbooker of the WEek is getting in on the fun, devoting one more week to the site's best poets. This week, we're focusing on Heather_Lynne, author of the collection One Girl, which uses verse to explore "college, parties, love, sexuality, rants, sexual assault, family and gender." Be sure to check out all of Heather_Lynne's WEbook writing -- but first, let's take a moment to get to know Heather_Lynne up close and personal.

Q: What's the brief story of your life, including your history with writing?

A: I'm a California girl. I've loved reading and writing since I was an over-imaginative only child. I'm a graduating literature major with an emphasis in poetry from UCSB.

Q: The title of your poetry project on WEbook is "One Girl," and you write a lot about female-specific themes. What do you think you would write about if you'd been born male?

A: I have no idea, and I think this is partially what my poetry explores. I'm not sure men can even really understand what it's like to be a woman and perhaps the same goes for the reverse. I think we must always move ourselves towards understanding others as much as possible, for with blunt knowledge comes empathy.

Q: Your writing persona is -- to borrow from your profile -- "sassy and smart." Is there any difference between how you come across in your poetry and who you are in real life?

A: I'm a very what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of girl. I think the voice in my writing is very true to my voice out loud as I live my life. I value honesty and forthrightness in the people I choose to surround myself with and always try to tell my truth in writing.

Q: Who's the smartest person you know, and what's the most important thing you've learned from him or her?

A: My friend Georgina is definitely up there on the genius ranks. Being her good friend in high school allowed me to witness firsthand the opportunities out there and things teenagers are capable of achieving if one is willing to work hard. Sometimes when I look back at my high school years I wonder how I managed to do as much as I did. Georgina is the one to thank!

Q: Describe your vision of a perfect day in your life 30 years from now.

A: I hope to have a family, spend the day in the sunshine with children and animals and crowd round a big dinner table each night. Simple but beautiful pleasures!

Q: Please write a short poem about the most interesting object in the room you're in right now.

A: two bunnies on the floor beside me
cuddling head to butt, front paws to feet
with creatures this clumsy, fuzzy
i''ll never need to watch tv!

WEbooker of the WEek

Do you have a line on the wonderfullest writer on WEbook? The fantastickest feedbacker? Or anyone else who goes above and beyond to make WEbook the best writing, reading, and publishing community on the internet? Drop me an email, or visit my profile and send me a message with the title "WEbooker of the WEek" to nominate your favorite WEbooker and he or she will have a shot at joining the ranks of the immortals -- and getting a free WEbook T-shirt to boot.

Join WEbook Today

Sign up for WEbook today and start reading, writing, and feedbacking.

-- Melissa

WEbooker of the WEek Finds Beauty in Simplicity

As WEbook's first ever poetry vote continues to accept submissions, we're shining the light on Brian_Kupillas, WEbook poet extraordinaire. According to Brian's profile, he's "in love with the world," and it shows. His WEbook project, My Body, the Waterfall, is a collection of poetry that celebrates the beauty in everyday moments and explores the mysteries of life and death.

Pretty deep, right? To find out more about the mind that brings us these poems, WEbook asked Brian a few equally deep questions.

Q: What's the brief story of your life, including your history with writing?

A: I am a young, white male, born into the middle class. I went to good schools, and never struggled for much. The world has always been at my feet. Nothing out of the ordinary, I am pretty much your average person. I have problems with small things, and I write when I can. I started out emulating my favorite writers and musicians, and just wrote lyrics, but over time have become more and more free verse and poetic and have come into a style I'd like to think is somewhat my own. Like I said, I have nothing special in my back story, but it's the life I'm in right now I think is interesting -- the one that makes up all these ideas.

Q: What was the title of the first poem you wrote?

A: I couldn't tell you. I've been writing for a long time. And I'm constantly writing more and more. Whatever it was, it was probably in 4th grade and not very good.

Q: What is your favorite word?

A: Cedar

Q: What kind of poems do you like to write best?

