Welcome to The Avid Reader. I am hosting a tour for Making Connections Blog Tours. Featuring Jeffrey Zweig II and his book The End Begins: The Nine. I would like to welcome Jeffrey Zweig II to The Avid Reader. Thanks for joining us Jeffrey. Today Jeffrey will be giving us some Tips for Assembling a Writing Group.
Book Title: The End Begins: The Nine
Series: Trinity Trilogy
Author: Jeffrey Zweig II
Published: September 28, 2011
Published by: Self Published
Genre: Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Alternate History
Synopsis:
A young alchemist, Cassarah Telmar, thought training at the magic academy was what life was about, until she discovered it's students powers were being stolen by the Coalition, an ambiguous corporation turned warmongering militia. Cass escapes their program and vows to bring them down.
The key lies on the young James Kesumare's mind, who is responsible for destroying the gate technology that's stranded the Coalition and forced them to survive in a backward parallel world. Cass wants nothing more than to destroy them and free her clan, but she's too blind to see that the end begins for both the Coalition, and herself. She will have to chose between living under their thumb, or dying with freedom.
Buy Links:
Amazon
Smashwords
Createspace
The early morning light of Cass’s fourth day in Jurgin almost blinded her. It was the second day having taken on an overnight shift and the hours were worn on her face. Children with large backpacks passed her, smiling and waving. Some of her other neighbors acknowledged her with a wave, though they seemed to still avoid her despite having blended into their population quite well.
From the street, Cass entered a small diner, very homely and inviting even with a small layer of noticeable dust. Once inside she noticed her other co-workers sat in a booth not far from the front door. She quickly turned away and sat in her own booth. The waitress was quick to come by to take her order. The male co-workers from the other side of the room tried to grab her attention, but she paid little attention and was thankful when her food arrived.
This diner she’d visited since coming to Jurgin specialized in hearty meals of bacon, eggs, and sausage, though she defied the usual for hash browns and eggs. The food was quick to come and she enjoyed the taste and though she only nibbled at the meat, she gorged herself on eggs, potatoes, and toast. Already the feeling crept in that she was losing herself in the local community’s filth at times.
As she tore into a strip of bacon, her glance shifted to the floor, a discarded newspaper sat under her feet. She brought it up to the table when a long article on the side of the newspaper’s face with an image of Skylar and some other Tro-Dey’s greeting the locals of that area the picture was taken, that had a name she had a hard time saying.
Cass scanned the plain-faced type font of the article, which at first caught her off guard to how similar it was to her own. She learned it was an interview given by Skylar, their acting representative, during the Nine’s first visit to Washington. They were interested in expanding their influence to the country in light of the issues the ravaged country had.
The young woman sank in her chair in anguish as one of her co-workers, a six-foot-something rotund man with large, black, and round glasses came and sat at her booth. She didn’t respond to his presence.
“What you readin’?” he asked.
“Nothing in particular,” she lied. He leaned on the table toward her.
“Look, Jass. Let’s face it. No one around here has taken to you too well. I know you’re not from around here and so do most of us. All I’m saying is, you hang with the right people, and things will go easier for you. Just trying to make your life a little easier. I’m sure you can appreciate that, can’t you?”
Dwelling in her personal hell, her vision locked on the paper until the fat man swiped the newspaper from her.
“Are you listening, Jass?” he asked.
Cass shot up from the table. “My name is Cass! C-A-double-S!” Her diamond blue eyes narrowed at him. “I’ve had enough of your insistent meddling in my affairs. I am not going to,” she searched her mind a second for the right word, “fuck? You? Okay? Get found? Lost? Go away! Leave me be,” she threw down some flamboyant currency on the table and left for the door.
The man, with the paper in hand, stood from the booth. Before she made it to the door, two men, the fat man’s lapdogs from his booth, had the door blocked.
“Let me pass.”
“Jass,” the fat man gingerly called to her, “It would be in your best interests if you…”
The moment the fat man put a hand on her shoulder, she kicked into the side of his knee. He yelped an octave higher while his mass crashed to the ground with a loud thud. As the young alchemist’s attention returned to the two men at the door, her face connected with the fist of one of the lapdogs. Disoriented, the other shoved her into the diner’s counter.
As they advanced on her, she groped the counter for a weapon.
Steak knife. Dirty but sharp, she thought, but the lap dog’s greedy hands pinned her against the counter with their strength.
The fat man wobbled to his feet with a face red with anger. She felt his next course of action was going to be a violent one.
There were no options now; she had got in over her head.
Cass willed energy into her hands until they were a hint of red, then grabbed the closest man that held an arm and burned them. He released her, cursing while the skin on his forearm blistered instantly.
When the other tried to restrain her, she landed a quick jab that left knuckle marks in their skin, then released the energy housed in her hand and shot a small fireball into his face. The second lackey was down for the count, their skin was red, blistered and cracked.
But the fat man would not be detoured, and lumbered after her. She brushed her hands as they turned blue against her clothes. Energy crackled along the veins of her hands as she drew it from her torso and double-fisted him in the chest.
The sudden impact knocked the glasses off the large man’s face as he stumbled across the room and crashed into a table while he went into cardiac arrest. The other lackey, with forearms burnt, backed away. Cass stood, bleeding with her power, triumphant.
Then came the stares and shocked faces of the witnesses around her.
