There seems to be a 1001 questions to be answered about the Publishing and Screenwriting industries and we're doing our best to cover as many of them as possible.  But, this Question and Answer section includes a good deal more than various information for assisting writers who are members, or just visitors to our website.  Take your time -- you might find yourself quite surprised at some very important things included dealing with all types of computer and Internet issues.  If we've missed anything you'd like to know, ask your Question at the end of this page and we'll respond as quickly as possible.


THE FOLLOWING LINKS ARE SHORTCUTS TO VARIOUS SUBJECTS

• Computer Comparisons and Such
  
• Computer Problems and the Internet
  
• Contests -- Are they Worth It?
  
• Printing On Demand (POD)
  
• Screenwriting vs. Writing to Publish
  
• Self-Publishing
  
• Traditional Publishing
  
• Website Q&As
  
• Word Processors for Writing
  

ABOUT COMPUTER RELATED ISSUES

(Question) Do I need a newer computer to be able to do my writing?

(Answer) Absolutely not!  The older computers are able to do everything the newer computers can do when it comes to most functions, and programs used for writing purposes are some of the simplest that exist -- not requiring a whole lot of memory to operate efficiently.  Basically, what your buying in a new computer is upgrades making it have more operating memory and storage capacity.  It is the software upgrades you should be concerned about, if anything, but we won't go into that here (refer to Word Processors in these FAQs).  The advent of the Personal Computer (PC) was a 'Godsend' for writers. They provide both the novice and professional the ability to not only save their works electronically to recall later, they provide features never possible back in the days of standard or even electric typewriters. Most important, you can edit your text; rearrange it however you desire; delete entire sections with a couple of clips; cut and paste; have other related document files open at the same time for quick referral right on screen, and be working on several things at the same time -- "Ain't it 'great? . . . But, geeesh, I sure do miss my ol' Underwood." If'n ya believe that, yer dumber than a flea a'hitchin' a ride on a turtle's back.

(Question) Should I buy a Desktop or a Laptop computer?

(Answer) This is a loaded question. Not because it's difficult to answer, but for the reason there are so many correct responses to it. The 'cop-out' would be, "It all depends." However, basically, the Desktop requires a good more physical space to use than the Laptop and, of course, the latter is quite portable and can be easily transported. BUT, don't go counting on being able to use it like you do your big ol' thing covering a large part of your desk. If you think you can carry your Laptop to the beach, sit under an umbrella, and type your best-selling novel -- FORGET IT! The majority of reasonably priced Laptops on the market have very limited battery power to keep it operational for much more than an hour at a time -- if that -- before needing recharging. As far as capabilities go, nowadays there aren't a whole lot of differences between the two. What a Desktop can offer in storage and GHz speed, the Laptop can match. The advantage the Desktop maintains is its physical size so as to allow space for special hardware additions such as: CD Burner, Floppy Disk Drives, etc. If this isn't important, then it's more or less a matter of choice factoring on space allotment as far as I'm concerned. Ideally, one of each works quite well.

(Question) Is DSL, Cable Hook-Up, High-Speed Technology worth the additional costs?

(Answer) "Oh, . . . no, . . . don't say 'Dial-Up' around me." What a dreaded word -- for sure, for sure. But, WHY? "Just call it progress, I reckon." But, have you ever stopped to think about what's really been going on? Back when AOL had the 5.0 and 6.0 versions, WOW, we got along fine. It wasn't until they started adding all the fancy audio and visual stuff to their site, and those 'dang' news slide shows, that my computer started to moan and groan under the stress of being over-taxed. Doesn't AOL realize that almost sixty-percent of online access is still through 'Dial-Up.' The remaining balance, for the most part, is split between DSL and Cable. Sure they know, and that's why they're doing what they are currently doing -- and it's not for reasons they try to make us believe. But, I'll not go into that now and save it for another day.

(Question) Are you saying High-Speed technologies aren't worth it?

(Answer) "No way, Jose." High-Speed technology is fantastic, and represents another huge step toward computer funtionality. But, it goes a quite a bit further than that. All of this progress is great -- as long as your computer and physical location can keep up with it. Got an older computer -- maybe one that still uses Windows 95 or 98? How about even a pre-Pentium or early Pentium computer that has Mega-Hertz limitations, and possibly less than 256 RAM? Then, again, what does any of this matter if you happen to live in an area that doesn't have access to DSL, Cable, or all these other fancy things -- you're just (blank) outta luck. I know, because I happen to be one of the unfortunate. I often make jokes about living in such a remote area of South Carolina that we still have Pony-Express and need to use smoke-signals to get online -- not too far from the truth. Actually, as the crow flies, my place is less than ten miles from one of the busiest Interstate Highways (I-95) in the country. In fact, I live in a small resort community of less than a thousand people right on beautiful Lake Marion -- 452 miles of shoreline -- I can see it this very moment as I sit and type, and I still can't get anything but Dial-Up. BUMMER.

