As most people around the WP community know, I really enjoy engaging with other writers, readers, and photographers from our little corner for the blogosphere.  I have been nominated for this award three times now, so I guess I should put some fingers to keys and answer the nitty-gritty questions people have been asking me.

I will do my best to answer all three people with the questions they asked of me.

Thanks to those who nominated me over the past week:

My home girl Hanna, CEOLSIGE – She writes short Stories, flash fiction and reviews.  An excellent writer with a vivid imagination, and a master of dialogue.  I learn a lot from her work.

Avid Observer – A long time follower with a niche blog that is a thrill to read.

cwhiteweb, Poetic Bliss – Poetry, flash fiction, and reviews.  cwhiteweb is an avid blogger with always something new up her sleeve.

THREE THINGS ABOUT MR. MARK JACOBS

1. I only wear construction clothes.  I buy all of my clothing from two stores here in town, and refuse to go anywhere else.  They last forever and are crazy comfortable.  I am not one for trends or styles, so I just wear what feels good and lasts for years.  Best part, they double as work attire.
2. I am Canadian, and in turn a very private person.  I do not have any form of social networking, never answer my door unless I am expecting a package, and prefer to read books by the fire than go to a restaurant.  Mark Jacobs is just my pen name
3. I write from both the male, and female perspective.  In my stories, I put myself into the shoes of the character, and sometimes a female suits the role much better than a male.  Sometimes, I don’t even designate a gender, the reader can view the story from a perspective they see fit.  Example, The Elusive Reaper Fish tells a short tale of a diving team and turmoil, but only one male character is announced as “Andy”.  The main character is never named or identified.

WHO IS YOUR LEAST FAVOURITE FICTIONAL CHARACTER, AND WHY?

Elliot Moore from The Happening (2008).

I’ll give Mark Wahlberg credit where credit is due.  He was handed a shitty script with a shitty director, told to play the part a certain way.  Wahlberg doesn’t play “an innocent Beta male afraid of wind” in his movies.  Never the less, the Character was awful and took a dirty alley way movie, scooped it into a pile, and threw it into a dumpster.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST TALENT?

Even though I don’t write humour, I’m sure most who know me outside of the internet would say my comedy.  I don’t do stand up or anything, people just always tell me I’m a funny, care free guy.  As for a more physical talent, I would say 99% accuracy with a pistol from 20 yards.

WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO SOMEONE STARTING A BLOG LIKE YOURS?

Write for you, and no one else.  A lot of people become fixated on the social networking side of things.  They want to see huge likes, huge follows, and they end up writing content they don’t care about.  They want the glamour and the highlights, but this only leads to burn out and at the end of the day it feels like work.  And really, whether it’s 200 followers or 200,000 – it’s just a number.  I don’t monetize my blog (because I don’t drive a Prius and love the smell of my own farts) so I can only comment on the query that was posed to me.  “Writing a blog like yours…”

Quality over quantity, and in time followers and likes will come.  Bear in mind, that followers come and go. It’s the nature of the beast.  Be sure to stick to two or three topics per site.  If you want to do a myriad of topics, consider making a second or third blog.  If one week you write nothing but poetry, then the next post pictures, and after that start ranting about work – people who follow you for your poetry don’t want to hear about Debbie from accounting.  Don’t go too broad with it.

And always remember: write for you, and no one else.

A LESSON YOU LEARNED THAT YOU CAN NEVER FORGET?

It’s never too late, until it is.  Take care of each other, make up with friends or loved ones, visit your grandparents more than once a year.  After you’re gone, you can’t come back and do it again.

ONE HUMAN TRAIT THAT YOU HATE?

Jealousy.

ARE YOUR STORIES HAPPY OR SAD, PREDOMINANTLY? DO YOU THINK IT TELLS SOMETHING ABOUT THE EMOTIONS YOU ARE GOING THROUGH?

I tend to write about an idea I have, or the word of the day merged into an idea, not so much about how I am feeling that day, or the weather.  My stories are predominantly sad (at least at the time of this writing) as it simply comes easier to me than writing a happy ending.  I enjoy writing that way, leaving myself wanting more, or wondering what comes next.  It usually helps develop additional stories, and I sometimes tie characters together from previous posts.

MY QUESTION TO THE NOMINEES ARE:

• What does writing do you for you, as far as your day-to-day mood?
• Do you believe that one does not need to read, in order to write?
• Do you have a personal favourite blog post you have read in the past month?

NOMINEES:

Lisa Ralph (Cries from an Unkempt Garden)

Nemo (Beautiful Mind)

Nel (Reactionary Tales)

Jade (The Ü)

Xceptional43 (Four Unanswered Prayers)

Kent Wayne (Dirty Sci Fi Buddha)

Mr. Anonymous (Project: Heard)

Sherina Harris (Sherina Speaks)

Maria (On Becoming Maria)