» Is it okay to write fan fiction based on your work?
Within certain boundaries, yes. Please contact me for more information before writing any fanfiction based on my work.
» Can I quote, copy, reprint, or use passages or works?
That depends on how the quote is to be used. Reprints and use for publication is prohibited. If you wish to quote a section in, say, a paper for school or an article of some sort, you may do so but only if you cite your source appropriately. NEVER use an author's (or anyone else's, for that matter) work and claim it as your own. Plagiarism is NEVER considered appropriate and can result in all kinds of trouble for you.
» What about stuff on your personal site or in your online journals?
I do offer some graphics and things for download on my personal site that are free to use or are linkware. Linkware requires a link back to the site you picked it up from. These downloads have their own terms of use which can be read before getting to the actual downloads. ALL writing, both here and on my personal site, whether fiction or journaled, is under my copyright and has the same restrictions as any of my other work. The graphics used on my web sites are not to be used anywhere but on those sites.
» Will you read my manuscript?
The short answer is no. There are several reasons for this, including legal issues that can arise when an author reads someone else's manuscript. There are personal time constraints as well. I'm already quite active in a writer's workshop and have several writing buddies that I read and comment on work for. If I read much more, my own writing would suffer.
» What advice do you have for new writers?
First, write. Second, find yourself a writing group, either online or off, to participate in. Find a writing buddy or two if you can. Third, write more. Finally, read lots, inside and outside of the genres you plan to write in. IT is through reading and writing and receiving feedback that we grow as writers. You can find the books I recommend on writing listed on the Lessons in Writing index and dozens of writing groups listed in the Writers Portal.
» How can I contact you?
Actually, as much as I love meeting new people and so on, I would prefer that you didn't. Part of that goes back to the time constraints mentioned previously, and part of that is the fact that I already get more mail than I can generally deal with.