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COMPUTER PROBLEMS & THE INTERNET

(Question) What causes the majority of Computer Problems?

(Answer) Well, not to exaggerate, but the potential for having them begins the first time you turn on the computer. The majority of computer users take the attitude that this cute little box with a TV screen and a keyboard can make my life so much easier and it will do all of it for me. "WOW!!! What did I ever do without Email, or being able to click a button and exchange live messages through a thing they call IM (Instant Messaging), or go into a Chat Room and meet with a bunch of friends?" YEP, for sure it can do all that, and it does. But, not without a price. The cost is cluttering up your computer's memory with a record of just about every move you make, slowing the computer down and making it increasingly sluggish. The real problems start when you get online with your server, and especially so every time you browse or use the Internet by adding another cookie or file to your browser's buffer memory and `History' folder.

(Question) What are Cookies?

(Answer) Not all Internet sites use Cookies, but that's where they come from. When a website is visited that stores your personal name, logon username and password, etc., a Cookie is created which is stored on that website as well as in your browser's files, so that when you revisit that website you will be recognized and treated accordingly -- often not having to logon when you revisit the site. Cookies are especially useful for Game Sites that keep records of your scores and winnings, etc.

(Question) Can you explain Files?

(Answer) A File is a record of a website's page you visit, and each time you visit a different page another file is stored for that particular page. These Files are used by the Browser to locate places you've previously visited faster, allowing quicker entry and uploading of the website each time you revisit it.

(Question) What is the History folder?

(Answer) Let me explain it this way to try and make it more easy to understand. The File Storage and the History Folder are similar in a way -- they both store visited website pages. But, the History goes a bit further and keeps a record of audio, video, photos, etc., appearing on a page so that on the revisit they don't take as long to upload as before.

(Question) So, how does all this storage affect the computer's ability to function properly?

(Answer) To try and not get to complex in my answer, there are two factors that must be considered. First, the computer and its capability as relates to RAM memory, plus other factors, and the Browser you use to gain Internet access. The place where all of these cookies, files and history is stored is referred to as the CACHE. The Cache is part of your Browser, not the computer itself. The most commonly used Browser is Internet Explorer (IE). The larger the Cache grows with collected and stored files, the harder the server has to work to find what you're looking for. To make matters worse, if a website frequently updates their pages, and even though you instruct your Browser to always look for the newest version of a page, the search can become confused and load the first stored page it finds, giving up on attempting to find the latest version. Believe me, this is enough to drive anybody nuts.

(Question) What can be done to fix the problem?

(Answer) EMPTY THE CACHE!   It's not a difficult procedure at all, but, until you've done it, like anything else, the process must be learned. To be of help to our Members and visitors to FictionWriters, a special room has been created to deal with Cache problems and it can be located in the BLACKHOLE area from this website's Site Map Page -- look for 'Puter Probs.' (Instructions for Defragmentation of your hard drive may also be found in that section.)

(Question) What is Fragmentation and Defragmentation?

(Answer) Let me start at the beginning to explain this best. When you turn your new computer on for the first time, everything stored on it is in perfect order. And, everything on it is all stored on your hard drive, including all of the systems that allow the computer to go through its start-up program, etc., etc. Now, over a period of time, as you add and delete software and/or hardware programs it can cause what is referred to as 'Fragmentation' of your hard drive. All this means is that instead of the files now being all stored in a perfect orderly fashion, the newer files have been split up into different sectors of the hard drive and not necessarily stored close together as they should be. As the hard drive becomes more and more fragmented, the slower it will react and the poorer its overall performance may become. Defragmentation is a procedure to put your hard drive files back in order.

(Question) How do you 'Defrag' a hard drive?

(Answer) As stated above, very clear and easy to follow instructions may be found about Defraging hard drives in the BLACKHOLE which is accessed from this website's Site Map Page and selecting the 'Puter Probs' link located there.

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ABOUT CONTESTS . . .

(Question) Are Contests a good way for a new writer to get published?

(Answer) To be quite honest, I'm not sure of an intelligent answer. Other than the 'Writer's Digest' Contest, which is well publicized, I really don't know of any others that existed prior to the arrival of the Internet, although I'm sure that there were others. But, to try and give at least a reasonable response to the question, in my opinion, the answer would be no. Entering Contests of any kind, at best, is little more than a gamble. Those offering the winner(s) exposure and a chance at getting published are really offering nothing at all. The entrant has no way of knowing, or to find out, how much or what kind of effort will be made to publicize the winning entry. Like anything else, the more you are able to learn about the Contest, its sponsors, and the manner in which it is judged, the better off you are to make a sound decision on your own.