A: Haiku. Because there's so much beauty in some of the simplest things. And when you say something profound it only adds onto the weight of those words when the phrase is short.

Q: Who is your least favorite famous or canonical poet?

A: I don't know. I can find a fault with most poets. But I can also find a strength. And there's something dangerous about stating who your least favorite poet is on a writing website, especially when literature seems to create people that will argue over anything to do with anyone who claims to be an author or poet. So to avoid a battle, I'd rather not.

Q: What's a better subject for poetry: love, or heartbreak?

A: Love. It's infinitely better. Both enter into the realm of cliche very often, but it's a lot harder to believe in something as grand as love then it is to simply be sad or angry at such a hard thing to grasp. If you can write well in the way of love, you must be quite the writer.

WEbooker of the WEek

Do you have a line on the wonderfullest writer on WEbook? The fantastickest feedbacker? Or anyone else who goes above and beyond to make WEbook the best writing, reading, and publishing community on the internet? Drop me an email, or visit my profile and send me a message with the title "WEbooker of the WEek" to nominate your favorite WEbooker and he or she will have a shot at joining the ranks of the immortals -- and getting a free WEbook T-shirt to boot.

Join WEbook Today

Sign up for WEbook today and start reading, writing, and feedbacking.

-- Melissa

WEbooker of the WEek: Shout Out to the Poets

The WEbook Poetry Vote begins accepting submissions today! From June 15 through July 31st, WEbook poets are invited to submit their very best work to be considered for publication in a single volume. WEbookers will spend the month of August voting for their favorite poems, and the votes will determine which poems get published.

In honor of this venture, WEbooker of the WEek will be shining the spotlight on WEbook's top poetry talent. First up is Maia06, author of the poetry collections Apple Picking and Time Enough for That, among other works. Maia06 uses poetry to express "not just love and angst, but humor, observations, opinions, you name it." To find out more about this far-reaching poet, WEbook asked a few hard-hitting questions.

Q: What's the story of your life, including your history with writing?

A: I was born and raised in Milwaukee, WI by an extremely supportive father and a mom who practically survived on books and poetry.  She used to recite “Jabberwocky” to me when I was still in my crib, and when I wanted to read “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe when I was four years old, she helped me with any words I didn’t know.  There was no such thing as a book that I was too young for, so I was an avid Agatha Christie fan by the second grade.  She read me poetry by Edna St. Vincent Millay and Nikki Giovani and the Plains Poetry Journal almost daily, and I loved every word.  After that, it’s pretty simple; if you love reading, if you love words, you will write.  Poetry speaks to me.

Q: We all feel misunderstood sometimes -- poets perhaps more so than "normal" folk. If you could set everyone straight using only six words, what would you say?

A: The world is bigger than you.

Q: What is the last word in the last poem you wrote?

A: Know

Q: If you could ban a single word from all poetry for the rest of time, what word would you choose?

A: Pain

Q: What is your favorite line from your favorite "famous" poem?

A: One?  Seriously?!  Okay, then this one: “…for the leaping greenly spirit of trees” from a poem by E.E. Cummings

Q: Please write a short poem about the worst day of your life.

A: I already wrote that one.  It’s called “Time Enough for That”:

This morning I stood up
directly under the cabinet door.
Corner met cranium sharply
and a very dirty word fell
out of my mouth
as a coffee cup hit the floor.

I watched a mother cradle
a dying infant on a day-time
made-for-tv movie
meant for happy home-makers
to fill nap time.
I folded the laundry.

I recalled this was the day
last year,
the phone call came.
They didn’t say,
but they should have said,
nothing will ever be the same.
I started making dinner.

Chicken pieces browning on the stove,
snap peas steaming open.
At the kitchen table I chop
a Vidalia into tiny and tinier bits.
I cry and cry over the onion

WEbooker of the WEek

Do you have a line on the wonderfullest writer on WEbook? The fantastickest feedbacker? Or anyone else who goes above and beyond to make WEbook the best writing, reading, and publishing community on the internet? Drop me an email, or visit my profile and send me a message with the title "WEbooker of the WEek" to nominate your favorite WEbooker and he or she will have a shot at joining the ranks of the immortals -- and getting a free WEbook T-shirt to boot.

