Michael Swartz

I don't come to the writing world in the usual manner; largely I'm self-taught. I'll grant that could put me at a disadvantage against other writers with the standard J-school or English major pedigree; then again, perhaps I haven't learned a number of bad habits many of these authors slip into because they were taught to write in a certain way and lack the vision to change.

As a blogger for over six years and 3,000 posts covering a vast range of subjects, I have built my Maryland-based website, monoblogue, into a well-respected regional go-to source for political news and commentary. While I'm not a trained journalist I've learned to create an audience through insightful opinion and thorough reporting which gives readers the sense they were sitting next to me as the event unfolded.

This has led me to many other writing opportunities and the opportunity to write my first full-length book. All of my success has been earned based on what I'd done beforehand and not handed to me because of a piece of paper which hangs on the wall. (I do have one of those, but my degree is in environmental design - I worked in the architectural field for almost twenty years before following through on a passion of mine and beginning my website. For three years I wrote while holding a full-time job, so multi-tasking isn't an issue for me.)

Obviously the people who have assisted me on this path and taken a chance on someone who's not classically trained did so because they saw something valuable in my work. Here's hoping you do the same.