(Question) Have you had personal experience with any Contests?

(Answer) Strange that you should ask. As a matter of fact, YES, and in more ways than one. Over several years I entered contests on four different occasions; three into screenwriting competition and once into a literary group's contest -- and never came close to advancing beyond the first round. I'd like to say I gained good experience from doing it, but just the opposite was true and I came away with a negative feeling due to what I considered very harsh and unfair criticism. It wasn't until I became a Contest Coordinator for a very well-established screenwriting forum that I learned about contests from the inside-out.

(Question) You were actually a Contest Coordinator at one time?

(Answer) Yes, for three years and three annual contest events. I joined a very well known screenwriters forum in 1994 and entered their contest that year and the following year -- the first times I'd ever entered any contest of any type. A couple of years later the position of Contest Coordinator was vacated and I was appointed to occupy that voluntary position -- The Forum is a non-profit organization ran by volunteer members of the group. I jumped at the opportunity for several reasons, the main one being to learn more about the inner-workings of contests and how they are judged. What I found was one hellava lot of work and a pile of confusion left behind by my predecessor.

(Question) What do you feel you learned through this experience?

(Answer) I learned that the Forum had one of the best-structured contests of any I had confronted. They used a 'three-judge' system to review each and every entry, through each and every round, until the final round where two celebrity judges made the final decision from a group of the remaining three selections voted by the forum judges. Two positive votes from the three judges assigned to an entry meant going forward. What could be fairer? That was my first impression -- until I begin to receive various judge's comments regarding the entries they were assigned to judge. I will be the first to admit that these judges had their hands full, and being tactful is an art in itself. However, I found two very significant problems with the system -- many of the judges weren't really qualified to be a judge, and subjectiveness ran rampant. Even though there were built-in system safeguards to try and avoid these problems, it was extremely difficult to make any guarantees when working within a volunteer organization. I've seen works deserving advancement never make it past the first round, and others moving forward I found hard to believe. The best part of the contest rested on the celebrity judges chosen, and I will say they were all some of Hollywood's best. But, the trip to get an entry in their hands was fraught with a host of problems brought by what I felt was a system using early-round judges, many of whom were less than qualified to participate in that capacity. I've learned since that time that this is an ongoing problem with a majority of contests, including several that are 'top-named' and very well respected. Following my tenure as Contest Coordinator I went on to fill the office of Executive Director of the Forum for a little over a year before having to step down due to personal reasons of a family related nature.

(Question) Considering your experiences, do you feel it best to avoid entering Contests?

(Answer) Not at all. I just hope others will learn from my experiences and know what to expect and avoid if possible. I'm well aware of a number of instances where entries have went on to become very successful winners and their films produced -- two of which were top Sundance Film winners within the past several years. My advice is to understand what a contest is, and make sure writers are entering a good one that is well ran and by a respected source. Contests can be a lot of fun and, if done properly, the contestant can wind up with some good criticism during the process. Each writer must decide for themselves if it's worth the upfront entry fees and to realize that a contest is simply that -- a competition, hopefully ran judicially fair.

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ABOUT POD . . .

(Question) What does POD stand for?

(Answer) POD stands for Print On Demand.  It's a form of `Quick Printing' that originated through the network of `Instant Printing Shops.'

(Question) What is POD for?

(Answer) The equipment used for POD was originally designed to answer the need for circulating worldwide printed copies almost instanteously.  XEROX was one of the first, if not the first, to market the equipment.  In essence, it is a `glorified -- super-duper -- instant copier' that can do much more, such as: work directly from a computer disk; print color pages and/or B&W; collate any number of pages; bind the copies in any number of ways, and most important, the disk contents may be emailed by download to anywhere in the world so that another company, or division of the same company, having access to similar equipment can do the same thing at the exact same time.

(Question) What's the advantage for Corporate use of POD?

(Answer) Let's say you are the CEO of a major corporation located in the United States with offices in Japan, Germany, Italy, France, Great Britian, and so forth, and you plan a division meeting with all those offices. Your staff has prepared an elaborate brief containing important photos, charts, and written documentation. Each and every one of those offices with nearby POD facilities can print and have delivered to them the entire brief within a matter of how long it takes the company to do the job -- usually a matter of hours. Consider what this has done for not only worldwide industries, but those with multiple offices across the United States. These diversified offices may all share the documentation at the same time without the delay caused by `snail-mail' systems.

(Question) Is this How POD became used for producing Novels and such?

(Answer) YES -- most definitely yes. A smart entrepreneur saw the potential for using this quick printing method to produce complete novels and books of any type or size -- even with professional covers and perfect-binding methods. The concept has spread like wildfire and there are growing numbers of websites offering these POD services. (Please refer to "Buyer Beware" in these FAQs.)

