WRITING HERO: Matthew MacNish

For a long time now, Becca and I have wanted a way to acknowledge the people who have helped us develop into stronger writers and who add to the writing community as a whole. As a new feature here at The Bookshelf Muse, Becca and I will take turns giving well-deserved recognition to some of the people who really make an impact...people who truly are Writing Heroes.

Today I am honored to profile the awesome Matthew MacNish! My boy Matt is beyond incredible...not only is he super-friendly and amazingly supportive, he has also practically broken the choke-hold of fear that query writing has over writers.

Yes, you read that right...Matt makes the Query-writing shakes VANISH. 

It seems impossible, doesn't it? I mean, writing queries has driven more than a few writers to drink. I bet if you were to go back in time, it would be revealed that Poe rode the sauce train largely because of querying. In my mind, these one page torture devices are like the smoke monster from LOST...when you sit down, determined to find that perfect hook, you hear that creepy rattle instead. It speeds up and grows louder and suddenly you're sweating and trembling and want to be anywhere but there in front of the blank computer screen.

Yet here we have a man who can eviscerate that swollen, greasy beast. He makes query-writing...bearable. In fact, when Matt works his crazy query voodoo, writers suddenly find themselves staring at a road map leading to one place: AWESOME.    

I have 5 words for you: The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment.If you are new to his blog, please check him out. What. A Great. Guy.

For years, Matt has tirelessly work-shopped queries of all genres live on his blog, helping writers analyze their story lines and learn to juice up their hooks for maximum impact. He has helped many through this process--not only those who lay their query on the sacrificial slab, but also the people who tune in to see how he and his query katana will chop and slice until only the best elements remain, leaving the query stronger and closer to finding an agent to love it.

I can only imagine the time that goes into each one of these deconstructions, and of course there is much more to the QQQE than queries. Matt is just an all-round great blogger with strong insight on all things writing and industry related. He's a must-stop on the blog run and a huge bright spot in the writing community. You can find him BBQing on Facebook and yukking it up on Twitter, too. Check him out as he co-hosts the popular A to Z Challenge for the month of April. It's not too late to get involved, either!

So thank you Matt, for being one of my WRITING HEROES. You rock!

To pay it forward, I will give a 1000-word critique to Matthew MacNish. He can then choose to keep it for himself or offer it as a giveaway on his blog! As a resident writing hero, he will also have a permanent link in our header.

So tell me Musers...do you know Matthew MacNish? Has he helped you or your writing in some way? Please tell us in the comments and help celebrate this amazing WRITING HERO!