Writer Unboxed

Originally posted March, 2006.
My children think the term “tighty whities” is about the funniest thing in the world next to Captain Underpants, so I hope some young-at-heart person out there enjoys my odd post title today!
Ray Rhamey at Flogging the Quill recently demonstrated how an overplump piece of prose should be trimmed of its fat, […]

Originally posted September, 2006.
The rejection letter is the writer’s cat-o’nine-tails, the scourge of the brotherhood. Everytime I get one, I imagine that scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the one where the monks are bashing their heads in with the alpha and omega of their existence, the bible. I get bashed pretty […]

Originally posted May, 2006.
Some folks say you should never, by pain of death, refer to your manuscript as your baby. Too personal. Far too unprofessional. It should be considered a work, and if it’s not, um…working, then you should be more than willing to toss it out with the bathwater and try, try again.
You’ve also […]

Originally posted July, 2007.
Did you hear that thin cry out in the wilderness, like that of a vulture tearing at her own heart? That was me trying to get back into the groove of writing after a three-week (unintentional) break.
I finally started hacking away at my neglected wip this weekend, but only after I engaged […]

For you, our dear readers:
Today, take a pause
Spend time with loved ones and cheer
Peace, joy in New Year
All our wishes to you for a special holiday season filled with peace and prosperity.
Photo by nihilistka.
 

Originally posted September, 2006.
“Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies…”
Today is the anniversary of the famous–and most widely reprinted–editorial, Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, that appeared in the New York Sun in 1897. Francis Church, who had been a civil war correspondent, was assigned to respond to […]

“Twelve Days of Christmas” refers to the days between Christmas and January 6th (epiphany, Twelfth Night). But this is a blog about fiction, so Kath and I are changing the rules. Our twelve days mean we’re taking twelve days off, starting tomorrow. During that time we’re going to re-post some old favorites, so come back […]

In my last post for Writer Unboxed I used a term I’ve coined, “experiential description.” Teri suggested that it be the subject of a post for WU, so here it is.  
In samples I receive for my Flogging the Quill blog and for the editing side of my literary efforts, writers often fail to utilize a […]

Tis the season, as Richard Matheson says, to be jelly.
Speaking of Matheson, has anybody seen the latest filmed adaptation of I Am Legend? I was so enthused when I saw trailers this summer – not about the film so much; I can’t wait to see Cloverfield, but Matheson’s timeless man-as-monster parable has been beaten […]

From IMDb News:
Filmmaker Peter Jackson has signed on to produce two movies based on author J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, after resolving his legal feud with studio bosses over unpaid royalties. Jackson has been involved in a long and bitter despite with bosses at New Line Cinema after claiming he had not been properly paid […]

Google Notebooks updates are up. Check them HERE.
I really like to read the Writer’s Almanac daily. Love me my poetry fix, and the graphs that follow the poem often include mini biographies of writers whose birthday falls on a given day. Today’s outtakes were particularly enjoyable. Here are a few:
It’s the birthday of writer […]

One of the many things that came up at the BackSpace Writers Seminar was whether or not agents actively seek new clients in December, and whether or not it’s a good time to submit to them.
“I send out more rejections between December 25th and January 1st than any other time of year,” said one […]