(Question) Is using POD to publish your novels a good idea?

(Answer) This is a difficult question to answer, and depends on an awful lot of things. Basically; however, if you are a new and traditionally unpublished author, personally, I'd be very cautious. If you are a professional and have been previously published, chances are you probably won't need to consider POD, but there are certainly exceptions to this. (Refer to the `What should I Do First' and the 'Buyer Beware' portion of these Q&As.)

(Question) How does using POD for printing novels work?

(Answer) The standards will differ from one POD printing source to another. In most cases, there are very small up-front costs, if any at all. The POD company will probably provide the author with a cover design, and some times `proofreading' included, plus about five or so finished copies of their novel. On the good side, most new authors are thrilled with the idea of seeing their work in print, and will accept a binding contract at a percentage of per book sold, similar to a royalty of sorts. The POD company figures they stand to have very little to lose since the contented author will muster up enough sales to family and friends to certainly offset any costs they may have incurred -- a break-even point is relatively easy to attain. Beyond that, if for some reason it takes off, they would benefit a great deal -- the author a good deal less, but at least it would be an income from sales of their work. The downside, if you wish to call it that, is how long the contract lasts. Three years could be considered typical, and you, as the author, must determine if you care to risk having your work tied up for that period of time. Under the contract you may be limited against seeking agents for your work and certainly having it printed or submitted to competition or any traditional publishing sources for the duration of the contract. REMEMBER: anybody who has money to invest can buy or lease the equipment to produce PODs. Just having that ability does not make the individual/company a publisher in the traditional sense.

(Question) Is there a future in POD publishing?

(Answer) I would bet my house on it -- if I had one. The largest barrier to POD at the present time are the traditional book lovers who are very hard to break of old habits. POD will never replace traditional publishing and could never compete in huge volumes of printing demand. POD is fine for what it does -- that is, printing one or more copies after they've been purchased. Among other things, it solves a lot of problems for many authors who are traditionally published and they and the retailer wind up with stacks of unsold books, most likely to be trashed. What a waste -- one of the greatest points of going POD. Personally, I feel POD is slightly ahead of its time -- maybe ten to twenty years or so. However, in my opinion, POD is the way of the future and will eventually replace how books are sold and ordered. Don't be surprised if one day your local grocery store offers bar-coded cards promoting a novel that you have activated when paying for it at the cashier. Or, if B&N and others have limited shelf copies and do virtually the same thing. Eventually, I can envision bookstores becoming a thing of the past, never to return as we know them. There will probably always be the small `never-say-die' collector type shoppe somewhere around. Don't believe it? . . . Look at what iPOD is doing to the music market. Isn't it odd it has `POD' in it's name. MAC's move in this direction has gone a long way to saving what I personally feel is a computer that should not be included in the typical PC market, but as a `special computer system' offering a lot of things beyond and better than what Microsoft can, and have not matched.

(Question) Would you recommend using POD for first-time publishing?

(Answer) As I've said before, "It all depends." I believe that if the author feels he/she has exhausted their attempts at being accepted by agents and/or traditional publishing sources, then would be the time to consider going POD. BUT, only if the printing source is already well-known and established and offers an easily accessible and frequently visited website. `Word of Mouth' promotion just won't generate enough buyers of your product in these cases. I would beware of boasts made of having contacts with major distribution sources and the like. There's no way you, as the customer, can prove they're blowing nothing but wind in the breeze. I did a `google' search for POD sources recently -- 19,134 were posted, and you can be sure that doesn't include them all. I prefer not to include a link here, but for anyone interested in an excellent website devoted to the subject of POD and Self-Publishing Hazards, email me at: FAQS@fictionwriters.ws

(Question) What should I do first before using POD?

(Answer) No differently than I've said in reference to Self-Publishing, POD should be a consideration only after all efforts to publish traditionally have been exhausted. But, either way, the author should make every effort to provide a well-edited manuscript, and I would suggest one that has been professionally reviewed, before 'Rushing to Publish.

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ABOUT SCREENWRITING vs. WRITING TO PUBLISH . . .

(Question) I don't understand what you mean as 'Screenwriting vs. Writing to Publish.

(Answer) The two represent the most popular sources for an author to have their work viewed by the public -- as a published book or a produced movie. Although totally different industries, one frequently thrives off the other. For instance, a bestseller book will most likely be made into a movie at some time. Why? An investor will normally consider any bestseller as being a good film investment; thereby gaining attention and interest from studios, producers, directors, and even top name performers. On the opposite side, if the bestseller is made into a movie, you can bet your bottom dollar sales for the novel will skyrocket.

(Question) So, you feel that writing the novel first is the best thing to do?

(Answer) No. I didn't say that. I said movies are often made from bestsellers, but all movies are not. This is strictly a wild shot without doing research, but I'd chance to guess that about ninety-percent of all movies made are original scripts, not taken from novels.

