Writer Unboxed

Recently I presented a session on the challenges of writing a novel. This was for a school holiday writing course, age range 12-16. At 16 a student generally has a good understanding of writing techniques and the capacity to plan and execute a big project. At 12, young writers generally gain more benefit from letting […]

This is an experiment. Kath and I are going to attempt to keep you somewhat updated re: happenings in the publishing industry, but we’d like to do it without sacrificing an enormo chunk of personal writing time. So no promises on the longevity of this endeavor; we’ll see how we do.
Not all of this […]

Award-winning epic fantasy author and WU contributor Juliet Marillier’s latest book, The Well of Shades, is being released today in the U.S. (it has already been released in Australia and the U.K.). Juliet’s books are an auto-buy for me thanks to her imaginative plotting, graceful wordsmithing and meaty characterizations. Though we’ve already had a thorough […]

From Answers.com:
When L. Frank Baum, born on this date in 1856, wrote the first in his series of books about the Emerald City — The Wonderful Wizard of Oz — little did he know the impact it would have on generations of children who would be terrified by the Wicked Witch of the West and […]

Does this happen to you? You’re driving somewhere that takes about 20 minutes. Suddenly, the solution to a knotty problem that’s been plaguing you in your wip pops into your head. But you’re driving. You can’t pull over. You can’t drive and write, either (though you think about doing it […]

Nancy Kress is a prolific author, having written more than sixty short stories and more than a dozen sci-fi novels. It was her book on the elements of fiction writing, Beginnings, Middles & Ends, that caught our eye. The book, said by some to be the best in the Writer’s Digest series for fiction writers, […]

It’s here, it’s here, it’s finally here!! It’s hard to believe that two years after I wrote it, seventeen months after we sold it, fourteen months after I cashed my first check from it, The Department of Lost and Found is finally here. It’s been an informative ride – to say the very […]

Nobody could’ve been more thrilled for Therese that she’d finished a good draft of her current WIP than me.  Well, Therese is thrilled, but that’s a given.  Being able to type THE END and know that you’ve really figured out a cathartic ending, the one that’s supposed to be there, is a golden feeling.
I’m not […]

Before I get to today’s post, I want to remind everyone that it’s release day for The Department of Lost & Found, Allison Winn Scotch’s first novel. I already have a copy sitting at the top of my TBR pile. Scanning the first few pages I was struck with two things: 1. The poignant dedication […]

Apologies for the late post, but last night my brain had been squeezed dry of words.  Why?  Because I spent this weekend on a writer’s retreat, typing my fingers ’til the nails chipped and leaping forward on my wip. 
This is the fourth year in a row Therese and I, and our romance novelist buddy Elena Greene, […]

I’m so pleased today to bring you an interview with one of WU’s own contributors, Allison Winn Scotch. Allison is a prolific freelance writer, and The Department of Lost & Found will be her first published novel, available nationwide May 8th. She’s already garnered some fab reviews, with Booklist calling the debut “impressive,” Cosmo calling […]

[WU Note: This post originally appeared on Allison’s site, “Ask Allison,” but we thought WU readers would appreciate what she had to say too and asked if we might repost it here; happily for us, she agreed. You’ll learn more about Allison’s journey tomorrow when we post our interview with her. Enjoy!]
It’s a funny thing: […]