Tips for Assembling a Writing Group
One of the best tools of a writer’s arsenal can be his writing group, a group of people who want feedback so they can gauge how well they are writing. Having been with a few groups over the last couple years, today I’ll go over what you need to look for and what to watch out for when assembling your group.
A writing group should consist of a few core values:
- Establish an Ultimate Goal – What is the goal of the group? To be published? Is it a past time? Socializing? This should be established from the beginning so that everyone knows the expectation of themselves and of the other members.
- Experience of the writers – It is important to have a variety of experience and background within the group or at the very least similar experience levels. Though you might not know what you’re dealing with until you have a meeting or two, it'll be important to make a mental note of what the group’s assets are.
- Genre – depending on your group, you may want a group where everyone writes a common genre (ex. urban fantasy or contemporary romance). Or maybe you want to expose yourself to other kinds of stories so you allow other genres in. That is up to you and your group members. I feel there’s no right or wrong answer for this. I would just be careful not to be too polarizing and that everyone wants to be open to it.
- Quality expectations – Are you working rough drafts or complete works? In my group I have one guy who gives us stuff he feels is ready to be sent out, while another gives us outlines of what he wants, making sure his story is working before investing too much time in the writing. Another expectation that should be made clear pretty early on. Some may not want to mess with developmental stuff and want to work with stuff that is ready, and others might be the opposite.
- Meeting frequency –We meet twice a month on Mondays, giving us time for other commitments every other week. It’s important to establish a consistent meeting day and time to keep confusion down and keep from botching everyone’s weekly schedules. If people feel like the meetings have no consistency, they won’t take it seriously and may stop coming.
My current group, for example, has a person with a Master’s Degree in English, a published story author, an English teacher, and a self-published author with a degree in film production, and one who is a complete newbie to the industry. There’s a wealth of knowledge to draw upon and allows growth in different ways. The unpublished draws upon the published. The self-published can rely on the grammar experience of the English major. See the picture? A symbiotic relationship is established here.
Now that I’ve covered things some things you should have for a group. There are some things you need to watch out for that can hamper a group:
- Don’t be just a spectator. Work on other people’s work and they will do yours in return. That’s how it should work. Only wanting to hear about your work and not wanting to work on other’s does not make a good group member. This should not be tolerated in order of fairness among everyone attending. Once in a blue moon is okay, things come up. But it should not be a recurring thing.
- Do not bring a ton of emotional/demonic/self-hating stuff to the group. It’s not productive most of the time. We had a guy going through therapy who brought this kind of stuff. His stories were vague and incoherent pieces about murder/rape and he didn’t really critique other people’s stories, just looked for feedback on his own. He eventually ended up not returning after two meetings. Some things are not meant for the group, working out personal issues in this manner is one of them.
- Socializing. There’s nothing wrong with talking and chit chatting but don’t let it detract from the work. That's what you're there for. We have our good times in our group but we’re pretty serious about our work and waste little time between the two hours we have. We're too busy to do that. Again this is a preference you should set with your group in the beginning. Don’t be afraid to reign in everyone if you stray too far off the path.
- Not showing up, always calling off. Watch out for those who are serious and those who are not (again depending on your goals/expectations for the group, you may or may not be lax about attendance). Sometimes things come up that someone has to drop out, or maybe they weren't serious to begin with. Protect yourself and your time – if people are making excuses for weeks in a row it might be time to start looking for a new group.
- You are not married to your group. There will be those who take things too personally, or get too personal attached to the people they work with. Don't be! Especially if you are trying to get published. I went to a convention recently and someone told me after one of the writing panels I was on that they had a group member get offered representation - but wanted to check with their writing group first. They never got signed. Don't be that guy!
Also you may realize that your group isn't working. You guys just don't have the same tastes. Your talent levels are nowhere near each other. The list goes on. That’s okay! These issues will vary from group to group but the bottom line is this - if you are not getting what you want out of the group, either take steps to change it within, or get out and start new. Don't be afraid to voice your concerns, and if it is taken personally get out. You don't owe them anything except to tell them you are moving on.
So now that that’s covered, where do you find awesome people to share your journey to publication? Our group members were found on craigslist looking for writers/artist looking to join one. Other places to look for opportunities are: Facebook, a writing class or seminar, conventions, and sometimes even bookstores have bulletin boards for such things. Get out there and explore!
- Graduate of Indiana State University Yr. 2008
- Degree in Film Production, emphasis on Creative Writing.
- Interned at Escape Artists (SONY Entertainment) and other Companies
- Provided Screenwriting coverage
- He’s placed in the Semi-Finals for the 13th Annual Fade In Screenplay Competition and made Official Selection for the Cinema City Film Festival.
- Born and Raised in Gary/Merrillville, Indiana. Currently living in Indianapolis.
- Genre focus is Science Fiction/Fantasy with various subgenres.
- Author Influences: China Miéville, Robert A. Heinlein, and Mira Grant.
- A voice over volunteer for the non-profit Reading and Radio Resource.
Born and Raised in the state of Indiana, Jeffrey Zweig II is a self published author of Epic Science Fiction/Fantasy. His degree from Indiana State University, with a background in DIY film production, and internships with various production companies laid the foundation for his creative career and for living life on his terms. He resides in Indianapolis, Indiana living the dream, as they say.
When not writing he volunteers his time remotely with the Dallas based non-profit Reading and Radio Resource, a company specializing in aiding those with disabilities to enjoy literature.
His Blog: Stories of the Sleepless Mind
His Wiki: Zweig Independent Publications
0 comments:
Post a Comment