Join WEbook Today

Sign up for WEbook today and start reading, writing, and feedbacking.

-- Melissa

WEbooker of the WEek Writes it Like She Says it

If you're looking for colorful language, colorful characters, and colorful situations, lisaflint, this WEek's WEbooker, has you covered. The folks lisaflint writes about often sound like they stepped right off the set of a sitcom, minus the polished grammar and powdered noses. The big surprise? Every one of lisaflint's characters exists in real life. To find out what it's like to live with such rollicking personalities, WEbook asked lisaflint a few tough questions.

Q: What's the brief story of your life, including your history with writing? 

A: First off, aside from my life's goal of making it on Oprah and being one of her book club suggestions, I've wanted to be WEbooker of the Week, and that's god's honest truth right there! 

I'm a mom of two outstanding daughters, the meemaw of one awesome grandson, and I have a fantabulous godson named Tylan, who has called me Happy Day from the time that he was able to speak. How lucky can a person be to be someone's Happy Day every day of their life?

My writing comes straight from my mind to my fingers. What really started my writing was my friend in high school, Shelly. She would beg me to make up stories about these two dream guys we went to school with but never had the courage to actually speak to. Then my friend David and I started competing against each other to see who could out-write the other in naughty teen story telling.

Q: You write a lot about the American south, yet you are a mid-westerner. Do you think you may have been a southerner in a past life?

A: I believe I ran a whorehouse in my past life, and one in the deep south. I wasn't pretty enough to be a whore, but I ran a tight ship and my girls did a good service. The mid-western thing in this life was to pay back some karmic debt I owed. I believe I'm paid up.

Q: Your writing is filled with colorful characters from your real life. For those WEbookers who haven't read your work yet, tell us a little something about these folks. Have you experienced any complications as a result of writing about people you know?

A: Every person I write about is truly real. Even the names of the people are real. When I write, I want the reader to feel as if they have met this person or know people exactly like that, only in their part of the world.

The only person to give me grief about my writings was my sister-in-law. I've offered to pay for the surgery to have the stick removed from her butt when I make it big, but she seemed to not appreciate the offer. Other than that, Miss Lou is my biggest focus. She gives me lots to write about and calls me all the time to mention things I should write about. Then there's my family, but I don't have it in me to write all about them just yet.

Q: In your writing, the grammar, spelling, and punctuation is not always perfect. What's your defense? 

A: I write like I talk, I don't abuse my spell checker, and I may have a case of undiagnosed Attention Deficit Disorder.

I do have a lot of friends who say they would enjoy reading more if books weren't so full of words they don't understand. I don't want readers to feel intimidated by my writings, I want them to feel like they are reading a book that talks just like they do. In the real world, people who read aren't scanning a book for the proper grammar or punctuation. My books could be a two-fold experience: You can enjoy the story, while seeing how many errors you can find. I'm sure to the educated reader, my stories are painful to get through, but I'm just a regular girl with a desire to be a fine story-teller.

Thank god I found WEbook! My favorite haunting grounds are in the WTF series, where my WEbook family is giving me the proper nudges. It's taking some time for me to soak it all up, but I promise I will give them their own acknowledgments when my first book, Blue Rinse & Common Sense, is published.

Q: What's your favorite midnight snack? 

A: Cake icing and dill pickle juice.

WEbooker of the WEek

Do you have a line on the wonderfullest writer on WEbook? The fantastickest feedbacker? Or anyone else who goes above and beyond to make WEbook the best writing, reading, and publishing community on the internet? Drop me an email, or visit my profile and send me a message with the title "WEbooker of the WEek" to nominate your favorite WEbooker and he or she will have a shot at joining the ranks of the immortals -- and getting a free WEbook T-shirt to boot.

Join WEbook Today

Sign up for WEbook today and start reading, writing, and feedbacking.

