Writer Unboxed

Today’s guest is Raquel B. Pidal. Raquel has a master’s in Publishing and Writing from Emerson college, where she studied copyright law, contracts, and rights. She currently works in publicity at Harvard University Press, and is also a freelance writer and editor. She’s also the blog mama of Copyrighteous–a site focused on copyright and writers’ […]

Today’s guest is Raquel B. Pidal. Raquel has a master’s in Publishing and Writing from Emerson college, where she spent two of her semesters studying copyright law, contracts, and rights. She currently works in publicity at Harvard University Press, and is also a freelance writer and editor. She’s also the blog mama of Copyrighteous–a site […]

Please note: This interview was conducted by fantasy author, and WU contributor, Juliet Marillier. If you missed parts one and two, click HERE and HERE.
In the final part of our interview, British fantasy author Joe Abercombie talks about battles, fantasy names, the art of juggling three separate story lines, and what’s in store for him […]

Third draft specialist Lisa Rector Maass has alerted us to an opportunity for aspiring young writers.  If you know a budding writer, this may be the break they’ve been waiting for:
The 2008 Lisa Rector Young Writers Scholarship
Postmark Deadline: September 30, 2008.
1st place, SIWC Scholarship, 2008.
2nd place, 10 page critique by a Literary Agent
3rd place, 10 page critique […]

WU readers may remember that former WU contributor Victoria Holmes, editor of bestselling YA fantasy series WARRIORS, alerted us to a heartbreaking tragedy befalling a young fan of the popular book series:
(In April) We blogged about Emmy Cherry, an eleven-year-old girl tragically killed when a tornado ripped through her home in Arkansas. Emmy was a big […]

Some books are gift books. They arrive fully cloaked, with feathers and beads and exquisite shoes, all in place. The writer is required only to transcribe the material and send it off into the world. Books like this tend to be written very fast, with little of the gnashing of teeth and […]

It’s been a while since we’ve filled you in on books and business news. Here’s some of the latest (though some of it may be old news, too):
Author Christopher Paolini’s Brisingr was released this past Saturday. This, from Publishers Lunch:
In the UK, Waterstone’s children’s buyer Claudia Mody tells the Telegraph, “It’s our biggest pre-order campaign […]

I asked myself this question as I watched my little sproutlet destroy a carefully-designed gift basket she’d gotten for her birthday to get at the Borders giftcard nestled in the middle. Nothing else mattered to her in the basket: not the hair bands, the Jonas Brothers cd, the sweet little paper flowers that crafty moms make. […]

Please note: This three-part interview was conducted by fantasy author, and WU contributor, Juliet Marillier. If you missed part one, click HERE.
In his epic fantasy trilogy, The First Law, British author Joe Abercrombie takes a bold and irreverent approach to the conventions of the genre. Even more remarkable than his unconventional storytelling is the way […]

Word’s Comment feature is a hugely useful tool. You can insert an invisible note for yourself or someone else, such as an editor. When I was in an e-mail critique group, we used comments in our critiques along with line editing with Track Changes turned on. WordPerfect also offers a Comment tool.
I sometimes create a […]

When you’re writing a novel set in a period that’s not your own, research is an inescapable part of the equation. Not that it bothers me—I love setting off on a journey of discovery into the ‘foreign’ yet teasingly familiar country that is the past, and on the way learn lots and lots of things, […]

WUWUWUWU!  Today is blogmama Therese’s birthday! 
On this day in 1620, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England.
The first game of softball was played in 1887.
In ancient Greece, the third day of the Eleusinian Mysteries, when the initiates walked to the sea at Phaleron and purified themselves in the water.
Famous people born on this day: B.B. […]