Writer Unboxed

“Are you insane, Bet?” Not exactly the reaction I’d been hoping for when I made my proposal to Will, I’ll grant you. Still, I tried to tell myself it was a start. At least my idea was now out there, loose in the world. Turn the clock back a minute or two . . . [...]

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So my new book, The One That I Want, has been out in the world for a month now, and just like a new parent who has realized that it’s time to take a night or two away from her little one, I’ve started to move on from the hovering, the worrying, the frantic roller-coaster [...]

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Last month I looked at how tension emerges on the page when apparently nothing is happening. The inverse of that is when high action hits with bullets whining, cars careening and explosions mushrooming. You’d think that high action would be the most riveting stuff in any novel, but strangely it often is easy to skim. [...]

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Please welcome author Lynne Griffin to WU. Lynne’s second novel, Sea Escape, about a woman’s journey to healing her family through old love letters between her parents (and based on Lynne’s real-life family history) releases today. Already the reviews have been resoundingly positive, and Sea Escape has been chosen as an Indie Next List Notable [...]

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July 5th isn’t a major U.S. calendar holiday, but because July 4th fell on a Sunday this year, many people with full-time jobs are taking July 5th as a holiday from work. Including me. So I’m here but not here. And do you know what I’m not doing, wherever I am? I’m not writing. I’m [...]

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Happy 4th of July! Here’s to grills that don’t burn food, ice cold beverages, bug-free picnics and sparkly fireworks! Back to work July 5. Until then, have a safe and fun holiday.

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Writing in one genre is hard enough, but novelist Lauren Baratz-Logsted is one of those rare writers who works in three genres: adults, teens, and children. Break it down further, and Baratz-Logsted can transition between gritty urban fiction and sophisticated Victorian-era mysteries. In an industry that asks writers to develop a market-friendly identity and stick to it like glue, Lauren [...]

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I’ve been reading a lot of expert advice lately, both here and elsewhere, about writing your first draft quickly and not allowing yourself to become stalled too early by niceties of style, structure or character. Get the rough and ready bones of the book down, people say, then worry about polishing them and giving them [...]

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