(Question) Are there advantages in making a choice between the two mediums for new writers?

(Answer) Maybe yes -- maybe no. I know that sounds stupid, but both mediums require a lot of training to do either of them correctly. I'm not inferring the author has to have a sterling background of education in literature or English -- I'm one who believes hands-on experience is a great teacher and, in the long run, without talent neither course of learning matters. I would venture to say most new writers will lean toward writing the book, not the film. Many novices are actually frightened by the stringent formatting requirements of screen script writing, and shy away from it. Also, to seriously do a screenplay correctly, the writer should purchase a screenwriting software program that is often quite expensive -- especially if they later change their mind and move in another direction. The novel writer needs nothing more than a typewriter to get the job done. Yeah, I know, we all have computers, but don't sell the ol' typewriter short. It's still around, believe me. If you have a computer (PC) then you undoubtedly have a word processing program loaded into it, and that's the authors tool to use for his/her writing. The only advantage one may have over the other, if you want to consider it as such, lies with the fact publishers are very reluctant to deal with writers who are not represented by agents. The film industry is much more open to direct approaches and contact with unrepresented freelance playwrights. Another interesting point -- a novel may extend to 90,000 words and hundreds of printed pages where a feature film screen script should never go beyond 120 pages at maximum.

(Question) You mentioned the special format applying to writing for the screen -- is it that hard to learn?

Not difficult -- just different. In truth, I find the format extremely helpful in many ways. I won't go into it here because there are any number of format components involved. For any authors who are members of this FictionWriters website, you have the opportunity of attending FREE classes to learn all about writing for the screen.

(Question) I understand FictionWriters also offers FREE Writing to Publish classes. I don't consider myself a novice writer, do I need to attend?

(Answer) I recommend the classes to all writers, including those who have self-published previously. The classes cover a lot more than teaching writing format, style and attention to grammar. The topics range over a wide spectrum of issues confronting all writers aspiring to be traditionally published.

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ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING . . .

(Question) What exactly is Self-Publishing?

(Answer) Self-Publishing is not a new concept to get your work in print. It's been around for a fairly long time, but, earlier, often referred to as 'Vanity' printing -- the word inferring what the dictionary states: 1) excessive pride in or admiration of one's own appearance or achievements. 2) the quality of being worthless or futile. If I'm not incorrect, back in the sixties there was an actual company by that name, I believe, VANITY PRESS. I do know there is currently a distribution company in Australia named Vanity Press Distributors that specializes in books produced by small and self publishers. But, getting back to the question, a Self-Publishing company offers a service to print a relatively small number of copies of your book for a price to be paid on order. Services offered may range widely from including cover design, editing and proofreading, aquiring registration numbers, and various choices to marketing assistance if preferred. The author may order the number of copies desired for first or later printings. Choosing a Self-Publishing company is like selecting any other type of contractor to do a job for you. Check them out first before you buy. A bit of comparison shopping doesn't hurt either.

(Question) What's the difference between POD and Self-Publishing?

(Answer) Upfront, they are both methods for an author to produce his/her own work(s). That's where the similarity ends. Where POD doesn't charge fees to prepare and print your book, POD publishers do demand a contract be signed providing them first-rights to your publication for a period of time (typically, three years) and they remain in control of printing copies as they are ordered through their outlet(s) of choice. (Refer to the Q&As about POD above.) On the other hand, Self-Publishing does have charges for handling and printing an author's work, but doesn't ask for any rights of any kind. Once the publication is printed, the author is free to market it as they desire -- hold book-signings, whatever. Depending on what you've agreed to when first ordering the printing, the publisher may provide marketing assistance that may vary a good bit in consideration of what you've paid them to do.

(Question) Would you recommend using Self-Publishing for first-time publishing.

(Answer) No differently than I said in reference to POD, Self-Publishing should be a consideration only after all efforts to publish traditionally have been exhausted. But, either way, the author should make every effort to provide a well-edited manuscript, and I would suggest one that has been professionally reviewed, before 'Rushing to Publish.'

(Question) Do you have any suggestions or Marketing Tips for the Self-Published.