-- Melissa

 

WEbooker of the WEek Multitasks

Most of us would be happy to write one book, in one language. For this WEek's WEbooker, Miz_YouNeek, that would be far too boring. Miz_YouNeek -- known as Fisayo, or "Fizzy," IRL -- is working on five books on WEbook. They're all written in English, but it would be possible for Miz_YouNeek to write each of those five books in a different language -- she also speaks German, Japanese, French, and Yoruba. And she's only 14 years old!

To find out more about this remarkable young writer, WEbook asked a few tough questions:

Q: What is the brief story of your life, including your history with writing?

A: I was born in Nigeria and I moved to London when I was 7. I started being sort of a bookworm at around that age as well -- in fact, you never saw me without a book in my hand, and as I got older I was intrigued by more and more books. At the moment I think I have read almost all the romantic books in the junior fiction section of my school library. Then I started thinking, I would love people to read something of mine, so I started writing and progressed from there. I hope one of my books becomes a bestseller.

Q: In the introduction to your project Pressure, you write,"I've included a lot of familiar people within my life into this book but have changed their names." Has anyone you know ever recognized themselves in something you wrote? If so, what was their reaction? How do you think you would feel if you ever came across a character in a book that you thought might be based on you?

A: Actually, yes, I do believe some of my friends guessed that some of the characters' personalities in my book Pressure were based on their own. Some were shocked, happy, and one or two were practically jumping over the moon. If I ever came across a book that was based on me by an author I didn't know of, I would be shocked and then investigate. But I guess I really wouldn't mind if what was written about me was not insulting.

Q: You have a lot of unfinished novels on WEbook! (I count at least five.) How do you manage to keep so many projects straight in your head? When you sit down to write, how do you decide what to work on?

A: Hmmm, yes. A few people have asked me about that. It's just that Pressure was my first ever book and sometimes when I read other books or watch movies, a new idea for a different book comes into my head and blocks the flow of Pressure. So I have to scribble it down somewhere and then continue with Pressure. I listen to my heart and the occasional voices in my head, when I sit down and decide to write. I also let my imagination run wild.

Q: You speak five languages! If you could speak one more, what would it be, and why?

A: Yes, I do speak five languages, but  English, German, and Yoruba more fluently. I need to brush up on my Japanese and French. If I could speak one more language, I guess it would have to be Arabic, because I was born a Muslim, but I'm only just learning about the religion now. I would like to learn more about it as soon as possible.

Q: If you could have dinner with a fellow WEbooker of your choice, who would it be, and what would you talk about?

A: Ooh, this is a tricky one. I would probably choose Beauty_Within, because she seems like a very fun and kind person. We would talk about books and anime, because I've noticed we have those two things in common.

WEbooker of the WEek

Do you have a line on the wonderfullest writer on WEbook? The fantastickest feedbacker? Or anyone else who goes above and beyond to make WEbook the best writing, reading, and publishing community on the internet? Drop me an email, or visit my profile and send me a message with the title "WEbooker of the WEek" to nominate your favorite WEbooker and he or she will have a shot at joining the ranks of the immortals -- and getting a free WEbook T-shirt to boot.

Join WEbook Today

Sign up for WEbook today and start reading, writing, and feedbacking.

-- Melissa

WEbooker of the WEek -- Memorial Day Edition

One of the great things about reading is that it allows us to see into the minds of people we'll never meet, and share experiences that make our worlds a little bigger. It is this aspect of reading that drew me to this WEek's WEbooker, penbuddy. Reading penbuddy's work feels like finding a diary page on the sidewalk -- if the diarist is particularly thoughtful, descriptive, and talented. Appropriately enough for the day, penbuddy is also a veteran of the armed forces. He writes about his childhood, his time in Vietnam, the pleasure of love, and the pain of its loss. You can discover his work for yourself here -- but first, WEbook asks penbuddy a few tough questions.

Q: What's the brief story of your life, including your history with writing?

