Writer Unboxed

I’ve been cleaning off my messy writing space in a semi-annual effort, and amid the overlooked corn chips and mutant dust bunnies, I found a battered folder that I thought I’d trashed long ago. Inside were an embarrassing amount of old query letters from projects I’d forgotten all about.
God, how they sucked. […]

Beloved children’s and YA author Lois Lowry is best known for her controversial novel The Giver, but she’s penned light, comical tales as well, including her latest, which will be released April 30th, Gooney the Fabulous.
If you missed the first part of our interview with this Newbery award-winning author, you can read it by […]

So there I was, wrestling with a scene from the WIP. There’s been a lot of that recently, not to speak of cursing, fidgeting and running off to make cups of tea. It’s got worse since my new editor decided the two books under contract should be delivered in the reverse order, meaning I had […]

Anything with the word “July” in it makes me happy right now, because it’s once again below 50 F here in my hometown. So when Pop Candy recently mentioned the clever author website of one Miranda July, you know I went for a visit. And was wowed! Love the originality of this woman.
Go on now […]

You’ll remember I had my mini-freak-out session last week. If you read comments, you might also remember that I had some very good advice from writerly friends Kath, Thea, Quantum’s Eric, Grosvenor Square’s Melissa, and Bruce from Wordswimmer. Bruce’s comments really resonated with me, including this remark:
You need to find the courage, I think, to […]

Now that I have the June issue of Writer’s Digest in my steamy little hands, I can tell you the rumor is true: Writer Unboxed was named one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers! There are a load of fantastic sites referenced in WD–a hundred others–and while I’m sure they’ll soon have them all […]

Well, this certainly is nice to hear:
You’ve given yourself a challenge when you decide to write a book.
I think it’s the art form that looks easiest. After all “it’s just words”; how hard can it be. That very simplicity is the challenge. It’s just words. No pictures, no sound, no costumes, no actors, no musicians, […]

Lois Lowry has penned over 30 thought-provoking novels for children and young adults. She’s won numerous awards, including the prestigious Newbery medal for her books Number the Stars (1990)–a book about Nazi-occupied Denmark–and The Giver (1994)–a fascinating look at a world based on “sameness.” Though Lowry is targeting the younger set, these are books adults […]

Help!
I have 13 scenes left to write in my draft. Exciting, huh? Yet I can’t seem to face the wip and accomplish anything substantial. I want to be finished, yet, if someone said, “Oh, I’ll do it for you,” I’d gladly hand over the keyboard. What’s this about? These are the most exciting scenes!
Does this […]

Tolkien’s lost work, The Children of Hurin, is finally out.  Fans all over the English-speaking world have queued up for the April 17 release date.  Stupidly I forgot to pre-order my copy on Amazon, but that will soon be rectified.  Until I have a chance to read it myself, I’ll have to be content with some […]

You missed me, admit it. But I’ve been busy digging out from a snowstorm that stole our power for 12 hours and recovering from some blasted croupy-cough thing. When the lights finally came back, I learned about the tragedy at Virginia Tech. Ironically, the feeling foremost in my mind and today’s blog post focus are […]

Our inimitable Scottish friend, literary scifi writer Hal Duncan calls it “eating the purple crayons:”
1. Don’t eat the crayons, even if “purple tastes gooooood”. No, really. Put that down; it’s not meant for that.*
* 1a. This simple childhood rule applies also in adult life to: playing computer Solitaire; browsing the interweb; checking email; surfing for […]