(Answer) Yep. Something that I seriously doubt has either been done, or even thought about, by the self-published author. That would be to use silkscreen printing to make your own POP promotional gimmicks. Your project might be to make an easel back display to hold one of your books attached to it, along with some good copywriting to include on the display. Then put it all together in simple art form. Next, take command of a corner of the garage or basement and set up your own printng press. It's not really that hard, and there are 'how-to' books at the local library readily available in the arts and crafts section. All you need is some 2 x 2 inch wood lengths to build a square or rectangular frame of any size suitable to do the job. A frame as large as 4 x 6 foot would not be outrageous. Buy some silk (made for the purpose) and stretch it tightly over the frame as you would stretch canvas for a painting (an electric stapler does a great job). After you've designed your project you'll need some silkscreen 'film' to make your stencil which is made by placing the film over the art and tracing the images with an x-acto knife and removing the film from the areas to be printed. The film is ultimately attached to the silk by using a special solvent to make it met to it. Once the stencil has been fixed to the silk, use masking tape to seal the exposed edges so paint doesn't seep through. After that, select the special silkscreen paint/ink color you desire and use a squeegie to force it through the stencil and onto your project cardboard or paper. Allow time to dry. That's it. There are endless possibilities and you can be as creative as you care to be. Your POP project may be as many different colors as you like -- whatever. As logic would dictate, you'll need a separate stencil for each color used. If you only have the one screen frame built, clean the old film off the silk with another solvent and start again with your next color. These POP displays may be used at your book-signings as well as placed in any stores that will accept them. The more professionaly prepared they appear, the better.

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ABOUT TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING . . .

(Question) What exactly is 'Traditional Publishing?'

(Answer) Traditional Publishing is actually a term that was coined a while back and should not be confused with 'Traditional Printing.' I'm not sure this latter term officially exists, but I've seen people use it on occasion. In association with 'Traditional Publishing,' the term 'Traditional Publisher' also applies. A Traditional Publisher is a printing company that specializes in producing hardback and paperback books in large quantities for mass marketing and wholesale distribution. Most of these Traditional Publishers are listed in the Writers Market.

(Question) You mentioned 'Traditional Printing.' What would that be?

(Answer) As I said, I'm not sure what is meant by that term, but, if I were to try and decipher it's meaning, I would say it applied to the printing processes using the old methods of printing, such as: letterpress, offset -- both in flat-bed and roller-fed press applications. I think of 'Traditional' as being the 'pre-instant printing' method of producing paper products such as books, magazines, periodicals, newspapers, etc., etc.

(Question) Silkscreen is the oldest form of printing -- does it fit into this scenario?

(Answer) It certainly can, but not as a reproduction method to mass produce any printed material compared to traditional methods as we know them. However, Silkscreen can play a significant role in the marketing aspects of publications. It is frequently used to promote the sale of products in a number of ways. This type of marketing is called 'POP' advertising. POP stands for 'Point of Purchase,' and the POP industry is a huge organization by itself. If you're interested in further details about the use of POP by writers who Self-Publish, please refer to that section of these FAQs.

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ABOUT FICTIONWRITERS' WEBSITE . . .

(Question) What inspired you to start a website such as FictionWriters?

(Answer) Long story, but will try to keep it short. Over my long career in publishing, I was helped by so many others -- so many times -- when I retired in 1998 I decided to focus on trying to help others as I had been in my past. I arrived in South Carolina in November of that year after my wife was supposed to meet me in Orlando and didn't show up at the airport, never having boarded her flight. She decided to change her mind at the last minute and not move south as planned. Following that, I found myself with a lot more time than I would have had otherwise and devoted it to starting FictionWriters to do my writer assistance thing. At that point I could have used available free 'canned' software programs, but figured I wanted something different and with a lot more flexibility. Therefore, I had to pause my cause and learn the HTML language first. Back then, as with many other AOL features that have disappeared since the addition of all the new Beta versions and takeover by Time Warner, AOL had a tremendous teaching program for those desiring to learn HTML language. Three months later I had the first few pages of FictionWriters website online. As of this moment the site consists of over 1,000 pages, and counting.

(Question) Did the original FictionWriters have a membership?

(Answer) Yes, it did. The website didn't really get rolling until early summer 1999, about the same time I became a volunteer Chat Host with AOL. A number of its first members came from those chats. I also took part in several other online crit groups and members joined from those sources, as well. At the end of the first year FictionWriters' had an enrollment of 56 members who all became very active in various areas of participation. Unfortunately, about a year later the website sort of went into a semi-dormant stage due to the personal distractions caused by family needs.

(Question) What made you decide to update FictionWriters and get it to today's standards?

(Answer) The family matters called for my spending all of 2002 in Washington, DC -- away from my home in SC. As understandable, this caused a severe disruption to most of my involvements and also the reason for my resignation as the executive director of a major screenwriting forum. On my return home, I didn't ignore the website, nor its membership, but made a decided turn toward working in one-on-one situations. At the same time my involvement in AOL Hosting increased and at one time became involved in three different chats each week. In May of 2005, when AOL suddenly canceled its CL program, like many other Hosts, I felt betrayed and tried to hold the group together, not with great success. The old FictionWriters Chat rooms were available for any who wished to use them, and a few Hosts scheduled them for their weekly chats. Right after the volunteer Hosts were dismissed by AOL, I started working toward providing a better environment for fellow writers -- hence, the result -- FictionWriters Worldwide Services. It wasn't done overnight, and not without a good bit of personal investment.