A: I was born in a small town on the southern tier of New York, and raised in Whitesville, a smaller town twelve miles southeast. Due to a split between my mom and dad, I was raised by my aunt and uncle.  This -- the bad and good of it -- had a great influence on who I became.

I began to write serious pieces as a result of English assignments in seventh grade, where I had discovered the joy of reading. Poetry flowed from the passion I developed as my voice began to crack as an adolescent. I continued to write from my heart in verse and in prose, even as I withdrew from college to enlist into the USMC. While in the Corps, I continued my education through extension and correspondence courses. While serving in Vietnam, I took a Corps sanctioned correspondence course in creative writing through Utah University.

After leaving the Corps, I married, had two beautiful children, and then got divorced and am married again. Through it all, my faith has carried me, even when I thought I just couldn't take any more. I have a deep faith and desire to know truth. I have gone on missions to Cuba as an evangelist and found it much more rewarding to fight the ideology with words than with war. I have pastored three congregations, started two, and served as co-minister with one. I have an associate's degree in mechanical engineering technology and an honorary doctorate in divinity. I've supported myself through secular work all my life, preferring not to be a burden on anyone in my ministry work.

Q: How did your project Reflections on the Imperfections of Humanity get started? What's your favorite contribution from a fellow WEbooker?

A: I began the project because I had so many stories that described the weirdness of life, the imperfections of the human condition, and supernatural experiences. I knew that I am not the only one who has stories like this, so I wanted to open it up to all.

It is a little challenging to pick a favorite contribution from a fellow WEbooker. Each contribution brings to the table a flavor of its own. Some are a bit more polished, while others might describe a more compelling experience. Like a good buffet, we consume each for its unique flavor, texture and visual appealing. I struggle to point to one contribution or contributor and say, "That is the one I like best."

Q: You start many (if not all) of your pieces with a quote. Where do you find your quotes? What do you think they add to your writing?

A: I recall many quotes from a play or work I have read. I find others on this site: http://www.quotationspage.com

I believe the quotes serve a couple of functions. They bring more than just my thoughts into the circle, right off the bat. People have a propensity to look for consensus, and including a quote encourages the reader to stop for a moment and ponder where I might take them in the narrative. Quotes also help set the psychological atmosphere for the read.

Q: What's your favorite quote today?

A: Other than the Bible, most of my favorite quotes come from Shakespeare's plays and the works of Thoreau. One quote that has become my touchstone in life is this one, from Hamlet:

"This above all: to thine own self be true; And it must follow, as the night the day; Thou canst not then be false to any man."
-- William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act I, Scene iii

I also like this one:

"Be true to your work, your word, and your friend."
-- Henry David Thoreau

Q: What is your favorite thing to eat on Memorial Day?

A: Watermelon

WEbooker of the WEek

Do you have a line on the wonderfullest writer on WEbook? The fantastickest feedbacker? Or anyone else who goes above and beyond to make WEbook the best writing, reading, and publishing community on the internet? Drop me an email, or visit my profile and send me a message with the title "WEbooker of the WEek" to nominate your favorite WEbooker and he or she will have a shot at joining the ranks of the immortals -- and getting a free WEbook T-shirt to boot.

Join WEbook Today

Sign up for WEbook today and start reading, writing, and feedbacking.

-- Melissa

WEbooker of the WEek Wonders: Have you "Birchcrofted?"

This week's WEbooker of the Week changes her avatar so frequently, we're often left asking: Who's the real May_Birchcroft? 

Here's what we know. May_Birchcroft lives in the UK. She's one of our youngest (13) and most active members (2,289 forum posts and counting). She can write. (She contributed to Jan 20: True Stories, Real People, One Day -- and is working on a Young Adult project titled "Acres of Moon.")  And she changes her avatar more than airplanes change time zones! 

To learn more about the ever-changing May, I did the logical thing: Asked her a few random and not-so-random questions.

