Bio:
I grew up in the Midwest and now live in Seattle. A freelance writer and novelist, I've been writing since 1990. I have studied writing extensively on my own, and completed the Advanced Commercial Fiction course at the University of Washington. I have received awards for several short stories, and write an Op-Ed column for the Queen Anne/Magnolia News in Seattle.
Resume:
Michael E. Davis 3006 44th Avenue West, Seattle, WA 98199-2402
Formal education: In 2003-2004 I completed the Advanced Commercial Fiction course through the University of Washington's Extension Program. At the end of the course, we published an anthology of the stories we worked on in class.
Semi-formal education: Over the years I've attended a number of workshops through the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, Seattle Writers Association, Tacoma Community College, Seattle Library's Washington Center for the Book, as well as attending informal discussions by writers, agents, and publishers with writer's organizations in the Seattle area.
Home-schooling: I purchased and read a number of books written by authors, teachers, editors, and publishers. I've included a list of those books in the sidebar on this page.
The second part of what I call home-schooling is continuing to read a wide variety of authors to continually learn how other writers have honed their craft.
A third part of my continuing education is our attendance at a number of theaters in Seattle where I listen to what the playwright has done, listening with two ears, the one who is a fan of live theater, and the other as a writer, finding how other writers have used words for dramatic effect.
Experience: In the mid-1990's I wrote a novel titled The Homeboy. I self-published the novel in 1998. I quickly learned that the traditional publishing industry shuns self-published works, but the experience was valuable, both in developing my skills as a writer, and in learning more about the publishing process.
• In 2005, I was picked up as a freelance writer by the Magnolia News, part of the Pacific Publishing Company. writing personal opinion pieces covering every subject imaginable, with the occasional special feature or community story.
Achievements: 1996 - placed a short story, Za, in the top ten at the Pacific Northwest Writer's Conference.
• 1996- my short story, Brandy, received an honorable mention in the Writer's Digest annual contest.
• 2006 - My short story, Ixarri, was awarded the first prize in the Seattle Writers Association, Writers In Performance competition.
•Current project(s): I've completely rewritten my first novel, and retitled it, Reverend's Prey. It is currently out looking for an agent.
•I've also written a non-fiction book on business management that focuses on the importance of looking at your assets - all your assets, and some you may not have though of as assets in the past. The title is: CYA - Covet Your Assets, and it is also looking for an agent.
•I was part of a team of writers who produced a local historical book on our area of Magnolia in Seattle, with my part focusing on the Army fort, Fort Lawton, located in Discovery Park in Seattle. That book was published in 2007.
• I have notes, character development, and story lines for three more novels, and I'm currently studying the craft of writing for the stage, with a couple of ideas for plays.
• I will, of course, continue my freelance writing wherever I can get it accepted. In addition to being fun, it's a form of activism, at least in so far as the subject matter relates to current political issues.