Writer Unboxed

A funny thing happened to me during the editing process. I realized my biggest problem scene is in the first chapter. In the first scene of the first chapter. I’m actually pretty happy with the rest of it–the other eighty or ninety or one hundred scenes. I’m not sure how it happened that the first […]

New blurbs are up on the WU Google Notebook. Read them HERE.

Warning: If you don’t want to hear what happened in the book, don’t read this. There are spoilers ahead.
It read like an episode of the Sopranos.
Beloved characters die gruesome deaths with little or no mourning for their passing. A caged animal blows up. A hat bursts into flames while being worn. The mucus […]

Anyone interested in breaking into the children’s or young adult market, take note: Today’s interviewee knows a lot about this business. Alice Pope is the editor of the Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market (CWIM), the foremost guide for these genres, published annually through Writer’s Digest Books. We’re thrilled she’s agreed to answer some of our […]

I’ve caught myself sounding tired and negative in my recent posts—I put this down to a lengthy struggle with the current wip. This started out as a book called Heart’s Blood, then when I was about five chapters in and under contract in Australia and the UK, the US rights were sold for that novel […]

It’s over.  Or is it?
In an exclusive interview with American television, Rowling confirmed she “probably will” publish more details about her beloved characters.
She said the encyclopedia would include background stories of characters she has already written but had to cut - such as Harry’s school friend Dean Thomas.
She also said the book would include details […]

Yesterday, Therese and I dished about the newest Harry Potter flick. While we both gave it the thumbs up, we did have a few nits.  Mostly we were pleased with the way the filmmakers managed to streamline an unwieldy story into a swift two-hour movie while retaining plot coherence. Today, we continue our analysis.
Kathleen: The […]

We’ve neglected them, but no longer.  Movie Analyses are back!  This time, Therese and I managed to go see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and being the screenplay buffs that we are, we’ve dissected the movie for its storytelling aspects and overall merits.  If you’re sick of Pottermania, we can’t help you this […]

If you missed part 1 of WU’s interview with Dave King, click HERE, then come on back. Dave’s not only a professional editor, he’s the co-author of the must-have book, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print. We’re honored to have him with us.
In this part of our interview, we talk […]

One of the things that has surprised me most, now that The Department of Lost and Found is out there in the world, is how so many people assume that the book is true to my real life. As if the word “fiction,” is really just code for thinly disguised memoir. I’ve even […]

Please forgive my lengthy absence. The latest issue of Spacesuits and Sixguns provided a very strong lesson: I’m a computer geek, but I don’t know crap about nameservers. Do you know anything about nameservers? Oh. Good. I’m not alone, then.
Onward.
Last time I asked what we’re doing; this time, I’m asking […]

Did you know that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is being published in 90 countries? Yeah, I’m one of the kazillion people anxiously waiting for this weekend and the final installment in JK Rowling’s fantasy series. Will good crush evil? Will Dumbledore’s Army find the remaining horcruxes before the Death Eaters gain strength? Will […]