1. How did the whole "Birchcrofting" thing get started?

“Birchcrofting” was something that came up waaay back last year when I first joined. I couldn’t find a picture of myself that I actually liked -- cue lots of avatar changing. Levimont noticed this and well, that was the birth of birchcrofting (or BCing, whatever floats your virtual boat). To "Birchcroft” is to change one’s avatar frequently for no apparent reason and I seem to do it a lot. At least once a day, methinks.

2. What are your tips for being a great WEbook community member?

I think that on the WEbook forums it pays off to be polite to the other members -- hey, it’s no fun once we’ve all pressed the “ignore user” button! I think being a little insane helps, too, and some tongue-in-cheekness never hurts. Oh, and the best way to get feedback is to review someone else’s work first; if you ask for it in the General Chat section, um, nothing happens. Spammers are lightly toasted to perfection, drizzled in Vaseline, and then consumed by the WEbook regulars.

3. Okay, you're 13.  How do have time to do so much WEbooking? Are you posting to the General Chat forum during class?  (We won't tell anyone.)

Yeah, 13 (but I turn 14 in July, if anyone wants to buy me a present). WEbook in school? I wish! Not only does my school come complete with internet safeguards that block everything from the BBC to the Teletubbies, but trying to use one of the laptops to get access is like gouging your eyes out with nothing but a hairbrush. I think I spend so much time on here because everyone’s awesome and everywhere oozes (fun word, no?) with awesomeness, plus I love the fact that you get free feedback on your work! I think my writing’s really improved since I joined (even if I only post a fraction of what I write), not to mention my expanding circle of “internet buddies."

4.  Tell us about your project, "Acres of Moon."

"Acres of Moon" is something of a work in progress. It’s about a family who is “lucky” -- and when global warming gets so bad that Earth needs to be evacuated, they get an acre of moon to start their lives over on. However, they’re living with their extended-family-slash-arch-enemies, so naturally chaos ensues, with a few plot twists along the way. And, there’s much more to a farewell present than meets the eye. I actually have a lot more of the story written than I’ve posted, but I spend far too much time on the forums to post the next chapter. Oops.

5. Got a writing routine?

My writing “routine” consists of me eating sugary food and then typing what resembles someone rolling around on their keyboard in agony (i.e. it makes no sense whatsoever until it’s been edited.) Other than that, I don’t really have a routine, although I do always write in my bedroom, in the evenings whilst listening to Evanescence and eating polo mints. 

6.  Is middle school (is that what they call it in the UK?) as bad as I remember?

Middle school/Senior school/The Nunnery from Hell sucks quite a bit.  I like it, but at the same time it sucks.  Makes sense, huh? I go to a grammar school, so that means no boys, twice as much homework, and being forced to take thirteen GCSEs (important tests). That being said, my friends rock and I’d probably get bored if I didn’t go. I always thought schools in America looked much more exciting than English schools --  mainly because the students don’t have to wear uniforms and they all have fun accents. Or at least, that’s what I learned from South Park and The Simpsons.

WEbooker of the WEek

Do you have a line on the wonderfullest writer on WEbook? The fantastickest feedbacker? Or anyone else who goes above and beyond to make WEbook the best writing, reading, and publishing community on the internet? Drop me an email, or visit my profile and send me a message with the title "WEbooker of the WEek" to nominate your favorite WEbooker and he or she will have a shot at joining the ranks of the immortals -- and getting a free WEbook T-shirt to boot.

Join WEbook Today

Sign-up for WEbook to start reading, writing, feedbacking -- and "birchcrofting" -- today.

- TsungChi

WEbooker of the WEek, Mother's Day Edition

Happy Mother's Day, WEbook. What better way to honor moms than to pick a real, live WEbook mother to be WEbooker of the WEek?

Cindi_Greene was introduced to WEbook by her daughter, former WoW Rebecca_Grey (who is also a new mother -- of twins!). What's it like to be one half of a mother-daughter WEbooking team? To find out this and more, I asked Cindi_Greene a few probing questions.

Q: What's the brief story of your life, including your history with writing?

