Let's Build a Web Page

[rolanni]

The Waterboro Public Library, bless their hearts, maintains an Index of Maine Writers. It's a good resource, and I appreciate the fact that they do not fall into the peculiar mindset of other would-be compilers of Maine Writers, who seem to think that only books set in Maine qualify the author to be a Maine writer. Or yet the ...unsupportable reasoning undergirding the list of Maine Writers out of...UMF, was it? Where the maintainer informed me that I was not a Maine writer because I sold to publishers based in New York, and I could live in Unity until I turned blue in the face, but that would still not make me a Maine writer. Um...what?

All that aside, what I want is a list of Maine Fiction Writers. In order to qualify for a place on the listing, a writer would have to (1) live in Maine (2) have written and seen published a novel or short story. I don't care what genre it's in. I don't care where your publisher lives. No, poetry doesn't count. Poetry isn't fiction; it's poetry. No, self-pubbed doesn't count. Yep, that's arbitrary and elitist, thank you for noticing.

What I'm thinking of is:

Name
Title(s)
Publisher(s)
Genre(s)
Official Webpage
Blog if any

All of the above information to be provided by the author, because, hey, *I* don't have time to do this.

Anybody out there game to build something like this, or at least tell me why it's a Terrible Idea?

Comments

[sleary.livejournal.com]

Setting it up would be simplicity itself. Running it, and screening the submissions, is not a job I'd care to take on.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Running it, and screening the submissions, is not a job I'd care to take on.

Say on?

[sleary.livejournal.com]

The technical aspects of setting up the directory are not a problem. Even maintaining that would be easy enough. I just would not want to spend time verifying the legitimacy of the submitted publication credits, and then getting into arguments with the rejected writers over said credits. Even if a stipend of some sort were involved... life is too short.

The LJ idea below is not bad. Something along the lines of the whitelist (http://domynoe.livejournal.com/80319.html), perhaps? The problem with that is that I have to Google for the URL every time.

Why does mainewriters.org (http://www.mainewriters.org/) not keep a simple index along with their other resources?

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Why does mainewriters.org not keep a simple index along with their other resources?

Because MWPA is a conflicted organization that depends mostly on the labors of its underpaid and overworked director, a part-time office person and a bunch of committed and not-so-committed volunteers. You will immediately apprehend the core conflict when I reveal that the official name of the organization is Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance.

IMHO, you can serve Writers or you can serve Publishers. Trying to serve both populations is a fast ride to madness, or ineffectualness. Or both.

[sleary.livejournal.com]

Organizational politics for the win!

[paw3pals.livejournal.com]

I'd add an ISBN field - they're fairly easy to check.

[metafrantic.livejournal.com]

You could start an LJ community, at least to get started. "mainewriters" is available.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Oh, now there's an idea...

[metafrantic.livejournal.com]

It's an easy way to get started, and if it balloons then you can always create a dedicated site for it later. I've done that a couple times now.

[metafrantic.livejournal.com]

Just FYI I went and registered mainewriters... in the past I've seen jerks witness conversations like this and go register a community just so the people who wanted it couldn't get it. I'll be happy to transfer it to you if you want it though.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you!

At your leisure, please do transfer it. I'll noodle at it in spare moments and will be able to see just how much of a headache it might be, in a hopefully manageable size.

[metafrantic.livejournal.com]

You have to join the community (http://www.livejournal.com/community/join.bml?comm=mainewriters) first. Then I can go into the settings and make you a Maintainer. After that you can remove me as Maintainer and it'll be all yours.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

I have joined!

[metafrantic.livejournal.com]

Okay, I made you a maintainer! you should be able to do whatever you want now.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Well, the Waterboro list has me already, so that's done . . .

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Is it right?

They had me listed as a Young Adult writer.

*Looks at Duainfey. Dashes off note to webmaster.*

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Listing and detail look pretty much right -- except for the late lamented PENDRAGON AUTUMN, which died four chapters in, due to lack of public interest in the series. And GHOST POINT, while completed and accurately summarized, will probably never see print.

[ramblin-phyl.livejournal.com]

I lived in Cape Elizabeth, Maine in 2nd & 3rd grade. Does that count? My dad was executive officer on board the USCG Barataria out of Portland.