(Question) The website certainly has quite a few special features for its membership. Could you elaborate on them?

(Answer) Certainly. The best way to do that is to explain each feature, one at a time. The order I cover them is for no particular reason, but will separate them into two categories -- for non-members/visitors, and for Members Only.

Open to all Visitors and Non-Members . . .

Chats & Chat Rooms:
Operating Internet Chat Rooms is quite challenging, and full of a lot of trial and error. I feel the current rooms in use are a huge improvement over any chat rooms I've yet to visit, anywhere online. However, that's not to say I'm satisfied with the lack of several features, and continue to work toward correcting the situation. For new visitors I'd like to suggest viewing the personal pages for each chat Host which may be accessed through the list in the left column on the Chat Site Map Page. The only advantage a Member has regarding the Chats, they receive weekly chat schedules which announce chat times and Guest Appearances.

Research Center:
The Research area of the website offers a large amount of writing related links, available to all. FictionWriters, while not recommending any of the included sites listed, does make it a practice of first checking out the validity of each site and, to a degree, its reputable standing. However, Members are entitled password access to a very 'Special Research Center' as part of the overall Research information available.

The BLACKHOLE:
The Blackhole is a neat 'catch-all' place with inner-website links to some really cool things. Check out 'JAVA TALK,' a room where you can post your 'beefs,' and read other's, while sitting back over a cup of early-morning coffee. Or, if you want to listen to VOICE AMERICA'S evening online call-in Talk Show, often having special writing guests, you can find it here. And, DON'T miss visiting 'PUTER PROBS' if you want expert assistance on making your computer function better by coping with DEFRAG and CACHE issues.

Available Only to our Members . . .

Writing CLASSES:
FREE Classes are available to FW Members and offered over two consecutive weekends on a specified schedule. 'Screenwriting Classes' are given in two two-hour sessions on Saturdays, and the 'Writing to Publish' are also held in two two-hour sessions on Sundays. Starting times and scheduled dates are posted on the website. As FictionWriters grows, so too will the teaching facilities expand. In the future Writing Workshops and Seminars will be held and presented by outstanding and established professionals in their associated fields.

The Writing Class LIBRARY:
Currently, the Library is a restricted feature only available to Members who have attended and completed a Writing Class series. The information contained in the Library is invaluable to writers by providing not only written instruction, but prime examples of each and every aspect comprising all the segments necessary for writing a manuscript for publication and/or for Screenplay scripts.

The SPECIAL Research Center:
Beyond the Research Center available to all visitors and non-members, the Special Research Center is an extended password protected area providing vast and valuable sources of Research information not to be found located in one sole area anywhere else on the Internet.

Personal Email Box:
Each FW Member is entitled to apply for a personal Email Box Address. Although the owner may use it for any personal reasons to send or receive email, we hope you will find the FictionWriters address association to the email a way to impress industry contacts when sending out writing queries and submissions.

Crit Lab:
The Crit Lab is the perfect place for gaining excellent assistance in your writing endeavors by posting your own submitted works to be critiqued by fellow Crit Lab members, as you will critique the works of others. FictionWriters Membership is comprised of many professionals representing various areas of the writing and publishing trades and we feel the quality of criticism to be exceptionally high in our Crit Lab environment. You don't have to be a pro -- that's not the point -- the novice writer is more important to the Crit Lab so they may use it as a learning source. The advanced and/or published author is a plus to provide good and knowledgeable constructive criticism.

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ABOUT WORD PROCESSORS FOR WRITING . . .

(Question) What do you know about the history of word processors?

(Answer) Well, to start, there were word processors long before the PC hit the market. However, they were 'stand-alone' units of equipment designed and manufactured to perform a specific task -- primarily, to go steps beyond the limited capabilities of the standard and electric model typewriters. It's been so long ago I can't recall all of the names, but a few come to mind, like, Varitype, Lexicon, -- from there I draw a blank. Anyway, they represented the first of a growing movement to produce text that could be saved for later recall, and features allowing what we call nowadays, 'cutting, copying, and pasting.' It was the dreams of a writer coming true, but much too expensive for the typical freelance writer to own. When the Personal Computer was first available on the retail market there were basically two brands available -- IBM or Tandy Radio Shack. Someone out there correct me if I'm wrong, but I recall the IBM costing somewhere about 5k and the TRS a little over 2k. The other major difference was the operation systems involved. IBM used MSDOS while TRS used TRSDOS, which is a story in itself. But, briefly, so as not to keep you in suspense, it all boiled down to a 'tug-of-war' in attempting to make their own operating systems the industry's standard. As we are all aware, Microsoft came out as the 'King of the Hill.' Since I was a 'penny-pincher' with limited funds, I opted on the TRS and my first PC experiences began using their Model IV - TRS 80 series. It did not have a hard drive and all software programs functioned off of 5 1/4 inch floppy disks. It's hard to imagine that this early model was limited to 16mg of RAM. My first introduction to a word processing program was with 'SCRIPTSIT' -- a miracle over miracles as far as I was concerned.