A: I've lived all over the world since graduating high school. Ijoined the army when I was 25, and remained in the military for 11 years. I had my daughter, Rebecca, in that time frame.  I have lived my life to the fullest, or as much as I possibly could. I raised my daughter on my own and tried to instill in her  qualities to help her live and learn as I've tried to do. I've had a few hard knocks but always try to learn from my mistakes.

I started writing in my senior year of high school in a creative writing class and fell in love with this type expression of my thoughts. But it has only been over the last five or six years that I have taken it seriously. When I took another creative writing class in California I realized I wanted to see how far I could go and how much I could learn. I started to write a novel based somewhat on my life and will be finishing it soon.

Q: In your profile, you mention that Stephen King is your favorite writer. What do you like best about his books?

A: Stephen King has a way of drawing his readers in. I read Carrie when I was 17 and have been reading him ever since.  He talks to his readers -- he calls them "The Constant Reader" -- and it is like he is telling you a story. He has an easy way about him, and it is very seldom that I want to just get past the boring part, because for me there is no boring part.  He knows how to tell a story and make it believable.

Q: You lead a project called The Wee Books, which any WEbooker can contribute to. For those who haven't come across it yet, what's the idea behind The Wee Books? Why did you choose this format instead of traditional short stories?

A: Ahh, The Wee Books. I love this project! It is so much fun. I had been on this site for a couple of months and saw all the projects for short stories and remembered something from my creative class -- building the suspense to a peak and then ending it all within the story. Well, I thought, what if there is a word limit and within that limit you write a story in five parts? Writers have to find the starting place and the peak, and then bring it to climax. It allows the writer to use the word limit to find the rhyme and reason to the story and still stay within set guidelines. It has taught me to think about the story and to make it draw the reader in so they will want to go to the next part.  I've had to rewrite a couple of my own stories because they didn't tell the story the way I had intended.

Q: Happy Mother's Day! Your daughter, former WoW Rebecca_Grey, introduced you to this site. She's a new mom, too -- of twins, no less! What's it like having a daughter who is also a writer? Did your own mother encourage you to write? Having kids certainly decreases the amount of time a mom is able to spend writing -- are there any advantages to being both a mom and a writer?

A: Yes, I am very proud of my daughter Rebecca. It is pure joy to be around her little girls. As for her writing, well, she humbles me. She is amazing in her own right and I honestly feel she will be published one day. She is one of my hardest and best critics. I go to her first to critique my work because I know she will tell me the honest truth. I try to do the same for her. And usually what she suggests is on the money. 

I didn't start really becoming involved in writing until after my mother passed away. She did like to sketch and my father was a singer, so there is a lot of creativity running through my veins and Rebecca's. I think writing is one of the greatest outlets to voice your emotions. I used to write a lot of free verse poetry and then I turned to writing stories. Being a mother has given me tons of material to write about, as it will Rebecca. She will find her niche to work on her stories as she gets her own schedule going but being a new grandmother has given me insight into a new world and with that comes great anecdotes to write about some of which are in Glimpses of My Future.

Q: What is the best Mother's Day gift you've ever received?

A: I would have to say this year was the best Mother's Day to date. Rebecca and I got to have a nice brunch together and catch a movie sans twins and because she is my best friend we had a great time. 

Q: Who is your favorite Mom character from literature?

A: My favorite mother would have to me Marmee March from Little Women. She was a strong woman and tried to teach her children in the ways of the world -- which is all any of us really want to do, don't we?

WEbooker of the WEek

Do you have a line on the wonderfullest writer on WEbook? The fantastickest feedbacker? Or anyone else who goes above and beyond to make WEbook the best writing, reading, and publishing community on the internet? Drop me an email, or visit my profile and send me a message with the title "WEbooker of the WEek" to nominate your favorite WEbooker and he or she will have a shot at joining the ranks of the immortals -- and getting a free WEbook T-shirt to boot.

Join WEbook Today

Sign up for WEbook today and start reading, writing, and feedbacking.

-- Melissa