PoeWar FAQ
What is PoeWar?
Poewar is the blog of John Hewitt. It has also been called the Writer’s Resource Center, but that name is unofficial now. In one form or another, the site has bee a part of the web since 1993. The blog provides information for writers on many subjects. It may also discuss a variety of other topics. I will write about what I want to write about.
What does PoeWar mean?
PoeWar is a contraction of the phrase Poet Warrior. For the full story behind why I chose the name, read Why Poewar?
Who is John Hewitt?
I am a writer and editor in my early forties who is a lifelong resident of Arizona in the United States. I primarily make my living as a technical writer but I have held many positions in the writing industry including newspaper editor, literary magazine editor, reporter, public/governmental relations writer, freelance writer, proposal writer, copywriter, web developer and paste-up artist.
What qualifies you to write about writing?
I have worked in the field of writing my entire career, which at this point spans over twenty years. I have a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona and an MA in English with a Professional Writing Certification from Northern Arizona University. Additionally, I have been writing about writing for fifteen years, so I have given the matter a great deal of thought. I am not a bestselling author nor am I a Hollywood screenwriter. If that is the sort of person you are looking for advice from, I am the wrong guide for you and I don’t fault you for looking elsewhere. Most of my writing has been done for a paycheck.
I need help getting a book published, can you help me?
Beyond the advice I offer on the site, no, I cannot help you. All the good information I have is already on the site somewhere. I haven’t held anything back. Beyond information, I have little to offer. Most of my writing experience has been outside of the book publishing industry, so I don’t have very many contacts that would be of help, and the ones that I do have I am saving for myself.
Will you take a look at my work (or my child’s work) and let me know if it is any good?
Sorry, No. Between my full-time job as a technical writer and the time I spend on this blog, plus the other hundred things I like to do, I am constantly strapped for time. I also don’t like to be put in the position of telling aspiring writers that they aren’t any good, so I would tell you that you were good even if you weren’t, just to spare your feelings and speed things up. I hate to be dishonest too, so I simply don’t want to render my opinion at all. I will offer this. Every writer, good or bad, can improve.
What do you do for fun?
For pure fun, I bowl, I play Everquest and Dungeons & Dragons, I watch a lot of television, go to movies and I play the Wii. I spent time with my wife my friends and my family.
I see that your site runs advertising. Does that mean you’ve sold out?
As a professional writer (I earned the certification so I can call myself that with confidence) I believe in getting paid for my efforts. Advertising allows me to do that without charging the people who benefit from my articles. Those who are interested in the ads can visit the sponsors, but no one has to do so. For me, this is an “everyone wins” situation.
Can I advertise on / sponsor your site?
I welcome advertisements as long as I believe they are a good match for my site and my audience and that the advertiser runs a trustworthy business. If you would like more information, use the Contact Form to get in touch with me.
Can I reuse the material from your site?
Please do not reuse material from my site except as specified below
- You may reprint articles for use in a classroom setting as long as proper credit is given
- You may print out copies of my article for your own reading
- You may link to my articles
- You may quote my articles up to 100 words
Do you have a privacy policy?
I will not distribute without permission the email addresses of the people who post comments or contact me in any other way. Other than that, I make no guarantee of privacy for comments, contacts or email. Please avoid sending me information that you would not share publicly, especially if we have not already established a relationship. If you wish for information to be private, please state that clearly in any attempt to contact me. I try to be respectful when people deserve it, but I make no guarantees. The Internet is not a private place.
Can I interview you for an article/paper I am writing?
If I have the time, I will be happy to provide an interview. Please use the Contact Form to get in touch with me.
Why aren’t you calling the site Writer’s Resource Center anymore?
For a few reasons. The first is that it isn’t a unique name. There are another sites and other places that call themselves Writer’s Resource Center. Second, the URL is PoeWar.com, so it makes sense to use that as the name of the site. Third, while writing will always be one of the key topics of the site, I want to be able to write about other things as well without feeling guilty. Finally, I could never decide whether to put the apostrophe in or leave it out.
What other things will you write about besides writing?
There is no set list of things I plan to write about. I have a lot of other interests besides writing though. I could have started a second blog, but it seemed easier to just loosen the rules on this one. I doubt that you will feel like the site has changed that radically. The site is evolving, not mutating.
What happened to your old theme? It was fancier than this one. Why would you change it?
I changed themes for three reasons. First, the old “Revolution Tech” theme was attractive and I liked it, but it was much higher maintenance than I wanted. For example, I had to use smaller images because of the space restrictions and I had to make a lot of changes to the design code because the widgets did not support what I wanted to do. Secondly, the positioning of the page elements was having a negative effect on my revenue (people don’t click on ads they can’t see). Third, the theme creator has decided to move on to other projects, so I believe that any issues I had would not be addressed going forward. The current theme isn’t as fancy, but it is clean with nice lines, and the positioning is much more to my liking.