(Question) Was the Scriptsit program compatible with the IBM also?

(Answer) WOW! Here, again, I have to say, "I think so." In those early PC days, due to the high costs of the units and having enough on my mind just to learn how to operate the TRS, I never had the opportunity to use or even observe an IBM in action. However, I'm pretty sure IBM's early attempts at a word processing system was 'WordStar.' However, I'm almost as sure the early versions of WordPerfect existed and were becoming rather popular within a short period of time.

(Question) Did your choice of the TRS computer over the IBM have any negative affects over the long run?

(Answer) Not really. But, the early 'eighties' proved to be a whirlwind of change for the publishing industry extending far beyond the advent of the personal computer rage. Photo typesetting sent a devastating blow against the typographer's union, virtually shutting it down and closing the majority of 'hot-metal' shops. I was one of the first in the DC area to join the bandwagon. A business partner and I purchased the Compugraphics system which could do everything except wash dishes -- an exaggeration, of course, but it was amazing what it could do in producing typography and graphics for publication. The downside: it was extremely expensive, costing a quarter of a million dollars overall. Now, here's where the TRS Model IV proved its worth. Additional keyboard stations for the Compugraphics ran about 7k a piece. I was able to write a DOS program capable of using the Model IV as a remote station to the Compu system. This was done remotely using a dial-up modem and ASCII transmission. It worked tremendously well, and when competitors got wind of it, I came very close to making a fortune, but got shot down by the arrival of the MAC. Desktop Publishing took over like wildfire, making the Compugraphic system, as well as all other similar PhotoType systems, obsolete almost overnight. This is a price one pays for getting involved with computers. The word 'obsolete' is a constant plague hovering over PC users and owners. As fast as newer software and hardware versions hit the market, the old ones usually fall off into oblivion. For years, prior to the PC, there were an abundance of computers, all built to do specific jobs. One of the first ever built was the size of ten large refrigerators and it's only function was being able to do algebra. The PC has never came close to stopping the need for the 'stand-alone' computer systems. In our own publishing industry they are used for printing press quality control. Look around you and I'll bet you'll find one nearby, especially if you're anywhere near a cash register, or gasoline pump. The bottom line, and finally getting back to the original question, the answer is NO. The TRS Model IV, although limited as time passed due to being a non-hard drive system, did just fine. By the late eighties, MSDOS beat out TRSDOS and became the industry's acceptable standard operating system. But, notice one thing -- it's not referred to as being MSDOS compatible -- the term has become, "It's IBM compatible."

(Question) Nowadays, when word processing is mentioned, two programs seem to pop up -- MSword and WordPerfect. What can you tell us about them?

(Answer) Not to evade your question, but it all starts with the computer operating systems and, in my opinion, the greatest innovation of all to the Personal Computer's operation is Microsoft's Windows contribution. Anyone who has ever used PCs back when all programs functioned directly from the DOS system will know what I mean. Okay, I'm 'knockin' DOS, and I'd venture to say a majority of PC/Windows users don't even realize there's a link to DOS located right in their Start Menu under Accessories -- listed as "Command Prompt." Ol' DOS can still do a lot of great things, if you know how to use it. NOW, back to word processing programs. As far as I know, MSword arrived at the same time as Windows 95, long after WordPerfect. Again, if memory serves me right, WordPerfect was purchased by another company about that time and eventually bought by today's owner -- Corel. WP 6.0 was the first Windows version, and a great one at that. Personally, I don't think there's any comparison between Word and WordPerfect. MSword has gained its popularity because its a Microsoft product usually included as a standard program pre-installed in all new IBM compatible personal computers. For the professional, MSword is not as flexible, nor offers the vast features and intimate control of a project as included in WordPerfect. Many novice users like MSword because it has a lot of automatic features, like doing indents on all new paragraphs, etc. The rub comes in when you try to control those indents and other auto features -- headers, footers, etc., etc. This is very important to the writer/author in as much as a page number nor header should ever appear on your first manuscript page. I've never been able to find out how to control this in MSword. In WP, it is as easy as eatin' an ice cream cone. Also, WP has a fantastic ability to allow the user to view all of the 'background codes' making up the current page being written -- it's an ON/OFF feature. Beyond that, MSword is very limited in the ways and other formats the document may be saved. I'll wind-up with adding that MSword is a 'copy-cat' program of WP, falling way short of equaling WordPerfect's capabilities.




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