Writer Unboxed

Around the Blogosphere and Google Notebook Updates

Therese Walsh on May 21 2008 | Filed under: Business

So today apparently marks the end of Snark; one year ago Miss Snark stopped posting new biting tidbits to benefit writers. Nathan Bransford has a nice summary of the blogs paying tribute to Snark’s memory HERE. Speaking of Nathan, he’s currently running a dialog contest and has stocked up on his whiskey in order to get through it. More on that HERE.

Another anniversary: Do you remember the experiment Penguin Books started with De Montfort University researchers about a year ago, to see if a zillion people could write a novel together via wiki? Well, the results are in and…well, here’s the opening of the wiki-novel. See what you think.

The deep waters, black as ink, began to swell and recede into an uncertain distance. A gray ominous mist obscured the horizon. The ocean expanse seemed to darken in disapproval. Crashing tides sounded groans of agonized discontent. The ocean pulsed with a frightening, vital force. Although hard to imagine, life existed beneath. It’s infinite underbelly was teeming with life, a monstrous collection of finned, tentacled, toxic, and slimy parts. Below its surface lay the wreckage of countless souls. But we had dared to journey across it. Some had even been brave enough to explore its sable velveteen depths, and have yet to come up for precious air….

Oh, well, worth a try. Read more about this experiment at Gawker, HERE.

Have you checked out Brenda Novak’s 2008 Online Auction to Benefit Diabetes Research yet? Evil Editor is just one of the many editors who’ve offered up services; he’s giving away a FULL edit of a manuscript, up to 100,000 words. For a price, of course. And you might be surprised just how high that price has climbed. Check it, HERE.

JA Konrath at A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing has a great post up about overcoming writers’ uncertainty, HERE. [Note to self: Read Fuzzy Navel when it comes out in July and ask JA for an interview...]

In other books and business news, BookLocker is suing Amazon, one of the Spice Girls is writing a children’s book (sigh), Paulo Coelho’s Alchemist will be made into a film, Barnes and Noble is sniffing around Borders and counting its pennies. Check it all out at the WU Google Notebook HERE.

Write on, all!

Therese Walsh co-founded Writer Unboxed in 2006. Her debut novel, The Last Will of Moira Leahy, sold to Random House in a two-book deal in 2008, was named one of January Magazine’s Best Books of 2009, and was a Target Breakout Book in 2010. She's never been published with a lit magazine, but LOST's Carlton Cuse liked her haiku best on Twitter, and that made her pretty happy.