NUTS & BOLTS: Interview with JG Faherty, Author and HWA Mentorship Program Manager
By Tom Joyce
Horror authors are fond of setting their stories amid dark, twisty hallways full of potential perils lurking around every corner. Maybe it’s a matter of “write what you know,” because that’s how the business can feel when you’re starting out.
HWA Mentorship Program manager JG Faherty understands how daunting it can be. As a prolific novelist, short-story writer, and poet, he also knows the importance of a good beta read. That’s why he volunteers to help pair beginners with more experienced authors.
In this month’s edition of Nuts & Bolts, JG gives advice on topics including self-editing, the value of a good work ethic, and how both parties can get the most out of a mentor/mentee relationship.
Q: What general writing advice would you give aspiring writers?
A: Well, the obvious answer is write. The only way to get better is to practice your craft. I do my best to write two hours every day, including editing. On the weekends, I up that to three hours. This isn’t easy for everyone; some people have job or family obligations that leave them less free time. Maybe you can only write on Saturdays. Fine. But during the week, try to grab at least 10-15 minutes to edit, or just re-read what you’ve written. Writing is a skill that becomes very rusty if you don’t do it on a regular basis. Other than that, study. Study grammar, study other writers, and keep an eye on your own writing. Learn your weaknesses (we all have them!). Maybe you use “that” too much. Or start too many sentences with “so.” Or have a fondness for passive sentences. If you get a chance to take a writing class, like Odyssey Writing Workshop, do it. You’ll come out a much better writer. Finally, never get discouraged. Remember, your first draft will not be good. Writing a story or book is like molding a statue from clay. You start with a rough draft and then keep going back and modifying it, honing it, reshaping it, until it’s exactly what you want.
Q: Is it difficult to look at your writing objectively enough to identify weaknesses? If so, how do you get around it?
A: In the beginning, it’s very difficult, but it gets easier the more you work with beta readers and editors. They will keep pointing things out to you until you develop the eye to see them yourself. The best tricks are once you finish something, put it away and don’t look at it for at least a month. Then go back and read it like you didn’t write it, and you’ll see all sorts of mistakes. Another trick is to read it out loud, that will help you pick up not only typos but places where the sentences don’t sound right.
Q: What advice would you give writers about finding and working with beta readers?
A: Finding good beta readers is really trial and error. I was in two online reading groups when I first started, the kind where you have to critique three stories in order for one of yours to be critiqued. I quickly found my stories were getting one of two types of critiques: “Wow, I love this, so good!” or “I was really confused. This isn’t good.” None of this helps; I was looking for actual advice. So I quit those and joined a smaller one. There, I met two fellow writers who both wrote horror and provided real criticism, good and bad. The three of us split off and formed our own mini beta reader group. A couple of years later, while at a convention, a friend and I decided to form our own. This was right at the same time the other two stepped away from writing, so it was a perfect time. We contacted a few other good friends who had all graduated from the same writing program (Borderlands Boot Camp) — so we knew we all edited in the same way — and formed our beta reading group. Now, 12 years later, we have multiple Bram Stoker nominations and other award nominations to our credit, and several members have won Bram Stoker awards. We make each other better because we don’t hold back any punches and we want each other to succeed. Also, we’re all pretty good writers but with different styles, which gives us all different points of view on things. The one thing you don’t want with a beta reader is someone who isn’t good at their craft, or who is afraid to say you did something wrong.
Q: Can you talk a little bit about the HWA mentorship program?
A: The Horror Writers Association offers free mentoring to any member at any level. All the mentors are Actives, meaning they have made a certain number of professional sales. There are two semesters a year, each one running four months. Mentoring is offered in the following areas: novel, short story, novella, poetry, screenwriting, comic book scripting, non-fiction, and publishing. Typically, each semester sees about 40 members getting matched with mentors.
Q: What are the advantages of participating, for both mentors and mentees?
A: For mentees, the advantages are pretty obvious. You get to work for four months with a published author as your personal editor or beta reader. You can work on whatever you need — plot, dialog, sentence structure, setting, etc. You can work on as many projects as the two of you find time for (obviously, this works around both peoples’ schedules; the mentor isn’t on duty 24/7!). Mentors will often help mentees find the best place to submit stories. For the mentors, the advantages are you get to give back to genre and help the next generation of writers, and you also get to read a lot of really great stuff!
Q: What qualities make for a good mentor?
A: Patience. A good eye. The ability to deliver solid criticism without being rude or trying to change the author’s voice. Some good knowledge of grammar, sentence structure, etc. And some familiarity with editing.
Q: What qualities make for a good mentee?
A: Having a very thick skin when it comes to your writing. Some people simply can’t take criticism, even in the softest sense. They’re looking for affirmation, not improvement. If that’s you, our mentor program is not for you. Our mentors want to help you become better writers. It’s kind of like hiring an independent editor, but without the cost. If you’re going to be upset seeing your manuscript come back with all sorts of comments, red lines, suggestions, and corrections, then you should skip the program and ask your mom or spouse to read it instead.
Q: Do you have any projects you’d like to tell us about?
Of course. Doesn’t every writer? My first collection of dark poetry, Songs in the Key of Death, came out a few months ago. I don’t write much in the way of poetry, probably only had 5-6 pieces published. But one day I realized I had a whole bunch in my computer that I’d never submitted. It was almost enough for a collection. So I took a few weeks and focused only on poetry. Once I had enough for a collection, I submitted it to Lycan Valley Press, and voila! Songs in the Key of Death was born.
Born and raised in New York’s haunted Hudson Valley, and now a resident of the equally haunted Cape Fear region of North Carolina, JG Faherty grew up enthralled with classic horror books and movies. He is the author of 20 books, three collections, and more than 85 short stories and proud to be a relative of Mary Shelley. He is a Thriller Award finalist and two-time Bram Stoker Award finalist. You can follow him in all social media as @jgfaherty.
Tom Joyce writes a monthly series called Nuts & Bolts for the Horror Writers Association’s blog, and creates videos for the HWA’s TikTok channel featuring interviews about the craft and business of writing. Please contact Tom at TomJHWA@gmail.com if you have suggestions for future interviews. For more about what he’s looking for, see here.
